Andy's new itch: being the last big one standing

10 July 2016 - 02:00 By SIMON BRIGGS

British tennis fans might have experienced a sense of forboding on Friday night as they waited for the inevitable crisis to show itself. But no.Andy Murray was through to the final of Wimbledon, brushing past Tomas Berdych in straight sets, and there was no steward's enquiry, no injury scare, no alien invasion.If it all seemed too good to be true, that was probably because this is an unprecedented situation. In his 41 previous grand slam tournaments, Murray has beaten the others of the "Big Four" a handful of times, but he has never seen them all eliminated by other players. Neither has he ever been the last member of the pack still standing.But having scored a comfortable 6-3 6-3 6-3 win over Berdych, Murray will have to scratch another itch today - Milos Raonic. Which represents another first. Now, after Roger Federer (three times) and Novak Djokovic (seven times), Murray faces a newbie.Yes, the man who describes himself as "the CEO of Milos Raonic Tennis" has developed a multi-dimensional game to complement the natural gift of his cannonball serve. Murray has won 36% of his return games so far this fortnight, whereas the figures stood at 26% for Berdych, 19% for Federer and 14% for Raonic But whichever way you look at it, this is the best opportunity Murray has ever had to snatch his next grand slam title.Still, the forecasts can wait a moment. First duty must be to salute Murray's bloody-minded brilliance against Berdych.The pressure can only have escalated when Federer exited in that dramatic five-setter earlier in the afternoon. But he came out strongly from the start, breaking Berdych at the first opportunity and committing just a single unforced error - an overcooked backhand - in the whole of that first set.Berdych, by contrast, was spraying the ball like a rogue fire-hose. He used to have Murray on toast a few years ago, using his piledriving forehand for some bruising beatings.He hits the ball at almost 130km/h off that side, about 8km/h faster than Murray. But power is nothing without control, as the famous Nike advert once had it, and across the whole of this 118-minute match, Berdych coughed up more than one freebie point per game.story_article_left1The feet supplied the greatest contrast. Murray's size 12s tapped out a rapid tattoo on the turf, a roll of a snare drum, as he ran down countless lost causes. Berdych's strides seemed heavier and slower, landing with the ponderous effect of a gong.Berdych was particularly vulnerable coming out of his serve - a chink that Murray exploited with his extraordinary ability to hit the return from inside the court. As soon as Berdych missed his first serve, Murray moved two steps forward and rammed the ball back with depth and intent.This has been his Unique Selling Point this year - which has now carried him to his third straight grand slam final. Murray has won 36% of his return games so far this fortnight, whereas the figures stood at 26% for Berdych, 19% for Federer and 14% for Raonic.Yes, Raonic has been the leading server, with 137 aces and dropping serve only five times . Yes, Raonic might be fortified by John McEnroe's presence in his camp - even if McEnroe preferred to commentate from the BBC box on Friday.But Murray has already taken him down three times this season, first in the Australian Open semi and most recently in the Queen's Club final.Rafael Nadal missed Wimbledon because of an inflamed wrist tendon, Federer ran out of gas in his second successive five-setter, and Djokovic admitted that he had never felt as exhausted as he did this year.Murray, meanwhile, is in a good place. He has his five-month-old baby daughter to play with, his wife Kim at his side, and his coach Ivan Lendl to calm his wilder moments on the court.The Telegraph..

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