Wimbledon 2015: Men's Semifinals' Preview

It all began on Monday, the 29th of June. 128 players set out in search of the majestic golden trophy on the lawns of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.

Now, 10 days later, only 4 remain standing, leaving the rest behind.

But the tournament doesn’t end here, it has just begun! All the finalists are here with one singular aim – to win.

We look at the lineup for the men’s semi-finals:

1. Andy Murray vs Roger Federer

Federer celebrates his victory over Gilles Simon

Examining this matchup, the first thing that comes to mind is the 2012 Wimbledon final when Federer won the last of his current haul of 17 Grand Slams. But less than a month later, on the same court, Murray beat Federer to Olympic gold.

A lot has happened since. Federer has had back problems, Murray has had surgery and here we are 3 years later, at the same venue, in for another mouth-watering clash.

The head-to-head of 12-11 in favour of the Swiss ace is yet another indication of how close this rivalry has been. Lately, too, the results have been in favour of the World No. 2, and Murray will look to get his own back at Centre Court.

Murray will have a slight ‘home’ advantage, but Centre Court has been Federer’s hunting ground well before Murray’s.

Both the players have had stellar grass seasons and more importantly, an unbridled run to the semifinals one could only wish for. Brilliant on serves, unerring on returns, both have the firepower and skill to outplay the other.

Murray is always in for a fight.

There’s not much to separate them and in the end, it may well come down to mental strength and how Murray can cope with the with the serve and volley avatar of Roger Federer. An interesting match on the cards!

Prediction: Federer to win in 4 tight sets.

2. Novak Djokovic vs. Richard Gasquet

Djokovic hits a forehand as he plays Cilic in the quarterfinals.

The match pits a defending champion against a rank outsider who will make a semifinal appearance only for the 2nd time in his career. It seems like the perfect David vs Goliath situation on the surface, but a closer look at Gasquet’s performances this fortnight tells a completely different story. He’s moving across the courts really well, returning better than ever before and has negotiated a very tricky draw. Fresh from defeating Stan Wawrinka in the quarters, he will be raring to go at World no.1 Djokovic.

But Djokovic is no pushover. He is hitting the ball with machine-like accuracy and is the favorite heading into the semifinal. That said, he has had his own share of shaky moments. He came up from 2 sets down against Kevin Anderson to turn the match around. The message from that result was crystal clear- that while he may be the highest ranked player in the world, Djokovic isn’t invincible.

The Serbian couldn’t have asked for a better opponent than a fatigued Gasquet, against whom he holds a 12-1 head-to-head advantage. Gasquet’s lone win came way back in 2007. The Frenchman has reached a level most spectators did not expect him to, but he will do well to take a set at best off the Serb.

Prediction: Djokovic to win in straight sets.