The Djokovic and Murray final will keep world still

World No 1 Djokovic showed his super high-quality tennis to outlast Argentinian torpedo Juan Martin Del Porto in the epic five-set semi-final, which spanned more than four hours and 43 minutes, the longest match of the 2013 Wimbledon while the man with a mission, Murray, boosted by home fans, clawed back to stop the amazing run of Jerzy Janowicz of Poland in four sets.

Such extraordinary matches proved a worthy compensation for the premature defeats of defending champion Roger Federer and the freshly crowned Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal – both had to pack their bags and head home before the second week. 

Like many of their big-name colleagues, Djokovic and Murray slipped at times on this year’s surface, claimed by many players that the grass had been cut far too short than before leading to slippery conditions, during their matches. Still the awesome duo managed to get up safely and were ready for the next points, and now, for the championship clash. 

The Djokovic-Murray final today is undisputedly the best match-up for this year’s Wimbledon and it will keep the sporting world still. The world’s current best player Novak, who has made four straight major finals, and Andy, who sets his eyes firmly on becoming the first Briton to hold a Wimbledon trophy in 77 years (since Fred Perry in 1936), will fight till their “last drop of blood’ for the crown.

The likely feature of the match will be long, seemingly endless, rallies from the baseline that will take your breath away. The world No 1 from Serbia, as we all witnessed in the tussle against Del Potro of Argentina, will respond to every thing from corner to corner. Come lobs, drop shots, heavy blasts or dynamite serves. Not only is his footwork exceptional but also his reading of the game is as accurate as a Nostradamus prediction. That’s why he could counter-punch against big-hitters like the Argentinian and make those hard-hitting rivals lose patience. 

Murray has almost a similar kind of game. So imagine how many shots will be exchanged between these two to proceed through each point. The world No 2, with only one Major to his credit last year at the US Open where he got the better of Novak in the final, is capable of hitting big but we haven’t seen him doing that much recently. The Briton relies too much on his defensive tactics and that could explain why he lost the first two sets to the flashy Fernando Verdasco before rebounding in the quarter-finals. 

Defensive tennis will not cause any damage to a player like Novak who arrived at Wimbledon with extreme fitness. He can run all day and hardly gives free points and more importantly can reply even better. He showed that in the Australian Open final in January and guess what, Murray was the victim then. Effective first serve percentage is another weapon Murray must carry into the final.

The Serbian, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, will have the edge going into the centre court tomorrow, but to make that change Murray must chip and charge as much as he could. Considering how solid Djokovic is at the back of the court, the only way for Murray is to break his momentum and cut the points short at the net. Murray, though a solid baseliner, could never out rally Djokovic and is not as physically fit and as mentally tough. We have seen Djokovic wearing out Del Potro on Friday night and it won’t be a surprise if he does the same to Murray.

Alone, Murray, may not be able to stop Djokovic. He needs favours from home fans. Sometimes to get the underdog going, the crowds must get behind their players and bring out more than 100 per cent. It worked once last year when Murray on this court beat Djokovic and Federer for the Olympics gold. It can happen again. Of course, the Scot is really dying for that morale-booster and make the impossible possible.