By:Sharon
2009-10-14

At Wimbledon it is inevitable that the crowd will be behind Britain’s big hope but up until this week, there has been a massive difference between the way the crowd roared Andy Murray from the way they used to cheer for Tim Henman. Henman was always involved in a close battle with many games hanging in the balance until the final set but Murray has shown a sign of confidence in disposing of opponents quickly.

That is, up until the five-set thriller against Wawrinka where Murray eventually overcame his tough opponent under the new Wimbledon roof and for once, it seemed as though the whole arena was behind him. Whether this change in attitude from the home crowd will be enough to propel him to glory this summer is another thing and his quarter final tie versus Juan Carlos Ferrero could well be a tough one.

The Spaniard is only playing as a wild card entrant but he does have a pedigree that suggests it may be a tough match and if he can dampen the enthusiasm shown by the crowd, Britain’s hopes may be gone again. Murray will no doubt be hoping his victory over Ferrero at the Queens Club two weeks ago will hold him in good stead but the after effects of Mondays tiring game may have an influence on the outcome of this match. If the match wears on, Ferrero may be the fresher player.

The winner of this tie will be up against the victor of the Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick quarter final tie. Both of these players are names from the past but have battled back and are showing they still possess the energy and vigour to compete with the newer wave of tennis players. Hewitt has been particularly invigorated and his fan club are capable of making enough noise to rival the support for Murray.

If they clash in the semi-final, expect the fans to be louder than a grunting female tennis player so ear plugs may be required for the umpire. Hewitt and Ferrero are the only unseeded players left in the mens event and if either of them can make it through to the semi-final, it will be an upset and also have some bookmakers having twitchy nights.

Hewitt has certainly played with a passion that belies his recent form but now he has reached the business end of the tournament, all eyes will be upon him to see if he can continue his form. He will be facing a fresh Andy Roddick who only required three sets to dispose of Berdych from the Czech Republic in his last match.

This week has already seen Wimbledon smash its late night record with the epic encounter where Murray prevailed but if the fans favourites can progress to the semi-final, they may well see the new roof come off! That wont be something that the All England organisers would be happy to pay for but what a spectacle it will prove to be if the players of the people clash in the semi-final.

It may as seem as though all the hype is about Andy Murray but you have to remember that he has yet to win a Grand Slam and is still a long way off of being counted as a legendary tennis player. One player who has won more Grand Slams than virtually any other male player, and who stands on the verge of breaking the record for triumphs, is still on a roll and many are backing him to stand apart from the rest of his peers by the time the tournament ends on Sunday.

A comfortable three set victory in his fourth round tie against Sweden’s Soderling kept the Swiss star Roger Federer on course for a record breaking haul. His fashion at the tournament may be questionable with dapper Nike waistcoat turning a few heads but the standard and quality of his play is no different from what Federer usually shows.

There will be some who say that the absence of Nadal, last years winner anf top seed, will diminish any Roger triumph this summer but given the way his career has panned out, it will be a churlish man to back him against a season Grand Slam to go alongside the career Grand Slam he clinched in the French Open earlier this year. Not only did it give him a career Grand Slam haul, it put him level with Pete Sampras with regards to total Grand Slam triumphs and Federer will want to edge ahead as quickly as possible and his next chance is now at Wimbledon.

Which is why Croatias Karlovic, his next opponent will fear the worst. Mind you, the number 22 has shown some talent in getting through to the quarter finals, particularly overcoming Spanish number seven seed Verdasco by three sets to one. Having already defeated a higher ranked player,

Karlovic will have some level of confidence entering the quarter final but to be fair, there is playing a higher ranked opponent and there is playing an opponent the level of Roger Federer. It will be an almighty shock if Federer stumbles at this stage but you get the feeling the other quarter finalists will be hoping he is humbled to prevent them facing him in the semi-final.

This is where Haas and Djokovic will be hoping for a slice of luck but either will be thinking they have a great chance of making it through to the Wimbledon semi-final at least. Both men took just the three sets to progress from the fourth round and whilst the Serbian Djokovic will start the favourite, it could go either way. This tie is probably the one that will have the bookies squirming about the pricing as it offers the biggest opportunity for a match that could go either way, unlike some other games where one outcome will be determined as an upset.

Then again, when it gets to this stage of a major tournament, its not always about skill as sometimes the rub of the green and the bounce of the ball can be enough to put you through or send you spinning out.