The Wimbledon men’s semifinals took place today. We saw 3 out of the top 4 players plus a surprise attendant take center stage to battle it out for a spot in the finals, and interestingly we only witnessed a total of 6 sets. Who would have thought that both of these Wimbledon semifinal matches would be taken in straight sets?
Djokovic was clearly the favorite in his match against Gasquet, and he did not disappoint. He played solid and aggressive tennis, blatantly avoiding Gasquet’s dangerous one-handed backhand and picking on his forehand. Gasquet gave it all he had, running down every ball and coming up with some incredibly passing shots, but it just wasn’t enough. Djokovic took the first set in a tie breaker, then consolidated two break points to take the next two sets 6-4 6-4.
The more shocking straight set victory came between Federer and Murray. The two men went into the match with a fairly even head-to-head, with Federer only one win ahead. The match did not represent this statistic at all, though. While I was preparing myself for a 4 or 5 setter in Murray’s favor, I was pleasantly surprised to see Federer completely dismantle the Scot. Federer successfully took away Murray’s time with his high 1st serve percentage and aggressive movement forward. Long story short, Federer just outmatched Murray this time around.
Djokovic and Federer will face off against each other in this year’s Wimbledon finals this Sunday. The last Grand Slam encounter between these two was 12 months ago on this very court. Djokovic squeezed out a 5-set victory against the 7-time Wimbledon Champion. We look forward to this repeat final matchup and anticipate a great match!
