Andy Murray able to live with defeat after falling to a masterclass
Scot plays some superb tennis but can't match impeccable Roger Federer in semi-final defeat
A year after Andy Murray’s reign as Wimbledon champion ended lamely at the hands of a man dubbed the new Roger Federer, he got a stark reminder on Friday that the original is the real threat to his grand slam ambitions.
Twice grand slam champion Murray went out with a whimper against Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in the 2014 quarter-finals as he struggled to regain form after back surgery.
There will be no recriminations after losing 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 to 33-year-old Federer in Friday’s semi-final because, try as best he could, there was nothing he could do to stop the 17-times grand slam champion who, even by his standards, played a blinder.
The world number three could not live with Federer’s laser-guided serving, nor match the blizzard of baseline winners the Swiss maestro produced from every conceivable angle.
“He served fantastic, apart from the first game where I had a chance there,” said Murray who had just one break point and failed to return 41 per cent of Federer’s serves.