Wimbledon winds toward its conclusion with the men’s semifinals and so do our tennis picks. Novak Djokovic is not in a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since the 2014 Australian Open. During that tournament, which is the real shock of the event. He was deemed the shoe-in to win again but without him, it’s become wide open.
Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer reached the semifinals. Federer is the surprise of the two – believe it or not – as he probably should have been ousted in the last round. We had Marin Cilic with our tennis picks in that spot and while he held a 2-0 set lead over Federer, Cilic blew it.
The other two semifinalists alive at Wimbledon in 2016 are Andy Murray and Milos Raonic. If Berdych and Raonic win, there will be a first-time Grand Slam champion. If Murray and Federer win, a player is guaranteed of adding to a Wimbledon trophy collection. It’s a big day in tennis. This situation really sets up well for Murray and it should be his tournament to lose, but he’s also coming off a five-set result. We’re in for an exciting couple of days.
Tomas Berdych vs. Andy Murray
There is a chance that Berdych can win, if only because Murray was unable to quickly and efficiently dispose of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. Murray led by two sets but lost the third. He led, 4-2, in the fourth set but then couldn’t hang on. He had to go to a fifth set, being too passive and too ineffective to subdue Tsonga even when he had the advantage in the match. Murray was not all that strong with his groundstrokes. He did not hit through the court as much as he needs to if he’s going to win this tournament. Berdych could beat Murray if Murray plays the way he played for much of the Tsonga match, especially in the third and fourth sets.
However, Murray isn’t likely to remain at that level. Murray knows he’s just two matches away from the title. He got away with a so-so performance, and when that happens, a great athlete (someone who is making his 20th Grand Slam semifinal as Murray is in this match) usually bounces back and improves his effort.
The other thing to note is that Berdych has a very average second serve. Murray is one of the best returners in the game – he’s probably better than everyone other than Novak Djokovic – so he should be able to get into a very comfortable rhythm against Berdych’s serve. Murray should be able to get a couple of looks per set at a break point on Berdych’s serve. Murray, playing in front of adoring fans in Great Britain, should be able to start the match the way he wants to, and then continue to play well. He should win comfortably. Take Murray with your tennis picks.
Pick: Murray in straight sets
Roger Federer vs. Milos Raonic
This is a rematch of the 2014 Wimbledon semifinals. Federer won that match, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. One break per set decided the match. In the first set, Federer broke early and then held onto that break. In sets two and three, Federer broke at 4-4 and then served out the set.
Back then, Raonic was a much slower mover. He’s a lot better now. Raonic was a mediocre net player. Today, he’s become better about crashing the net and taking away clear passing shot angles for his opponents. Raonic has done a lot of things to improve his game. He has a better backhand and knows how to turn good defense into good offense. He’s improved too much from 2014 to be doubted now. Federer is still trying to shake off the cobwebs from recent injuries. He was erratic in the first two sets against Marin Cilic on Wednesday before struggling to win. Raonic is the in-form player. He should take this. While it hurts to bet against Federer, take Raonic with your tennis picks.
Pick: Raonic in four sets
