By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, July 9, 2015

Former champions clash and the reigning champion aims to extend his rule over a familiar opponent.
We preview the Wimbledon Gentlemen's singles semifinals here.

SEE THE ORDER OF PLAY HERE

(1) Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. (21) Richard Gasquet (FRA)
First Match, Centre Court
Head-to-head: Djokovic leads 11-1

The best meets the worst weeks after an extreme encounter in Paris.

An inspired Gasquet fought off Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 11-9 in a thriller to advance to the Wimbledon final four for the first time in eight years. He showed a self-deprecating sense of humor stamping his status as "the worst" of the final four.

"I'm proud because there are big players in semis. I'm the worst when you see Federer, Djokovic and Murray and me," Gasquet said with a smile in his post-match presser.

Give Gasquet credit for trying to laugh off the misery Djokovic dispenses, including 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 stomping on the red clay of Roland Garros last month. But can he transition from punch line to proactive presence in their first meeting on grass?

You can make the case if Gasquet can beat Wawrinka, the man who denied Djokovic the career Grand Slam in Paris, then he should be able to snap his slide against the top seed—provided he can produce that ascendant level again. How will Gasquet, who has worked to strengthen his physical fitness and mental fragility, respond after a draining three hour, 28 minute battle with Stan?



Brilliant backhands — Gasquet's dazzling one-hander vs. Djokovic's devastating two-hander — are on display here. Djokovic hits a heavier ball, he's quicker around the court, and his expansive reach and elastic ability to control stretched retrievals shrink the court and diminish Gasquet's self-belief.

Aggressive court positioning has helped Djokovic command their past matches. He hits the ball earlier and harder and Gasquet, who likes a bit of time and space behind the baseline to unleash his sweeping swings, gets pushed out of the picture. The Frenchman has a sneaky-fast first serve often hit with sharp slice that keeps the ball low on lawn. However, Djokovic has punished his second serve in their past meetings.

Since Djokovic lost to Gasquet at the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai he he's reeled off 20 of the last 21 sets they've played and rarely looks stressed in this match-up. Gasquet knows he can't win a grinding match here; he will need to use his slice backhand, soft hands and net skills to try to unsettle Djokovic.

The top seed should be eager to reach his fourth Wimbledon final and 17 Grand Slam title match and is a strong favorite to score his 13th straight Wimbledon win here.

(2) Roger Federer (SUI) vs. (3) Andy Murray (GBR)
Second Match, Centre Court
Head-to-head: Federer leads 12-11

Grass is the only Grand Slam surfaces that grows during tournament play. The shifting surface encourages transition tennis when two of the best improvisers in the game meet.

This is their third grass clash: Federer defeated Murray in the 2012 Wimbledon final, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4, weeks later Murray issued an authoritative answer in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 rout in the Olympic gold-medal match.

Grass incites the most dynamic tennis from both seven-time Wimbledon champion Federer and 2013 champion Murray, whose twisting first serve is even more dangerous slithering through the lawn.

Consider other elite players who have struggled to break through at their home majors and the fact Murray eradicated the ghosts of 77 years of futility with his 2013 title run is remarkable. Murray's movement, finesse, ability to shift speeds and spins and his fast hands and feet are all assets on a surface that can produce some funky and unpredictable bounces. 

The Scot does not shrink from the burden of expectation in his adopted hometown, he's played some of his best tennis reaching six semifinals in the last seven years. Murray is a sniper on the pass so it will be interesting if he tries to lure Federer forward to create a target for passes or if he tries to assert his own sharp skills in the front court and take the net away from the Swiss.

Federer is the most creative and dangerous serve of the semifinalists. He's been imposing on first serve, winning 85 percent of those points and has backed up his second serve with vigor, winning 67 percent of those points. Breaking Federer has been one of the toughest tasks in the sport this season: He is fourth on the ATP in service games held (91 percent) behind only Ivo Karlovic, John Isner and Milos Raonic. The Swiss leads the ATP in second-serve points won (57) and has dropped serve only once in the tournament.

At the core of this match-up are two central questions:

1. Can Federer effectively attack the Murray second serve, which can lack a bit of depth and direction under pressure?

2. Can Murray hit his best shot, the two-hander, with enough aggression to draw mid-court replies from Federer's weaker backhand wing?

Federer has shown a bit of variety in his return approach throughout the tournament, occasionally running around his backhand to flatten out his forehand return, mixing in some chip and charge and drawing baseliners into obscure spots with the angled chip return.

The 33-year-old Swiss is playing to become the oldest Wimbledon finalist since a 39-year-old Ken Rosewall reached the 1974 final. Federer is 9-0 lifetime in Wimbledon semifinals and has won three in a row against Murray.