WHETHER YOU look at Andy Murray’s five-set joust with Stanislas Wawrinka under Centre Court lights on Monday night as a match that unveiled his weaknesses or illustrated his ability to dog it, his quarter-final opponent today, Juan Carlos Ferrero, could be seen as one of the softest still here.
Ferrero is the first wild card to reach the quarter-finals since Goran Ivanisevic did in 2001, the run representing a mini revival for the former world number one.
A French Open winner at Roland Garros in 2003, Ferrero is another of the remaining players in the twilight of his career, although that was briefly illuminated this year in Casablanca with his first title in five years.
While Murray is scheduled to be last on Centre Court again, weather forecasts say no rain is expected. The BBC might curse that as their figures were up to 11.8 million for Monday night’s historic floodlit match but Murray will welcome the old open air Centre Court.
The humidity affected racquet strings and both players required extra towels from the lockerroom as they sweated profusely. They also had to adjust to artificial lighting and neither was told beforehand that the roof was to remain closed.
Questions are also being asked why officials didn’t open the roof when Amelie Mauresmo and Dinara Safina had finished playing as it was perfectly dry outside. Both Murray and Wawrinka had warmed up in the open and were surprised when they found out they were to play indoors.
“We were warming up outside. It was dry. I was expecting to play without the roof,” said Murray. “When I finished it was like, you know, I’d been in a bath. I struggled to serve because it wasn’t coming off the strings that quickly.”
Despite the tense atmosphere Murray was quick to say that he did not favour night-time tennis. “No (I don’t favour it). When I spoke to Ian Richie (chief executive), we thought that Wimbledon is a daytime tournament. I like it being a day event,” he added.
That the 22-year-old is facing a player who is seven years older and is in the tournament on a wild-card invitation is sweet for the Scot. That he beat him in the Queen’s semi-final 6-2, 6-4 a few weeks ago suggests a semi-final is beckoning.
“I played great at Queens,” said Murray. “If I play poorly there’s a good chance I’ll lose to him. Play well and I’ve a good chance of winning.”
Andy Roddick came in after his uncomplicated three-set win over Tomas Berdych in the fourth round, picked up the stats sheet, always his first port of call, and as his peaked cap covered his face while he read through the columns of unforced errors, percentage second serve, passing shots and volleys, an American voice from the back of the room declared: “There’s Lleyton now.”
It’s a not a statement anyone would have predicted before these two weeks began, that Hewitt’s name would come up as a consideration for a semi-final place, let alone be thrust at Roddick as a challenge.
Today unseeded Hewitt steps on to court with Roddick knowing he has won here before in 2002, when he beat David Nalbandian in the shortest final since John McEnroe demolished Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in 1984. Roddick has not won Wimbledon and knows that on grass the Australian’s return game is one of the most difficult he might be asked to face.
“Yeah,” said Roddick. “It doesn’t get any easier. Everyone knows he’s capable of playing very, very, very well on this surface.”
The presence of 28-year-old Hewitt in the draw gives this year’s four quarter-finals a retro kind of look. He is accompanied by Tommy Haas, who at 31 is the oldest man remaining and more than nine years older than today’s opponent, Novak Djokovic.
Then there is Ivo Karlovic, who has astonishingly faced only four break points since the competition began. At 30, and surely in the ebb of a career that has been unashamedly one-dimensional, he meets 27-year-old Roger Federer.
Hewitt leads Roddick 6-5 in matches; Djokovic leads Haas 2-1 and Federer has rarely been overly fussed by the Karlovic deliveries, leading him 8-1, that one lone win for the Croatian arriving last year on a hard court in Cincinnati. The five times winner remains chilled and revealed an ability for tiebreak analysis.
“You play them based on how you played the set,” said Federer. “Where to serve, where he’ll serve. You have a meeting with yourself in your head.” Against Karlovic that seems inevitable.
Today’s Order of play
Men’s singles, quarter-finals
Centre court (1pm start): (22) Ivo Karlovic (Cro) v (2) Roger Federer (Swi); (3) Andy Murray (Sco) v Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spn).
Court One (1pm start): (24) Tommy Haas (Ger) v (4) Novak Djokovic (Serb); Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) v (6) Andy Roddick (USA).
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)