Single-minded Murray eyes final

IF ANDY Murray defeats Andy Roddick on Centre Court this afternoon, he will be the first British man in 71 years to reach the singles final at Wimbledon. After decades in which no Briton came close, after the agonising era in which Tim Henman fell short year after year, the 22-year-old Scot has the chance to make sporting history.

But, determined to avoid being weighed down by the burden of expectation, Murray will not go into this match feeling he has to perform for tennis in this country. Nor will he be playing for those who suffered with Henman. He is comfortable now with the knowledge that so many spectators want him to do it for Britain – and for Scotland – but when he steps on to court he will want to succeed for one person above all: himself.

"For me it is not about what Tim did," Murray said when asked if he was motivated by the hope of going one better than his friend, a four-time losing semi-finalist here. "I am trying to do something I have never done before. Obviously making the semis is very good, but now I am going to try and go one step further. It is going to be a tough match against Roddick. Making the final of a Grand Slam, whether it is Wimbledon or any of the other ones, is a great achievement, but I have got to focus on the next match."

Although he insists he is able to avoid all the hype surrounding his run to the last four, and with the help of his team insulates himself from the fevered speculation about his chances, Murray is very much aware that he has become the focal point of the sporting summer for so many. He knew, for example, that 12 million viewers tuned in on Monday night to watch his five-set triumph over Stanislas Wawrinka, but insisted that while he was grateful for the support he could not afford to dwell on it too much.

"It is very impressive," he said of the support he has been receiving. "I will reflect more on it when the tournament is finished.

"I am just trying to stay away from everything that has been going on off the court. The support that I have had here so far has been awesome and hopefully that will continue in the next round."

Roddick has joked that every time he hears a shout of "Come on, Andy" this afternoon he will take heart from it, presuming the encouragement is intended for himself. Murray will indulge in no such self-deception, humorous or otherwise. Both today and, should he get through, in Sunday's final against Roger Federer or Tommy Haas, he will simply turn up confident of victory.

"I never went on against anyone thinking I couldn't win against them," he said. "Every time I have played against Federer, I have felt like I have had a chance to beat him.

"I understand I have to play great against him to win, but I never thought it was the right attitude to go into a match not thinking you have got a chance. I never go on the court fearing him or whoever it is."

The Murray v Roddick semi-final is the second match on Centre Court today, after Federer v Haas which starts at 1pm.

HEAD TO HEAD

WEAPONS

Andy Murray has individual weapons – specifically his first serve and backhand – but his main strength is his variety. No-one in tennis mixes up the pace and spin on his shots like the Scot.

Andy Roddick's biggest weapon is certainly his serve, which is the fastest on the men's tour and guarantees him plenty of aces. His groundstrokes are inferior to Murray's but his forehand can be dangerous and he has been rejuvenated by focusing on his fitness during the off-season.

PAST MEETINGS

The pair have met eight times before, with Murray winning six. The first came in 2006 in San Jose, where Murray won his first ATP Tour title, and he then beat Roddick in the third round of Wimbledon in the same year.

Roddick won their third meeting of 2006 in Cincinnati while he also triumphed in Memphis the next year. Since then Murray has won all four matches, most recently in the final in Doha earlier this year.

FORM

Murray, the world No 3, has ten wins in a row on grass and picked up his first title on the surface at Queen's last month. Roddick is enjoying his best year since 2006, reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open and winning in Memphis.