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Murray v Roddick – Both Andys, the American and the British, made it to the semi-finals of Wimbledon 2009. While the British sailed past Ferrero easily, the American Andy had a tough time to edge Hewitt. Roddick was leading with a break in the fourth set but failed to close the match and the Aussie levelled the sets. And had it not been the pain in the inside of Hewitt thigh, the outcome might have been different. Roddick has served 139 aces this tournament, with a top-speed of 141 mph and a first serve percentage of 72%. Nearly half (274/551) of Roddick’s serves this tournament have not been returned and he has won 81% of points on his first serve. “With my serve, I can give myself a chance in any match. I'm happy with my percentages. I've been above 70% the whole time. I feel like with my first serve, if I'm up there, you know, then I'll hold my fair share.” While serving is his major weapon Roddick has been returning opponents’ serves quite good either, but one aspect of his receiving skills is the passive return that is easy for top players to turn into a winning shot or at least to have a big advantage in the following rally. This is a big difference to Murray’s attacking return that pushes opponents from the very beginning and produces more points. Such a skilful returning will require Roddick to play serve more risky and eventually make errors. The Brit will dominate the rallies and dictate the tempo by mixing his shots quite well. A possible hurdle for his first Wimbledon final could be the mounting pressure by the great expectations but he is very solid mentally and tackles the nerves very well. Murray leads their head-to-head matches 6-2, including a straight sets victory in their only match on grass, at Wimbledon 2006 and he certainly has better chances to reach the final. It will depend on the extent to which the Scot can contain the powerful serves of Roddick. Haas v Federer – Tommy Haas of Germany defeated Novak Djokovic to reach his fourth grand slam semi-final during his long and full of injuries career. He used an old-fashioned approach to playing on grass – constantly serve and volley, chip and charge. And when he was staying back Haas used his excellent backhand to unlock the Serb’s defence. He was also serving like a monster to give Djokovic no chance to get into the rally and his returns were quite good either. The fate has been cruel for the 31-year-old German and he wished this time it might be a bit more generous: “I always felt like on the grass maybe something is still left there for me.” Roger Federer made an easy job of Ivo Karlovic and progressed to the semi-finals in a convincing fashion. The “Ace King” served 137 aces at Wimbledon 2009 prior to the clash with the Swiss maestro who limited him to only 23 and reduced the threat. He is so confident at the moment that looks a class above the rest of the pack. Being a good friend to has he relished the challenge to meet his again: "It's no surprise to see him here. He played great in Paris and he will be even tougher here as he prefers grass and hard courts to clay. I’ve trained with him a lot recently and we often go out to get something to eat together. It's great when someone comes back from injury and gets the results." Federer knows the German style very well and it suits him perfectly. Haas was five points away from straight sets victory over the Swiss a month ago at Roland Garros and although it might be tough again, Federer is swimming in home waters at the All England Club and will stop his friend’s march.
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