A week ago, the sense was that whatever fate or the opposition could throw at him, Roger Federer would achieve the crowning glory of his career and become a greater giant of the game. In a less grand but no less defining context, Andy Murray is piecing together a sequence of performances on grass that stir the blood almost as vigorously.
In the scheme of things, reaching the semi-final of a tournament at level four on the ATP World Tour — the champion tomorrow will receive 250 ranking points as opposed to 2,000 for winning a grand-slam event — is of scant consequence and yet it has always been the case that the proximity of Queen’s to Wimbledon, and the fact that many Wimbledon champions won Queen’s first, leads one to consider fantastic conclusions.
The British No 1 has to climb through a couple more difficult hoops yet — he plays a former world No 1 and grand-slam champion in Juan Carlos Ferrero, from Spain, today — but the Scot has not looked like dropping a set in three matches on successive days in the AEGON Championships and his new favoured word is “solid”, which eloquently describes each and every facet of his game.
The Queen’s Club is not a stranger to prominent Scots. Mike Gooding was the real tennis professional and a more than handy combatant, so it is not as if the accent is completely unfathomable around these parts, although attempting to trace one on the balcony yesterday brought to mind needles and haystacks.
Come tomorrow, there could be another title-holder in their midst and how apt it would be, for the event is sponsored by a life assurance, pensions and investment company whose headquarters are in Edinburgh and a considerable percentage of whose staff bear Murray’s heritage. The 22-year-old would be a cherished and timely champion and as No 1 seed and event-saving grace, why should he not do just that?
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He has already won 11 titles on the ATP World Tour, three this year and a fourth on home soil would probably unleash a tumult suggesting that he is heir apparent to Wimbledon’s myriad champions. What can be said without doubt is that each and every day the world No 3 adds subtle components to a game that makes him stand out from the crowd.
In his 7-5, 6-3 defeat of Mardy Fish in the quarter-finals, the swinging serve, the prodded backhand and the intuitive timing off the ground combined to thwart the American, who had decided that compulsive net-rushing and chip-charging were the best chances of beating the British No 1.
Fish stuck to his guns; Murray to his and ultimately the Scot had that little bit more craft and cunning when the big moments arrived. As in the eleventh game of the first set, when Fish saved the first two of three break points against him only to scuff a low backhand volley on the third. Murray reached set point to barely a murmur from the crowd and the silence may have contributed to Fish making an absolute hash of a routine smash.
There were two breaks in the second set, the first secured when Murray’s superb backhand service return — it is arguably his finest shot — trapped the American on the baseline and Fish swallowed the bait. On match point, Murray unleashed that indomitable backhand service return once more. Cue large Pimm’s all round.
Queen’s was the venue for Murray’s first singles victory on tour four years ago against Santiago Ventura. Now into his debut semi-final here, he meets Ferrero, another Spaniard, not someone he might have expected to face at such a juncture in England and on grass. Ferrero is in a nice little groove, as demonstrated yesterday with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Steve Darcis, the unseeded Belgian. Murray watched the final two sets in the locker room and was as impressed with Ferrero as the rest of us.
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In the opposite half of the draw, Andy Roddick emerged from the normal bumps and bruises one has to put up with when playing Ivo Karlovic, the Croat. The American gave as good as he got, though, with 24 aces — the last of them on his fifth match point and the first on his own serve — as against Karlovic’s 26.
Roddick against Murray would be the dream final, though they have met once already in this event, in the first round of the doubles. The result may not have had much meaning elsewhere but to these two, much rode on it. As part of a forfeit for losing a game of touch football with his training team, Murray had had to wear a pink cap with sparkly stars on it at his next practice. On an adjacent court, Roddick spotted the cap and made mention of it on his Twitter page. Murray responded that Roddick’s sweat-stained cap was a bit of an eyesore.
The upshot was a deal that whoever lost the doubles match would have to wear the pink cap all night. Roddick, decent sport that he is, duly donned it at his favourite sushi bar.