Wimbledon 2011 Semi-final Live: Andy Murray vs. Rafael Nadal

Andy Murray: Quietly Confident

Andy Murray is twice fatal on grass as he is on any other surface. Rafael Nadal is the defending champion. When the two meet in the semi-final in a moment from now, we can expect the most engaging match of Wimbledon so far. That being said, it should surpass the roller-coaster ride that Federer vs. Tsonga was. The first semi-final has been won by Novak Djokovic in emphatic style in 4 sets. Tsonga was competitive but Novak’s winning streak of 6 month kept him in good stead. Tsonga made a comeback after he lost the first two sets and Djokovic was just too good.

Andy Murray has been sensational leading up to the tournament winning at the Queen’s club and has had a fairly easy road to the semi-final as well. Both the players have lost two sets on their way to this massive encounter. Murray will be relying on his powerful ground strokes whereas Nadal will count on his ability to disguise his drop shots. Both of them have similar abilities when it comes to stamina and the work rate on the court is exceptional.

Nadal has lost his world no.1 ranking with Djokovic entering the final, but more significantly he has the opportunity to win the Wimbledon yet again. Murray is the immediate threat and he has the ability to prove himself the better on grass court. Nadal has had a few injury concerns and if that affects his game to a degree, Murray will have the skill to capitalize upon it. At the same time, Nadal has improved a great deal on the grass court over the years. If he does trounce Murray, he will definitely go into the final as the favorite.

Rafael Nadal has the advantage if we go by the statistics and head to head matches. In both the previous meetings at Wimbledon, Nadal has defeated the British no. 1 in straight sets. However Nadal himself has vowed not to let complacency take over him. He scaled the threat that Murray will be, “he’s having a very successful season, in my opinion. So he’s with big confidence. Anyway, the previous matches don’t affect the match of Friday.” Murray has been improving with time for sure and the focus that he allots to Wimbledon is huge. He preserves himself for his best at Wimbledon. Murray was quietly confident of his ability to dethrone Nadal. Murray said, “I know how difficult it’s going to be. I know what the task is. So I’ll be ready for it.”