It’s a tough one to call, but I’m backing Andy Murray in what’s sure to be another Centre Court classic

 
One game from the final: And 2001 champion Ivanisevic is backing Murray
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Goran Ivanisevic10 July 2015

Andy Murray against Roger Federer is “the Big One” and while it is tough to predict the winner, I am going for Andy. Normally I would go for Roger but Andy is playing really well, is motivated, is moving great and seeing the ball so well.

It is a really tough one to pick because Roger is also playing impressively but the difference is that he has not been tested, not even close. In this match, he will face a very big test on Centre Court and it is a match I am really looking forward to seeing.

You can see Stefan Edberg’s influence in what Roger is doing, particularly in coming to the net. He was also playing perfect tennis last year. He’d changed his racket, started being more aggressive and was also smart in picking which tournaments to play. He can still win Grand Slams and he will be very aggressive in this semi-final.

But Andy is simply everywhere and is so pumped up, concentrated and ready for this match — and it will be an advantage to him that Roger has not really been tested. Andy has been handling things really well at these Championships and that is credit to him and his team.

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I am surprised that Richard Gasquet made the semi-finals and I think that Novak Djokovic will be buying him the most expensive bottle of wine for beating Stan Wawrinka, who of course defeated him in the French Open final. Stan is the only guy who can blow Djokovic off the court with his game. All credit to Gasquet for serving for the match, which is mentally difficult, but he stood there and got the job done.

I have enjoyed these Championships, where my guy Marin Cilic reached the quarter-finals, where he lost to Novak. Now Marin will start preparing for the hard court part of the season in North America, where he will play in three tournaments building up to the defence of his US Open title in September.

Marin could have done better here and he knows that. Against Novak, he tried everything. But not to have one break point on Novak’s serve was not acceptable. I am confident he is getting there and hard courts are much better for him. On grass, the tall guys are less secure with their movement, he’s more steady on hard courts.

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One of the big successes has been the extra week for grass in the season. It is something that should have been done a long time ago. It is perfect and you can either play the new tournament in Stuttgart or get some rest. The big guys can play Halle or Queen’s and then get another week to prepare. There is better tennis being produced and that’s great for everyone.

The weather has been great, which means the grass is drier and the courts quicker, which is always better for the tennis. While Wimbledon doesn’t have to go back to how the grass was 20 years ago, making it a little quicker means guys go for their shots — and that’s good.

Players are coming to the net more and that is great for the big hitters. A few years ago, the grass was much slower than even clay but you still want to see people coming in to finish the point at the net and I have seen a lot of that these Championships.

Djokovic was my pick for the title before Wimbledon started and it doesn’t matter he lost the French Open final.

I am confident the final will be Novak against Andy but I think Novak will win.

As the Official Banking Partner of The Championships, HSBC is supporting the game from the back garden to Centre Court. For your chance to win a HSBC coaching clinic with Tim Henman at Wimbledon visit wimbledon.com/hsbc

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