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First set: Murray 1-1 Nadal*. A fairly painless game for Nadal. Murray gets his racquet on all but one of the serves, forcing three rallies, but Nadal wins all the points, then finishes off with a booming ace of his own. A fairly painless game, I say, other than some clown shouting "We love you Andy", then a gaggle of other goons laughing at the bon mot. Maybe it was McIntyre testing out some new material. If so, he's getting edgier.
First set: Murray* 1-0 Nadal. Nope. Rafa wins his first point, but Murray responds by whistling down another huge ace. His first-serve averages haven't been the best this tournament; he'll be hoping for more of this, because that's a very impressive opening.
4.45pm: And we're off! Murray belts down an ace to start, then serves and volleys a second point to go 30-0 up. And then another ace! Can he win his first service game to love writes hack who needs to break this game into two entries in order to segue into the proper format?
4.40pm: Is the BBC trying to throw everyone into a thundering depression before Murray even has a chance to crash out in three sets? The first celebrity cutaway of the match is of landfill comedians Michael McIntyre and James Corden, chatting away to each other. Maybe they're swapping notes on how they've got away with it.
4.35pm: Murray has won the toss. He elects to serve in the first game. The players are knocking up. Nadal is wearing a determined look today - when doesn't he? - but much good that gameface will do him: win or lose Wimbledon, he'll not be world number one any more come Monday morning.
4.30pm: The idle chatter on Centre Court turns into a smattering of polite applause as the players walk out. It's almost as though half the crowd have gone off to purchase Pimm's, and the ones remaining are paggered on Pimm's. Either way, it's a low-key start to the big event. Murray almost immediately leaves the court - he's got his bag of rackets, and is wearing both of his shoes, so perhaps he's forgot his wristband - then makes his entrance again. Still no big cheer.
4.20pm: Murray and Nadal should be out on centre court in a few minutes, as Novak Djokovic has just beaten Jo Wilfred Tsonga 7-6, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, making it to his first Wimbledon final. He's not having too bad a year, is he? He'll be the new world number one after this tournament, whatever happens on Sunday.
The crowd: Unfunny.
The weather: Sunny.
Still, here's hoping, and the head-to-head in slams isn't the disaster zone it could be:. Nadal leads 4-2, having beaten Murray in the last 16 at the 2007 Australian Open, in the quarters at Wimbledon in 2008, in the semis here last year, and in the semis of the French Open in May. Murray has triumphed over Nadal in the semi-final of the 2008 US Open, and the quarters of the 2010 Australian Open. Murray's due one. Like that means anything.
Let's face it, the odds aren't in his favour (and I'm talking him down with a view to managing expectations and tempting fate). Murray is spectacularly good - and the most entertaining tennis player on the circuit at the moment by a long chalk - but Rafael Nadal is just that little bit better. Duller, but better. Relentless and better.
Spencer Gore. William Marshall. Frank Hadow. John Hartley. Vere St Leger Goold. Herbert Lawford. William Renshaw. Ernest Renshaw. Willoughby Hamilton. Wilfred Baddeley. Joshua Pim. Wilberforce Eaves. Harold Mahony. Reginald Doherty. Lawrence Doherty. Arthur Gore. Sydney Smith. Frank Riseley. Herbert Barrett. Josiah Ritchie. Randolph Lycett. Bunny Austin. Fred Perry. So can Andy Murray join this roll call of British gentlemen's Wimbledon finalists, a roll call I'm sure we can all rattle off, the tennis loving nation that we are?
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jul/01/andy-murray-rafael-nadal-wimbledon-live
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