Wimbledon Mens Final Murray v Federer: Preview and Predictions

Andy Murray

The 2012 Wimbledon mens final will be one of the most heavily anticipated in recent memory as Andy Murray will take on Roger Federer.  Murray became the first British man in 74 years to reach the Wimbledon final as he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals, 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-5.  It was a great match and Tsonga burst into life from the start of the third set on, but credit to Murray for pulling through in four sets.  Federer defeated the world number one and defending champion, Novak Djokovic, 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3.  The first two sets were incredibly cagey with the tennis improving in the third and fourth sets.  Federer was the clear and deserved winner over a disappointing Djokovic who was surprisingly error-strewn.

Murray will be contesting his fourth Grand Slam final, but his first ever one at his home slam of Wimbledon.  There will also be a lot up for grabs for Federer too who could win his record seventh Wimbledon title and make a return to world number one.  The Swiss maestro has also not won a Grand Slam since 2010 so if he could claim the title, this would probably be his most memorable victory to date.  It is worth noting that we have not had a Grand Slam final since the 2010 Australian Open that did not involve either Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic!  I think it is good for the game that we get a bit of a change-up for Wimbledon...

Andy Murray leads Roger Federer in the head-to-head by 8 wins to 7; however Federer has won their two most recent encounters and has also dominated in their only two Grand Slam encounters.  Most notably, Federer won in straight sets when the two met in the 2010 Australian Open final.  There are so many factors that are going to come into play on Sunday that just cannot be second guessed.  The media pressure on Murray is going to go through the roof over the next two days, that is for sure! 

I am extremely on the fence with the outcome of this match.  Originally I felt Federer in three sets... Murray's performances in all three of his Grand Slam finals has been disappointing and he was straight-setted in each match.  However this is where the expertise of Ivan Lendl should really come into play; plus he should have the home crowd behind him.  I am going to go with my heart because this is Wimbledon... come on Murray!!!

Prediction - Murray to beat Federer in 5 sets