Day 11, Part 2 Wimbledon

I know who killed Abigail Toms. Her Majesty will present the

Wasn't that clever? Thank you for those wise words, Boris. It is men's

semifinals day today at Wimbledon 2017 and in a couple of hours, we

will know the final two who will contest Sunday's final. Anticipation

and excitement in the air, it is always a tense day, but those who

hold their nerve when they line up to serve will make it through. This

championship has had many twists, turns, surprises and shocks, this

final four is not the big four were expected, but the Booty of the grass

means even today with one overwhelming favourites to win, we

should expect the unexpected. -- the Booty. This is the line-up.

Sam Querrey is the big serving American who beat Andy Murray in the

quarters. He's much more than an ace machine. He has game suited for

grass. His opponent is the cool and classic Croat Marin Cilic who

already has a grand slam title and also serves basis for fun and loves

the surface. -- aces. Roger Federer is audibly the greatest player of

all-time, winning here seven times, 18 grand slam titles, and a win sees

him reach a record 11th Wimbledon final. Not surprisingly, he is the

one to beat. Facing the Swiss legend is Tomas Berdych, runner-up here in

2010, and on the way to the final, he beat Roger Federer. The Czech has

the Murray but he will need to fire on all cylinders today to stand a

chance. -- has the armoury. This is the order on Centre Court. Querrey

against Cilic, followed by Federer against Berdych, watch the drama

unfold this afternoon on the BBC. Our 45 minutes -- 45 minutes ago,

Querrey and Cilic were poised to walk onto Centre Court, Sam Querrey

is the first American to walk on Centre Court in the semifinals

since... Andy Roddick. Earlier, Tomas Berdych, beaten by Rafael

Nadal in the 2010 final, was warming up. And he was hitting here with

Federer in preparation for Wimbledon, did he learn anything? We

shall see. That is the man Berdych has the beat, and Federer's

quarterfinal victory over Milos Raonic was magnificent. Majestic,

not enough words to describe how this man is at the tennis player

Andy sporting icon. Good afternoon. We are blessed to have Roger Federer

in the sport, playing in his 19th consecutive championships here,

bidding for his eighth Wimbledon title, to take his grand slam title

up to 90. Record after record with Roger. And this is the great man a

couple of moments ago on the players balcony with his friend and agent

Tony, watching the outside courts. You would not know he has a

Wimbledon semifinal this afternoon, but that is the way he prepares for

it. And he will be ready when the time comes. I wonder if he will be

worried about the weather? Probably not, they have got the roof on

Centre Court, but will they need that today?

Let's find out from Carol. I don't think so! We are looking at a lot of

cloud around but we will see a break and sunny intervals as well. In the

sunshine, temperatures as high as 22 Celsius, but under the cloud, more

like 20. We also have a noticeable north-westerly breeze. Through the

afternoon, that will ease. Into the evening, we have a similar scenario

with cloud, but we will see sunny breaks in that the temperature is

slipping. Tomorrow, fairly cloudy, the cloud building through the

morning. From noon until three o'clock, a 40% chance of light rain.

After that, the risk diminishes. Richard Brittain up. And it will

turn more humid -- that will brighten up. Highs of 24 Celsius. We

can cope with that, Carol, thank you! You can watch all the matches

from the Doubles, the boys and girls competition and the wheelchair

Championships on the BBC sport website and the red button. And we

would like you to join in the competition -- the conversation as

well. So many ways you can continue to watch Wimbledon. Before we go to

Centre Court, we were just update Court 17, were Alfie Hewitt is

facing Gustavo Fernandez and going well, taking the first set 6-4,

three games all, and that match will be on BBC Two soon. Now we are going

to Centre Court for the first of the men's semifinals, Sam Querrey

against Marin Cilic. They played here in 2012, the second longest

match in the history of the Championships, it could be a long

afternoon. It is six games all, but Querrey has a mini-break of serve in

the tie-break. So let's join this live with our commentators John

McEnroe and John infidel. -- John infidel.

Just when you thought Querrey had the initiative, nobody does. Cilic

much more animated than the big American. And whatever happens here,

it will be set point after this. That is a tight return all there.

Almost too much time to think about that one. That was a second serve

from big serving, big hitting Sam Querrey, at 88 hours per hour. It is

set point for the American. Six all, six all. We should not be

surprised at the margins have been so then when they have played here.

The good thing about this set, it has not just been about serves.

There has been neat footwork and nice touches at the net, good ground

strokes. Because there have been matches this championship this year

when you have had big guys against big guys and there have been no

rallies. I did a much earlier in the championship, the longest rally in

the first sets was four shots. This has been engaging and it maybe on

simmer at the moment and maybe it will boil over as the afternoon

progresses. That was in, more than in hope and

expectation. That was very close. Yes. It never really moved to the

other side. I think he sensed that ball was just out. Sam is determined

to stay closer to the baseline, to return the second serve. Someone has

just fallen over in the stands. It is set is all -- six all, second

serve. Employee tennis terms, a scene that means he will get a first

serve back. -- in tennis terms. Various members of the Armed Forces

going into the stand on the left of Sam Querrey. The umpire is on the

phone to Wimbledon officials, just to clarify the situation here. I

can't see if it is a man or a woman but somebody has clearly collapsed,

five or six rounds back from the court edge. And it is not

particularly warm here today. McGhee, the low 70s in temperature.

And Sam Querrey watching like a hawk what is going on there at the

moment. I think this happened with Marin in an earlier match, there was

a big delay. It happened at Queen's as well. This time for it. You hope

whoever it it is OK. Our line of sight, it is a lady.

Obscured by people standing up in front of her. She is able to walk

away from courtside and is being assisted down the steps by a couple

of the members of the Armed Forces here. So hopefully, she is going to

be all right. In the meantime, for the games Giants, the stress level

just went up. -- for these two Giants. A lot more time than these

two anticipated. So does he gets a first serve back? Yes, he is going

to get a first serve. Should he gets a first serve?

Oh, maybe it was the delay. Maybe his mind wasn't quite there, that is

a bad error from Cilic. So Sam Querrey. One big serve away from the

opening set of this Wimbledon semifinal.

Well, two errors from Cilic on the backhand side and advantage USA.

Well, you did say it was more important for Querrey to win that

opening set, so he has done what you requested. And Cilic, who is to say

how much that unfortunate incident with the lady played with his mind?

Those were two errors the like of which he had not hit the previous 45

minutes. Yes. That is unfortunate, surprisingly poor. Even with the

tension and stress. That's why they place them up, that's why you don't

know for sure because everything pointed, especially earlier in the

tie-break, that Cilic would pull it off, he has never lost to Querrey

and he has been here more often. Arguably, his form has been better.

Yet Sam Querrey has just hung around and competed harder than he ever

has. His belief, you can see it. With him. He is not a man that shows

a lot of emotion. But this opportunity, when you see a

defending champion injured and beaten down, you can capitalise and

see... He never thought he would be in this position. A Wimbledon final.

He is two sets away from a Wimbledon final. This is amazing. When they

met here in that match a couple of years ago that was the second

longest match in Wimbledon's history, it was also 8-6 in the

first set tie-break, but on that occasion to Cilic. Most people would

have picked Cilic. He just looked like he felt the pressure got to

him. He is not the first guy that has happened to, or woman. Nor will

he be the last. And you know they get given volumes

and volumes and volumes of statistics and facts and figures

about these matches every day. From the press room. But there is one

thing I thought, really? This is not to jinx Marin Cilic so early in the

second set. But I could not believe that no

number seven seed has ever got to the final of Wimbledon. In the Open

era, isn't that just amazing? Has a 24 seed? Just so he doesn't feel so

bad! I doubt that. 24 seeds making it to the final. That was the one

fact I didn't have! In a million facts, it was the one I was looking

for! 133 miles per hour. Going to be

upset if you are Cilic right now, he will feel like he blew that set.

If Roger Federer is going to win the second match, if, who would he

rather play in the final which marked Odyssey not care? He probably

doesn't care, knowing him. -- in the final? Or does he not care? This

would be one way to ease the pain if Cilic could finally get the service

break. Two errors from Cilic cost him that tie-break. And two errors

from Querrey giving him a brooch back in.

A little slow to react to that short ball, if used stand as far back as

Cilic on the return, you had better get yourself back into a better

position. Especially if you hit it cleanly. And you should anticipate

sure to reply. -- is sure to reply. Well, Cilic was eyeing up an early

break. But things are falling away of Querrey at the moment. It is

almost worse for Cilic. He was able to get the break point, finally, and

then not capitalise. So that will intensify his frustration after

having dumped the first set and the tie-break. We will have to be real

careful right here. He will be aware that Querrey has played three long

five set matches and he would think that the longer he is in this game,

the more he is really in this game? He let an opportunity slip.

Adrenaline could be a wonderful thing. I suspect Sam is running on

some of it right now. Sam's likes to me have more life

than they did earlier in the Murray match. -- leg.

Maybe by the nature of the circumstances as well, do you think

Querrey did not get enough credit for how well he played against

Murray? Because of the injury, yes. He started to play incredible tennis

towards the latter stages, the last two sets. He is not somebody... He

actually relaxed. You can hear the flawed as the ball

hits the back of the court. -- the noise. Sam showed the tennis world

something when he was able to capitalise against his four match

points playing Anderson and came back. A lesser man would have gone

away and lost that. Great play! From Cilic. Must have

been shaking a bit at the start of that game, but he holds on. That is

a pretty important game. I know it is early in the second set, but

emotionally, Cilic is on a bit of a downer right now. He's got to battle

through that. Being the favourite, expectation

comes with that. A lot of people were talking about Cilic even before

this event. Especially as the draw has unfolded for him. Pretty big

favourite to get to the final. That is a colossal serve out wide

from Querrey. Not doing a lot of serve and volley,

but then again, they don't need to. Four aces from Querrey, seven from

Cilic so far. Less than a minute. Querrey is leading. So is the key

thing for Cilic to hang in there for the moment the ship and get to

neutral, and then see where we go from there? Yes, the first thing,

make sure you don't lose your own serve. You put as much energy as you

have and focus in the step one. Step two would be, because Sam Querrey

has played a lot more than his opponent, to make this guy work. You

can see that Querrey, his forehand is his other weapon. And when you

give this guy the opportunity, he can really debilitate you. And he

has done an excellent job of that in this event. You have got to make

this guy work hard point in and point out if you are Cilic. I don't

particularly like his strategy of standing as far back off the return

as he is, he is giving up some court positioning. And he is allowing

Querrey to dictate more of these points. These two great men that I

grew up watching, Rudd labour there. And these great conversations

generation to generation, the physicality is so different. The

weapons people have at their disposal. We can talk for about

whether Laver would be a great player in this era, but here he was

a different size, that might prevent him competing. If he had these

rackets, he could have done some damage. But he has served at 130

mph? Probably not that big. Oh, he hung in there, Cilic! Shot

selection on the second overhead. The ball did not bounce high enough

so he was forced to go to the slice. He should have won the point a

couple of different times, hand it to Cilic for battling. That is

exactly what he needs to do, hang in there.

I put Sam played a great first point. Probably contributed to that

double fault. First one of the match.

Sam is not budging so he is convinced that was wide. Which just

goes to show... Well, that ball did not really go

through to Querrey, so he was reaching for it.

For Cilic it is about being gritty and determined and resolute at the

moment. You talked about what Cilic needs to

do and one of those would be to extend rallies and make him work

harder but that is easier said than done. When you're trying to deal

with Querrey's serve and his forehand... You don't get in a lot

of long points. I would like to see him standing

close on the second serve. On the last one he retreated further

behind the baseline. He hit a good return but you need to hit it deep

otherwise Querrey can take over the point with one shot. Or at least mix

it up. Querrey misfiring a bit at the moment.

But 0-30 on Querrey's serve is only an opportunity. That is a heck of a

play. Especially with the half-volley he had to hit.

That was the biggest serve he has hit, to go wide at 132, nothing

Cilic could do. 0-30 on the Querrey serve, you are not halfway towards

the game. APPLAUSE

Cilic clenches his fist. And in the context of this match, this is one

of those very rare points, a break point opportunity. And in this case,

it is on Sam Querrey's serve. Not a good time for the wind to kick

up if you are serving. Serve and volley second serve and gets away

with it. There was the raw, look at his mouth. -- roar.

Querrey watched that really well. The swirling wind, what it going in

or coming out? -- was it. It was very well done considering the

circumstances. That is a good hold. Cilic shakes his head.

Because the number of break point we are going to see in this match,

however long it goes, will probably count on the fingers of two hands so

if you get a chance you have to take it. Absolutely, and especially make

your opponent Burn it, make him hit a ball, a tough volley -- make your

opponent earn it. When you get a second serve, and it is makeable,

that is when you tear your hair out. Querrey has plugged away, he has

continued to execute at a high level. And he has got to be starting

to believe that he can get to a Grand Slam final. Cilic is the one

who feels his centres are reeling a bit and he is starting to battle

himself -- his senses. How deep can you dig in order to get to a

Wimbledon final, for either of these guys, for the first time? From

Querrey's point of view, there must be the thought that this might be my

one and only opportunity to get to a Grand Slam final, don't blow it.

There is some truth to that but then again he did not think he would be

here in the first place. You have got both sides of your mind, the

good and bad, telling you different things and you have got to try to

focus on this unexpected opportunity. He certainly seems

relaxed. There was a yelp of frustration from

Querrey. But nowhere near the Richter scale

of Cilic earlier. Former England rugby captain

Lawrence Dallaglio. What are we all going to do with our

Saturday mornings after the last few weeks? Ace number ten.

We did not expect there to be a whole lot between these two tall men

and there is not. The second longest match ever played here was when they

last played at Wimbledon. And it has all the makings of a long

one again. Querrey has never been in this position. He has played a lot

of tennis to get here. He has got to be feeling something in those legs.

I was going to say a good strike but it was just long.

This is a replica of the situation in Querrey's previous service game

but he managed to escape from that. It will be hard at this time. The

first signs of some fatigue and a little bit lethargic out there.

Cilic might feel he can finally take advantage of it. There was a mini

roar from Cilic is that drifted long and stand-by for a real big one if

he breaks here. Brilliant. There is the big roar

from Cilic. The first break of the match.

It could be a big moment. It certainly can. You could see that

one guy was battling nerves little bit, recognising the amount of

opportunities he had, frustrated he was not able to pull out the first

set in a tie-break he thought he should have won and frustrated he

had not broken already with the couple of opportunities. But I

believe sensing that for the first time Querrey got a little bit weary,

a tiny bit. And you could see him reaching for some balls,

understandable given that he has played three consecutive five set

matches and maybe the reality of what he could be accomplishing, to

get to a Wimbledon final, hit him and you have to credit Marin Cilic

for continuing to battle as hard as he did and finally getting rewarded

for it. Now Querrey again, soon, he may not win this set, but he has

defined another dear, another wind, so he can get himself to a position

again where he feels he can pull this off -- another gear.

It is a fascinating battle of wills, mental and physical strength. At the

moment, it might be advantage Cilic. And he is missing a few at the

moment, Querrey, and the whole mental side of sport is laid bare

here for as on Centre Court. No matter what sport you are playing,

that is a fascinating duo, I wonder what they're talking about, Sachin

Tendulkar, the greatest batsmen of all time and Eddie Jones, the

England coach. -- England rugby coach.

They are probably talking about, I didn't realise they made them this

tall in tennis! Think if you put Sachin Tendulkar and Eddie Jones

together they would be the same size as Marin Cilic!

Shot. Eddie is actually wondering if Cilic has a grandparent who came

from Lowestoft and he might be able to play in the back row for England.

Strong emotional effort by Cilic to re-establish himself here in the

last ten minutes or so. The seventh seed, he has been ranked

as high as six in the world, finished in the top ten on two

occasions, top 15 on four other occasions. He has been knocking on

the door. And he was knocking on the door last year, two set up against

Federer and lost in five. He will not be thinking about that at the

moment but he might do in 48 hours' time. You look at his drawer, Rafael

Nadal, I had to deal with him, Andy Murray, I don't have to deal with

him. This is a golden opportunity. To win this, he is only going to

have to beat one of the top four. At the most. Shot. Actually one of

the top 15. That was hit hard. He has really got

his eye in at the moment. In Tendulkar speak.

It was a canny serve from Querrey but just long. That was a canny

serve as well. One of the few times Cilic did try to take that second

serve on early and Sam immediately went right into the body. That is a

gutsy hold from the American. He doesn't seem to have a whole lot

of spring in the legs at the moment. Clearly what he would need to try to

take a good swing, attack are served if given the chance. He has do hope

that Cilic tightens up here. Otherwise he is going to have to sit

back down in a minute or two and regroup mentally. You can see him

trying to chew on something to give him a bit of energy because he knows

he will be in for the long haul, especially if he does not win this

game. That is our first look at the Hill today. They might not be as

partisan in this match as they undoubtedly will be in the second

when I think Tomas Berdych will find himself very much the underdog when

it comes to the affections of the crowd, but almost everybody has that

when Roger Federer is on the other side of the net. That is for sure.

So here is the opportunity for Marin Cilic to square things up at one set

apiece. And even the net is against Querrey

at the moment. APPLAUSE

With a swagger and another big serve, Cilic squares this semifinal.

SUE BARKER: After one hour and 20 for minute it is honest even on

Centre Court. We will be right back with this match. Everybody here on

the Hill enjoying watching the drama unfold on Centre Court. They came

here earlier to claim their place on Henman Hill because they have the

match they are enjoying right now and coming up later, a man with the

most impressive record. The one and only Roger Federer will

be in action on Centre Court later against Tomas Berdych. Other matches

being played here at Wimbledon today and out on court 17, Alfie Hewett,

the French Open champion, started well by taking the opening set

against Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina, the number two seed, but

lost the second set in a tie-break and is down a break in the third.

That match is on BBC Two. And on the red button, the feature match is on

Court Number One web Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina are one

set and 5-1 up over Groenefeld and Tesco, just one game away from

booking their place in the final. That is on the red button -- and

Peschke. We are heading back to Centre Court.

JOHN MCENROE: The force may be with Cilic at the moment but it is key

for Querrey that he holds at the start of this third set. And the

kick second serve is giving Cilic plenty of time to unload off that

return. That was a shriek from Querrey. And

the first sign of anger and frustration, and maybe tiredness as

well. I would be amazed if there was not some of that.

Guess who is picking up on it. Cilic.

So three break points right at the start of this third set. And the

pendulum swinging towards Croatia. He needs two more of those.

He has got to give it everything he had got here and just go big. Or go

home. Mr Querrey is challenging the call

on the right sideline, the ball was called out. It was a great strike,

124 mph. The umpire called it. Second service. And he had a great

vantage point, just. Neatly played by Querrey. An

agonising moment, you thought it might have drifted wide, but from 0-

42 deuce. You can see where Cilic can get in trouble because he is so

far back on that second serve return. He has to jump on that short

dotball but it ended up costing him the point and perhaps the game --

shorter ball. You can't hit a tennis ball any

better than that. He was on the full run gone absolutely crushes it.

He saw that early, both players going behind their respective

opponent, both seem to have gotten away from that. I think that would

be a strong move to utilise that more often.

It is only the first game of this third set but this may have

considerable bearing on the passage into the final.

APPLAUSE Well done, Querrey. He kept his

head. There was some scurrying from Cilic on the other side. He has

shown some excellent hands and feel throughout this tournament.

They long, topsy-turvy first game of the third set. -- a long first game.

And in the final analysis, who is to say how significant that could be?

Because if Cilic had broken, it would've been a marked advantage.

You would still say he has the edge and is probable winner at this

particular point but in order for Sam to keep positive and also not

let the fatigue infiltrate his mind more, that was an extremely

important game and very well done to pull it out.

That could give him that second wind, that extra boost, that extra

gear he is going to need to get to the final. And Cilic is thinking, I

should have broken, I should be 1-0 up. A few mind games he has to deal

with here. One of those balls rejected out of

hand by Cilic. They have been hit so hard, it lost

all its fluff. Both guys having a pretty good day

percentage-wise come up in the high 60s. Five percentage points higher

than either one of them has served during the entire tournament.

Pretty clear right now that Cilic, physically, is the fresher of the

two. Fairly straightforward for the

Croat. One set all, one game all. That is exactly what you want to do

if you are Cilic, you came so close to breaking. Win the game quickly.

Get back on Querrey's shoulders. Keep making him work hard.

Well,... The heartbeat goes up a notch. And then back again.

He is not moving as well as he was an hour ago. No, and he has taken

the air out of the building, as they say, a bit.

Oh! So he is emotionally flat. Physically fatigued. And getting a

bit Kelis. And showing signs of frustrated -- and getting a bit

Kelis, and showing signs of frustration. All bad signs. The

crowd saying, come on, Sam. Two big points.

A very tired to serve at 133 miles per hour from Querrey. He looked

exhausted. But it is still break point.

Big moment here, Cilic thinks he has won it. And Querrey only half played

the shot because he thought it was long. But it wasn't. On the back of

the line. And Cilic in front. Well, he didn't half plate, that ball

caught the line it held up a little bit, extremely tough to tan doll --

to handle. And Cilic officially on a roll. Four service games in a row

from Querrey and he could have won all of them. He could have lost all

of them. Talking about Cilic? Yes. Energy wise, Querrey has dropped

down. Cilic has picked up on it. And it is going to be a tall order now

for Querrey. He's got to dig deeper. And perhaps more than he did against

Murray. If you think that was the best effort of his career, pull that

out, no question about it. At times like this, you look at what has

happened over the last week here at Wimbledon, and Querrey has beaten

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kevin Anderson. He has beaten Andy Murray. 76, 6-4,

6-1, 6-1. That is an awful lot of high octane tennis, with huge prizes

at stake. Exponentially getting bigger and bigger with every round

that goes by and with every opponent that comes your way. At some points,

surely, somebody will take the air out of the balloon. Exactly right.

The emotions and the expectations increase. Pressure. And you

sometimes try to find energy where it is not there. And believe me, it

is not a good feeling. Advantage Cilic.

He benefited by that ball, Querrey guessed right. He is playing with a

lot of more energy, hitting a very clean ball at this moment. He has

settled in quite nicely. His first-ever opportunity at a final

for Cilic here. Don't forget, he has not been here before. He has been in

a US Open semifinal and he has won the US Open. He beat Kei Nishikori

in that final. That will cheer Querrey up no end. Beautifully clean

strike. Sam is also Australian, he was in 2010. First ever quarter at

Roland Garros was this year as well, Cilic. Oh. How quickly things can

change! Never a break until you have held yourself.

A lot of ball down single now. -- bouncing. And from nowhere, Querrey

has maybe caught himself back into this match. Two opportunities here

to break back. Well, what do you know? What do you

know? Well, we saw when he played Murray, he was 6-3, 6-4 down at

service break and suddenly, three straight games, two breaks in a row.

That was something else. He just pulled a rabbit out of the hat here.

He has utilised that serve beautifully to pull Cilic of the

court. Still standing pretty far back.

You've got to love this game, haven't you? The ebb and flow, it is

just crazy. Five minutes ago, Sam Querrey was as

good as out of this tournament. And now... I don't know about quite that

far, but he certainly was in trouble. As he proved in his match

against Anderson when he lost those match points, as he proved big-time

against Murray. Even the third set, when he was down, Murray was serving

for that set and he extended it into a tie-breaker. The amount of effort

he gave to in the second, hanging in in the third and benefiting in the

fourth and fifth because of Murray's injury. And now seeds of doubt back

in Cilic's mind. That's why it makes it so interesting to watch two guys

out there. Sometimes, you are battling yourself. You always your

opponent. And you have to be able to shrug off a lot of bad things. That

can happen very quickly. At 15-15, 2-1, Cilic, he had a backhand, it

was an open court. He had not missed that for a while, he mis-hits it and

next thing you know, he has lost his serve. What makes Roger Federer is

so amazing, he always looks so relaxed, and you can see how

stressful it can be. The stress is all over Cilic's face at the moment.

He was slumped more than sitting upright at the change of ends.

Thinking, I was in charge of this game a couple of moments ago. And

now I'm behind. How did that happen? UMPIRE: correction. We the points.

Overruled by Sam Keothavong. -- James.

I always thought after I dumped a serve like Cilic, why did I not do

that the last time? What happened?! Moving on through that as he held

easily. Querrey has played a lot more tennis, he's got to be feeling

it. Keep the intensity and composure, if possible. Work this

guy and every possible shot. Sam has got a little life in that arm, that

is for sure, the server seems to be the last thing to go. He is a big,

powerful man. Difficult being in the crowd for a

match like this. Because you have got your eyes fixed on these two

gladiators in the ring. But it is hard to keep applauding aces or

unreturnable serves. So if it sounds a bit flat at the moment, it is not,

everybody here is just engrossed in the battle that is happening in

front of them. And that is great tennis. Two big hits from Cilic. A

break of serve on each side already in this set. There is more happening

out there than it maybe appears. Take that. And swinging Sam is still

swinging. And as long as he is, he is in there? You have covered boxing

over the years, correct? These guys are the heavyweights out there. And

they are just swinging away. A bit more subtlety to beg games as their

careers have moved along. But these guys better at the net. Both these

guys exhibit touch when they need to. But ultimately, they are powered

punches. They will try to knock you out. And why shouldn't you if you

are six feet six inches tall? You find angles more easily than us mere

mortals. Half an hour after the opening game of the third set, which

was really tight the whole way, Querrey won it and even though there

were breaks of serve after that, here we find ourselves by virtue of

him serving first, the pressure bit by bit wrapping up on Cilic to try

and keep things level pegging. And we might be heading towards, as

predicted, a second tie-break. The thing about Sam Querrey, he doesn't

waste a lot of energy emotionally. His serve is very efficient. He is

not standing as far back as Cilic. Subsequently, not having to cover as

much ground off a return. That should help a bit.

Twice as many aces from the racket of Cilic in this match as we have

had from Querrey. Sam has more aces in the tournament,

but he has played a lot of more. He will have had to work a lot harder

to get here than Cilic. You have got to think that is going

to pay off. A commanding hold from Cilic. This is when you look at the

scoreboard, 1- all, for- all. In which way is this going to go? --

4-4. Big shots from Cilic. Every shot is great, from both guys.

Starting with the serve. Well, if you thought Sam Querrey was

a one trick pony, think again. The touch with Sam Querrey, throughout

this event, he's got -- on a real nice job.

Twisted enough -- just enough to make you respect what he is doing.

Well, the beauty and the beast from Querrey in that game. And Cilic is

going to have to serve to stay in the set. The adrenaline is pumping a

lot of hard in Cilic right now than it was a couple of games ago. He

senses Sam is not quite at 100% physically. Earlier in the set, he

took advantage of it, and gave it back. And Sam Querrey is battling

hard, playing well, doing a lot of good things. A lot of good things.

Showing that he is deserving to be out there. It wasn't a fluke that he

has gotten this far. Second year in a row he is in the quarterfinals and

looked to all the world like he was going to lose tomorrow. Turns out to

be the biggest win of his life to give him the chance to get to a

Wimbledon final. That is what his coach has been telling him the last

couple of days. You can not ask for anything more than this chance. I

hope he didn't take five seconds to look at the scores being flashed up

on the scoreboard during the break, two came up, both featuring Croatian

players in the veteran is Doubles and his former coach, Goran

Ivanisevic, also in the veterans Doubles. They both lost. I don't

think that will have a lot to do with the outcome of this.

Sam hitting the ball extremely cleanly. Cilic is definitely...

Wavering. Very tight right here. What a rally! What a winner at! It

looked like Sam Querrey was going to come in and make him hit a passing

shot. He chose not to, he took a little bit of the stress off Cilic.

Stepping up when he needed to. Not wanting to be down 0-30.

Well, he clobbered that. But he clobbered it wide.

Hanging tough. Using his height again. Querrey has done it. Cilic,

that shall slice out wide. -- short slice. You just have to guess with

the pace and placement of these two guys. 250 aces between them in

Wimbledon this year. Looking for how to decipher whether

the serve is going to come. Toss being the obvious one. Study

tendencies with the coaches, where did these guys like the serve? It is

clear they can do anything they want.

Well, at the moment, Querrey is hitting the ball like he was at the

outset. And after that run of four or five games where he was always

under threat on his serve... He is hanging on in a quite

straightforward manner. The force Cilic the serve to stay in the set

again. We anticipated this would be

extremely close and we are getting what we hoped for and expected.

These two guys, they have never been in this position before, with a

chance to do something maybe Cilic thought could happen, Querrey

certainly wondered if it would ever happen, getting to a Grand Slam

semi, much less the chance of a final. You want to see both of them

play up to their ability and it appears they have. Sam has been

sharp, hitting the ball great. Cilic for the most part has also been

hitting exceptionally well. Look at that beautiful view. The greatest

city in the world, I'm sure you'd agree! I love London but I'm going

to have to respectfully disagree! New York would be mine. They both

have their attributes! This is an amazing complex. When is that Ruth

ready on Court Number One? The year after. -- the year after next.

Anticipation rising here in the crowd. They know this set will be

over in the next couple of minutes. Really? Ten maximum! He has just

predicted a break. I didn't say that!

And this really is now about being calm in the eye of the storm. So

quiet you can almost hear their hearts beating.

I think it is not a partisan crowd so they are just loving the contest,

the battle. Made it! Incredible shot! How did he

make that? Federer like. Watch what happens here when it lands.

Emphatically at 134 mph, his 19th ace of the match. The same position

he talked about in the first set, more important for Querrey to pull

out this breaker as it was way back when. Implications for him would be

greater, tougher to overcome. He has not been there as often in this

situation, he has never beaten Cilic. He has played a lot more

tennis. He needed a good start there.

That was a cannonball crosscourt forehand from Cilic. When he first

hit the serve at 130, and that forehand around 100.

They are going to give it everything they have right now, as they should.

Go down guns blazing. 1-1, 6-6, 2-2. The perfect time for them to switch

sides because both of them could use a breather after that. Querrey

almost got this smash back, I don't know if that angle shows it. We know

how you feel mate. Cilic peppering the back can all the way through

that rally. But even a rally like that only gets you one point.

APPLAUSE Some very, very clean ball striking,

at an absolutely critical time. Both these guys, really. One error, one

piece of brilliance, one bit of luck.

There is the error. There is the error.

He perhaps did not quite commit to that as he has on some other shots.

And that really hurts, that one. He is a big baseball fan, Sam

Querrey, and like a picture he just hurled a ball to the other end of

the court because those two points, both on his serve, give Cilic three

points for a two sets to one lead. -- like up pitcher.

The roar from the Croat, he is one set away from a first Wimbledon

final. It is always interesting why players

play tennis in the first place. Cilic was actually born not in

Croatia but Bosnia-Herzegovina and the whole town there did not have a

single tennis court when he was growing up. When he was four years

old, they suddenly put one in, and he was one of the very first people

to ever play tennis on it, and here we are, 24 years later, with him six

games away, maybe seven, from a Wimbledon final on Sunday afternoon.

It is a point we have made several times as we look at these statistics

from the third set. The early exit of Wawrinka and the defeat of Nadal

and then Andy Murray going out to Sam Querrey, is that Cilic has had

to Kohlschreiber, Florian Mayer, Steve Johnson, Roberto Bautista

Agut, Gilles Muller. He has not had to play anybody ranked higher than

the 16th seed which Muller was, in the last round, and he could not

have imagined he could find himself with the opportunity of playing Sam

Querrey in a Wimbledon semifinal for the chance to be out here on Centre

Court in 48 hours' time. You can only beat the guys... That are put

in front of you. Exactly right and that is what he has done and he has

battled hard. There have been moments when this could have slipped

away. Not only does he get that energy from winning the tie-break

but he gets to go out and serve first so he will presumably take a

lead right away. What have you got left, Sam, whatever you got left in

the tank? -- what have you got left. Physically, emotionally, the effort

he has given to get to this point... At least when he played Murray he

could see he had really slowed down and was struggling to move but it is

not the case with Cilic. The movement has been excellent, his

intensity has been sky-high. And he can taste it. Mr Cilic is

challenging the call on the left sideline, the ball was called out.

It was a close call, 30-0 up on his serve. And he got the call. And

Querrey shakes his head. And shrugs his shoulders.

You can see Cilic keeping that intensity high. You better believe

he is going to try to take it to Querrey right here and try to finish

this big man from Southern California off. He thought he had to

show a lot of hard to beat Murray and Anderson but he will have to

find another gear to get to a Grand Slam final. Huge service game for

Querrey here. And he knows it. Let's start like that. He is a little bit

angry about how hasn't he was on those last couple of points on his

serve in the tie-break, one backhand and one forehand but no mistake

there, getting out a bit of frustration right now.

Cilic's body language now is all positivity, he is prowling along the

baseline like a big cat. Like a panther. Sam's heart skipped

a beat then. It did! He had an open court and chose to let it go, not

out by much. He took a deep breath before he hit

that one. As well he should have. Get into this set. That is a good

effort. At 30-30 then he could have been a

bit jittery. But one finessed ace and one piledriver and we are all

square. I think it is a good move by Sam to

try to take it to Cilic when he gets a second serve opportunity. He just

missed that, bad luck. He thought he had got that.

That looked to be a little long, not called or challenged so he must've

it hit some line. -- must have seen it. Querrey was 30-30 on his own

serve in the last game and produced a couple of paces. Cilic looking to

do the same. -- a couple of aces. Mr Cilic is challenging the call on the

right fight sideline, the ball was called out. It was close, I thought

Id missed by little bit but very close.

How much of a boost would this be it Querrey could get this next point?

Just when you thought he was taking an eight count on the canvas.

And Cilic misses his first serve again.

Just when you thought it was safe to go and put the kettle on! You have

got to give a lot of credit to Querrey for pulling that break off

early in the fourth. He just twisted things up once again! He was helped

by Cilic missing so many first serves but you still have to make

the most of it. No question, but nonetheless he does not waste a lot

of emotional energy, clearly, and Cilic sensed that this thing could

be over but you have still got to execute. And Querrey had some depth,

he threw in a couple of different looks even though he missed that

return at 15-15. It put a question in the mind of Cilic if he would do

that again and he got hesitant and he just did not play a good game.

Wow. I know! Where is this going now? Where is this match going? And

of course if it did end up being in the fifth set... Another one of

those marathons. We have been there before. It you have not been with us

from the word go, the last time these guys met here at Wimbledon it

was 17-15 in the fifth set in the second longest match ever played

here. The first time they met was only 6-4 in the fifth, here at

Wimbledon eight years ago. That is a very positive start from

Cilic, though. Querrey will really want to

consolidate that break right here. The quality of this tennis, after

two and a half hours. Absolutely. Say thank you to these guys, they

have been giving everything they have got and there has been some

quality stuff. That is what you want to do if you

see someone who is six feet six coming into the net. Get it low.

Oh! I think that was long. Mr Cilic is challenging the call. It was not

called and Cilic immediately challenged. It felt like he missed

it. A lot closer than he wanted it to be. That was an unbelievable

miss. That is a monstrous forehand from

Querrey. That was a monstrous forehand from

Cilic. It sure was. Unfortunately, it went too big, too close to the

line when he did not really need to. APPLAUSE

Well, I am sure those two ladies were saying, they didn't hit the

ball like this in our day! That is a tremendous effort by

Querrey, to get these last couple of games.

is shameful Cilic. Mr Querrey is challenging the ball, the ball was

called in. Are you strictly neutral in this matter? I would like to see

an American guy, it has been a while for us to make a run and it would be

a nice boost for the sport back in America. I respect Marin, I like

him, I am happy they are both playing well. So that was no? You

how ratings are! Is it better do have Murray in the finals here or

Sam Querrey? A lot of people in the crowd hit would have been

disappointed when they came today that there is no Andy or Rafa but

what they have been given it an athlete treat with these guys

playing to the best of their ability.

And you still wouldn't put hardly any money, a couple of times, on the

outcome. -- dimes. But of course Querrey knows that

all, all being the operative word, he has to do is hold three service

games and we will be going into a fifth set. That was a SWAT but a

majestic swat. He has become quite the competitor over the years, he

has learned to intensify his efforts. He had added subtlety to

his game at times, ultimately it is about the power and he has always

been a great ball striker. The crowd still eagerly awaiting the next

match that will be played here. I expect while enjoying this. A lot of

them will have taken up their position to watch Federer but

actually now find themselves probably just cheering for one or

the other for no obvious reason, they will just have latched on to

Sam or Marin. And if you can't be here, it's great to be out there.

Cilic is always first out after the change of ends, eager to get on with

it. Querrey more measured. That delivery has certainly served

him well over the course of this match. Cilic giving himself some

more time by standing further back. But he has to cover more ground.

Sam has done a good job using the geometry of the tennis court to his

advantage to keep this so close. Another ball. That is a tall order.

A smacked forehand from the baseline. Crosscourt.

He made it last time. Cilic turf trying to make him work. Break him

down physically if possible. Not giving up on a 40-0 point. -- just

trying to make him work. Hoping if it goes to a fifth set it will

finally catch up with Querrey. Only the second double fault of the match

from Querrey. The stern looking face of Cilic at

the moment. A small percentage in his mind must be thinking, I should

almost be out of here by now. Why did I give up that early break here?

Why did I hit that forehand quite as hard as voted the second break? It

was right there for me. He has got to move past them. He was 4-1 up in

that first set tie-break. APPLAUSE

Comprehensive enough. But Querrey still in control.

Service break. Leading 4-3. We will be back in centre in a moment. What

we can show you what happened early in the semifinal of the ladies

doubles. The number two seeds came through in straight sets. That is

how they finished things off, 7-5, 6-2. They go to the ladies final on

Sunday. They will play the winner of the match currently on Court number

one over on BBC Two. That is over on BBC Two. Another

very competitive semifinal. But we are heading back to Centre court.

The onus is on Cilic to break Querrey in the next couple of

service games the American has come otherwise we are heading to another

set. The latest of the five set encounters between these two guys.

Querrey would be fourth consecutive to get his first-ever grand slam

final. And somebody somewhere, I know, is going through the record

books at the moment. Aren't you, somebody? To see when the last time

anybody won four consecutive matches to get a grand slam final.

It was in the hitting zone. But you still have it to hit it. It is nice

when you don't have to move. That ball hit the line. Froze

Querrey. He was expecting the crosscourt ball. Now Querrey has a

game on his hands. Chalk flew up. There you go. I've heard that

somewhere. Brilliant, brilliant from Cilic.

APPLAUSE Extremely awkward shot for Cilic.

Right here. What do I do? Beautiful. Get the break point. Second serve.

You know when Cilic has won a game. He lets the world know. Usually on

to that type of thing. Rally behind. The more energising of the two.

Querrey cannot believe that drop shot went in. And he has lost this

game from 30-0. Not as close as he was to taking the fifth set. Not

with those new balls. And now the force is with Cilic.

Brilliant. And double brilliant. Do not count Querrey out yet. We have

talked about these two playing up to their abilities. They sure have.

That was some touch. It was an extremely tough shot to pull off.

Who needs Rafael Nadal against Andy Murray? Oh! Goodness me. Querrey's

anxiety, thanks to, frustration. As a courtesy to both players please

switch off all mobile phones. That was a very truthful look from the

American. If that had just crept over.

The decibel count goes up on the Cilic side.

Cilic looks to the box. And the box looked to Cilic. They just nod. A

lot of positive encouragement, obviously, from the box. Cilic, you

can emotionally hear his intensity. Only won one round in Australia.

Gloucester 's next tournament to Justin Brown. It took him until he

was in Istanbul in May when he was above 500 for the year. -- he lost

his next tournament to Justin Brown. Look at him now. He won Istanbul.

His least favourite surface, clay court. Did not do much in Madrid, or

room. In the French he had his best. Final in Queens. Yes, he had match

point. But this is everything you dream about. Especially with the

rough start he had to endure. It all seems to have come together for him

at the perfect time. His health, his belief, his draw... Came from the

final. Sam Querrey with something to say about it, I suspect.

Suddenly that sense of inevitability about a fifth set between these

two... Is drifting towards the horizon.

Some really clean ball striking by both guys. Querrey hanging tough as

he has in the entire event. Querrey unsaved by the -- Querrey

unfazed by the prospect of serving for the match. And still we go on.

For all of the shrieks of encouragement and roars of

encouragement, he just cannot shake off the pesky American.

Measured and controlled. From Cilic. And he is one game away from the

final. We could be two games away from a fifth set. You have paid your

money. The pressure on Querrey again, though. There is no question

about that. Having to work hard. This is why you saw there, Wendy

said, you know, I am going to save myself for this next game. -- when

you said. I need all of the energy can get to save for the next

tie-break. Two players in the locker room getting edgier. Not knowing if

they will be needed, expected out here. In the next ten, 15, 20

minutes. Or if they have just sit back and wait another hour or so.

Always a tricky one to follow. I imagine Roger is quite cool, whereas

Tomas Berdych will be getting twitchy. I have seen him in many a

locker room. The matter what happens it does not seem to affect him. I

saw Cilic get blown out by Novak Djokovic the in semifinals at the

Open. All ending in one hour and a half. He said, the crowd can see me

soon. Let's see if Sam can hang tough and take this to a tie-break.

Not the way you want to start off. Third double fault of the match.

The line judge called it out, so did Cilic.

Margins. Tiny margins. Cilic can smell the final.

Querrey cast his eyes to the heavens.

CHEERING Because after almost three hours,

two match points. For Cilic. He got tight on that one. That is

for sure. Popped a second chance. -- but a second chance. Got it.

Piledriving winner, down the line, from Cilic. No man in the open era

has ever needed so many attempts to reach his first Wimbledon final. But

at the 11th time of asking, on Sunday afternoon, for Cilic,

opportunity knocks. And perhaps in the end Querrey just

ran out of gas. I think a little bit. He had a great, great

tournament. He consistently dug deeper than I have ever seen him. He

had tremendous resolve. He fought hard here. He played well. Just

about as well as he could. I would have to think the legs went out on

him just a little bit. Cilic keeping the pressure on. Cilic has had

better results. He is a slightly better player and he proved that in

the end. And we mentioned it about three hours ago that no number seven

seed in the open era has ever got to the final of Wimbledon. So he has

broken that hoodoo. Thank goodness. I know that was uppermost in all of

your minds. Talking about going is that this

-- talking about Goran Ivanisevic, he will need to keep going. You have

to kill Roger 75 times in a match to beat him. Well, that is what Cilic

will have to do if he is to face Roger Federer. For the moment it is

about celebrating today. He won't think about that quite yet. Let him

enjoy the moment. The game time will come to pass. Over the course of the

evening. He will wake up tomorrow, do the same routine. It has been an

amazing run. He is back in a grand slam final. We were able to witness

and world-class tennis at the US Open. Cilic has a great smile. He is

really charming, as well. And as the crowd disperses, we will be back in

about ten, 15 minutes time as Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer take to

Centre Court. They will know that after that four sets victory over

Querrey, their opponent on Sunday afternoon here will be Cilic.

After 11 attempts you are now a Wimbledon finalist. How does that

sound? Unbelievable. Especially the way this tournament unfolded from

the first one where I was playing great tennis. Today was a

hard-fought battle. Sam played really high-level tennis, especially

that first set. He was serving big. Hitting big from the back of the

court. I had my chances. I was 4-1 up in the tie-break. I did not

convert that. I felt I moved better on the return games. I was making

him play more on his service games. Overall I felt the level was really

high. You and Sam have fought some tremendous battles at Wimbledon over

the years. Some pretty long ones, as well. Apart from how well you

played, do you have a psychological advantage over him today to help you

get the edge? -- did you have. I would not say so. Sam Cane out

serving huge, hitting big. -- came out. He was playing really well stop

that pushed me to play big tennis towards the end of the match. I was

glad unlocking a little bit to get the break back in the fourth set. To

get that advantage. To get back into the match. Your coach has said that

you are a nice guy off court, you need to be meaner on court. Do you

feel you are doing that, is it helping you? I feel I am positive on

the court. That is important, I think. The way I am playing.

Emotions are helping me a little bit. And with my team supporting me

all the time, obviously, we've worked a lot on that. It is paying

off big-time. Roger Federer spoke before the tournament about the fact

you can go deep at Wimbledon this year. You could potentially face the

final. Does it really matter who you meet on Sunday? It is definitely

going to be a huge match between Roger and Tomas Berdych. Tomas

Berdych is playing well. Roger is obviously playing his best tennis of

his career on this court. It definitely feels like home. Whether

it is going to be I will be ready, try to play my tennis, and focus on

my own game. Many congratulations on making it through to the final.

Thank you. A big smile from Cilic. They have had their long battles at

Wimbledon. This was a mere two hours and 56 minutes. He mentioned his

coach. Not only delighted with that celebration, but also delighted with

the way that he raised the level of his players just in that final game

to seal victory on his second match point. They rise to him. His team

are delighted. Cilic is through to his first ever Wimbledon final. That

is a celebration almost worthy of yours. That was back in the day when

you did not have colour television. It was good to see him celebrating

so much. Only he knows how much he has. Nowadays it is impossible

without a great courage behind you. It is wonderful to see him

acknowledge him. He raised the level of his play. He didn't want to to

another tie-break let alone a fifth set. We said before that match

started that the first set would be mighty important. They both played

at a high level. Cilic had a chance in the first set when he was 4-1 up.

We thought well if this is going to be Querrey's opportunity it is now

to get his nose in front. But it showed the quality of Tennessee has

been playing. He did not panic. He had his chances. -- the quality of

tennis he has been playing. The tie-break was always going to be

vital and he was able to come through. Talking about that third

set tie-break, Cilic played well. We have picked up some points.

set tie-break, Cilic played well. We have picked up some points. This was

strong play from Cilic early on in this tie-break. Very much so. He

kept putting Sam Corner to corner, making the big man from American

move. That will always be an advantage when you are moving

smoother on the court, and Cilic is tall himself. There were some

wonderful rallies, even though there was some good serving, as well. To

do that you have to get in position. Hitting corner to corner. The

movement was pretty impressive, as well. We were wandering Cilic's

tennis racket was over the net when he hit that. He got away with it.

This is when Sam was serving. He loses brave service points from 4-3.

That shot did not have much conviction. It was almost like he

was wanting to hit the back and down the line then follow up in the net.

You cannot come back from that, can you? It just started to look like it

was fading. His legs were heavier. Some are recovering. Credit to him,

he came back. We saw a new side of Querrey. Sam is a fighter. Not the

sunny California guy. He showed something and he should be proud of

it, he beat Andy Murray in the quarterfinal, he just played a

semifinal. That is the way he should continue. Get ready for his home

grand slam. Cilic is looking dangerous, isn't he? We have known

that for a few years since the US Open. It is the unpredictability for

me. He can be erratic. When he is on, that is when he is dangerous,

because he has big weapons and he can impose his style of play. A

question over whether he can keep that consistency going against the

winner of the next match. Absolutely. We talked about the big

surf the big forehand, as well. We were talking about some of his

rallies. -- the biggest serve. He has a big wing span.

He does not mind rallying from the baseline, even slicing the backhand

and come in behind it and that makes him versatile and dangerous. To win

the US Open you have to have a lot more than just a big serve. We have

been waiting for this breakthrough in awake for Marin. -- in our way.

He has a great grass court record and we always felt he had a bit more

game. Absolutely. This was Cilic, just wonderful hitting, from both

sides, we have to pay credit to Sam Querrey as well

it is a big part of the men's game. You talk about the domination of the

serve but they do a good job of getting back into the rally and

trying to neutralise things and then it becomes a baseline exchange. As

with a lot of guys, it is going to be about Berdych Federer, if they

can get on the offence and that is what Cilic did better in the

baseline exchanges, he was the one who was able to hit the corners and

create an opportunity to move forward. That extra aggression in a

big match is what can pay off and it did for Cilic. It is beginning to

fill up in Centre Court, it is buzzing outside on semifinal stage

-- on men's semifinals day. There was only one man left standing of

the big four in men's tennis and it is the man with the most impressive

numbers. that is the scene out on the hill.

He is a record-breaking machine, isn't he? He certainly is, you go

through the numbers and it is amazing what he has achieved. We

reflected this time last year with his knee injury and taking six

months off and how long it would take him to recover from, and then

winning in Australia. But behind the scenes he is so relaxed. I was in

the locker room with him an hour and a half ago and he was there playing

basketball, practising his putting, watching stupid things on you Tube!

I want do you not think you should focus a bit! That is the way he has

always been. He will have his game face by now, but he is has a very

stress free existence. When you play that way and you're hitting the ball

as sweetly as he does you don't have any worries. He should not be

worried but everybody has their own routine, some players set themselves

awake. Novak and Andy keep to themselves, Roger is the opposite.

The jokes around and so forth, also fought his way of overcoming the

nerves. You must be nervous as well, he is human, it means a lot to him

otherwise he would not be playing that is how stays relaxed and he is

doing a good job. And when you said he took time off, we wondered if

that was the last we would see of him. He was having holidays but

doing some serious training. Absolutely. And every aspect of his

game and his life he get spot on and the scheduling is important. After

Wimbledon, speaking to his knee specialist, they said you are

looking at three months to get away from things and get it absolutely

sorted so you have the chance of continuing your career. Here they

come. So he is back on the court he loves,

Roger Federer, up against Tomas Berdych. Not an easy matter, Berdych

is one of the hardest hitters on tour. Very much so, as much as we'd

respect Roger's accolades over the years, he has a match on his hands.

Tomas Berdych beat him before, he is an accomplished grass court player

and a Wimbledon finalist himself and the type of player that Bob is Roger

because he takes time awake. If you give Roger time he will toy with

you. If you take it away, even he struggled at times and that is what

Berdych as to do, be the first man to take the initiative away and

start dictating rallies and it is easier but it is the only way you

have a chance. So how do you take the initiative away? It is something

I expected to see a lot more from rabbits when he played in the

previous round against Federer -- from Milos Raonic. Obviously the

serve is your first opportunity, you have to be aggressive and hopefully

have a high percentage drop but from the back of the court you got to

take the ball early and Berdych hit the ball flat and that means it will

go through the court quicker. He can try to push Federer back but if he

is playing slower balls with slides, that is when Federer can attack from

both wings. For Berdych, he has do have the mindset that I have nothing

to lose, I'm playing the greatest player in the history of this

tournament and maybe in the whole game. I have had a great tournament.

If I'm going out, I have to live and die by the sword. I hope he can be

aggressive and try to make life difficult for Federer. Federer has

not dropped a set not just in this tournament but in Halle as well so

easier said than done. I was going to say he is on the run of his life

but his life is always like this so it is nothing unusual! And another

point in his favour, it is his court and his crowd and players get

intimidated. They walk slower and played slow and by the time they are

playing normal they are down by two sets to one like Milos Raonic was.

Berdych has been here before and needs to put away the fact that he's

playing Roger Federer. He only has to seed there is a player on the

other side and pretend it is not Wimbledon! -- he has to see the

player. He does have that champion's aura, Federer. He does. When you

play Federer, every game is a home game for him because he is so

popular. It was almost reflected in the previous match, it was kind of

like, this is an important semifinal but we are waiting to watch Federer!

Now he is out there, the scent of expectation, you can see the crowd

coming back in and getting ready for this one -- sense of expectation.

And the serve of Federer, we have been looking at the

stats from his match against Milos Raonic and in the very first set,

you look at him hitting the corners, one side and the other. I guess that

is what he does, he has great placement. It is his foundation. He

does not waste any energy and time and he frustrates the other player

because you can't touch the return. By the time you look at it you are

down a set and a break. He has a very smooth motion. He really lift

his legs up when he is serving and actually serves from about six feet

five, a bit like the size of his opponent, and that is where he gets

it right. That is just two feet from the line, 0% in the deuce court. For

the top guys the green area should be closer to a foot or 18 inches but

when you see him hitting it like that, in the first two sets against

Raonic he only lost three points behind his first serve and it is

difficult to play against obviously do when your opponent is holding

serve so easily but it puts enormous pressure on your own server because

you are thinking that if you drop serve want in a set that is probably

going to beat the set over. It is to raise it and put pressure on the

opponent's sir, returning well and also holding his own. We cannot find

fault with his game but the forehand has been winning a lot of points.

From every part of the court. I think his whole ground stroke game

has improved so much in the last year. He tries to take the ball much

earlier and stay on the line and if he is behind he goes right back onto

it, always staying on the pedal. We does not let the other guy breeze,

he mixing run and for and anybody to have a chance, you have to make the

35-year-old run! He was 3-0 down in this tie-break and then the forehand

took over and it was like a forehand rampage. This was the one, a great

approach from Raonic and then... He was covering up the line and he was

in the right place and he still got beaten. You can see the arc he has

got on the ball, to swerve it back into the court, having been down 3-0

and a double break, that was the shot that won him the tie-break. We

think of Raonic as being a big hitter but is Tomas even bigger? I

think Raonic on a good day, yes, but he was intimidated and did not play

like last year. Berdych is as big a hit, maybe even with a bigger

backhand. Berdych does not have to run around his, he can stay in the

middle of the court and ticket early on both wings. -- take it early.

Berdych has the big serve, and I think he believes again now. For his

sake certainly he has had a great tournament and he does not want to

rest on his laurels now. He is another hugely imposing opponent,

6'5", very strong and muscular. He has weapons on both sides from the

back of the court because he drives his backhand well and can hit it

flat through the court. The areas he asked to look at are the first

serve, keeping the percentage high, if he gets any looks at second

certainly has to be aggressive and take it early and push Federer back

and the more time he gives in, the more running he will have to do.

That is Berdych. Phil Jones can tell us more about this big hitting

player from the Czech Republic. There is going under the radar in a

tournament and then there is stealth, Tomas Berdych style. He

stand in the semifinals strangely unnoticed until now. Even when his

chance came to show his Wimbledon worse, a quarter final against

three-time champion, Novak Djokovic, it proved a huge anti-climax. It is

it? I think he has devoted. That is hugely disappointing for everybody

but they will understand, the 12 time Grand Slam champion does not do

that lightly. Pretty much from the beginning I felt there was something

is not usual with him. And the speed of the ball from him was not coming

the way you are used to but still, it is no back, and when he decides

to go on court, he will commit to fight. It is not the best way to go

through but it is sport and I everything. Denied the euphoria that

normally goes with a quarterfinal victory, Berdych is at least

physically fresh and Roger Federer will ignore the 11th seeded player

at his peril. Berdych beat him en route to the final in 2010. Federer

is beaten. It is the winner of this young man's Korea, the making of

Tomas Berdych. But defeat for Federer is the exception rather than

the rule against Berdych. He has won 18 of their 24 career classes

including twice this year. I played him in the Austrian Open, I got

killed, and in Miami, I had a Matt Boyd and I lost. Now let's make the

third one -- a match point. I hope it will be a good one and probably

the best player right now. And with the form and the way of playing. I

think that is the biggest challenge for me and I'm looking forward to

it. And briefly, Boris, the fact he had a match point against Roger in

Miami he has to remember it. It should give him reason to be

confident, to go out and believe he can win. Boris and Tim, thank you,

they are ready to go and we are ready for this second men's

semifinal here at Wimbledon and Tim and Boris are on their way to the

commentary box to join Andrew Castle.

ANDREW CASTLE: The 35-year-old Roger Federer has not dropped a set yet,

92 tournament victories, and he still loves the game also he first

played with that man, his father Robert who is up in the players box,

watching his son proudly once again. Tomas Berdych has his whole crew as

well. He has been to at least the semifinals of all the Grand Slams

now. He has beaten Federer on this stage before. A warm welcome for a

former finalist. TIM HENMAN: One thing we did not

touch on, Boris, was movement. We talk about the attacking skills of

the top players but they all defend well and the defensive skills of

Berdych could definitely be tested today.

BORIS BECKER: Not by much, a brave attacking backhand from Berdych.

Likely to be a fair amount of support early on in this match for

Tomas Berdych. Federer comes in as such a heavy favourite, people would

love to see a match here. Berdych could not have hit that

approach shot much deeper but he still got past. --

Stefan Edberg in the coaching box next to his mum. And on the left was

a former French player. Close. To getting his first break of

the match. Remember Berdych has not played on this court yet. It is so

different than any other court in the world.

This is some heavy hitting from Berdych, he will perhaps have to do

this for three hours or more. Mum, Hannah, back right, dad Martin in

the middle. And that is Esther, they will be celebrating the second

anniversary on Sunday. That is a good effort. Under pressure.

Does the head to head matter a great deal in this? It has been a long

time for Berdych seven matches in a row he has lost to Federer although

he has beaten him here. He is aware of it and we touched on Miami where

he had match point, obviously on a different surface, but Berdych has

won on six occasions so he knows he can beat him and he has beaten him

on this court. All that is in the past, he has to come out and deliver

the goods today. It shows that both players are veterans and they know

each other's game inside out and the beauty is they have beating each

other before. -- beaten each other. Let's see how

Berdych handles the Federer serve. They have played each other 24 times

but I watched them practice the Thursday before the tournament on

one of the outside courts. I have to say, Federer... He was getting the

better of those exchanges. With a twinkle in your high-tech

Beautiful exchange, Federer trying to move Berdych from side to side

with the approach shot was a bit too much in the middle.

Dad Martin was a train engineer in the Czech Republic. And when being a

train engineer in the Czech Republic was tough work.

His son has done a good job in holding on here in the first couple

of service games. A struggle in the first game and saved a break point

so a good start for him, 2-1. He is from the eastern side of the Czech

Republic. He comes from the same place as Milan Baros, the former

Liverpool footballer. His mum was a doctor, his dad was a train

engineer. This is not a man who is out there to entertain and sometimes

these big men get a hard time in the press that there are not telling

jokes like Goran Ivanisevic in the old days but he is a workman on

court, Boris. Very much so, different family background. Born a

long way behind the Iron Curtain and the upbringing was very different to

if you were raised in England or Germany or America and also his

personality, very hard-working and disciplined and dedicated, a true

professional. But that means at the same time he is not a storyteller,

he is not a jokester, nor should he be because he wants to be a great

tennis player. The crowd are all coming back in after the first

semifinal, this is the second with Federer serving at 1-2, not waiting

for the crowd to settle, just getting on with this semifinal.

We have seen quite a lot in Federer's matches, he likes to start

with that slow one out wide indeed deuce box and by what wonder if the

players should cover that more. It depends if they have done their

homework, normally you would study the night before with your coaching

team. Nowadays they have everything in

technology. You can Google up! Google up.

He continues to do what he has been doing so well throughout the

championship are holding serve easily. He has not dropped a set so

far. We saw Rafer Nadal doing the same thing at the French Open. The

only has dropped his serve three times in the tournament so far. --

he only has dropped. That was Tony Godsick on the left-hand side, a bit

of ambush marketing! There is not any more famous via's

box. If you are a tennis fan watching anywhere now right in the

world. This gentleman won the tournament four times, the great Rod

Laver. If you want to promote something, now is the time!

How fast was that recovery by Federer? Turning defence into

attack. I have to check his passport, I don't believe he is 35!

He runs like he is 25! If you want to have a chance against

the great man from Switzerland you have to make him run. It does not

mean you can win the point easily though.

You know what we are seeing here. The constant feeling of pressure

building. Up to the job so far. Just hanging on.

Federer doing such a great job of biding his time with a slice

backhand. Landed right on the baseline. Really checked up. Berdych

not in the right position. Berdych has only faced 12 break point in the

tournament prior to this match. He has faced two in three service games

here. Well done, Berdych, again. A

surprising missive from Federer on the forehand side. Going over the

lower side of the net. Impressive return from Federer, as well. Deep.

Tomas did well to fight that one off.

Berdych happy to direct his attack given a choice. To the Federer

forehand, it seems. Same strategy. He serves the first one wide. Roger

blocks it back. Then he goes for the forehand to control the point.

He has had to play 25 points on his serve so far. Sharing the evidence,

he is panting quite heavily, feeling the work. -- showing. It is a bit of

hard work playing Federer on Centre Court, up to five? If you get up to

five. CHUCKLES

He got lucky. Federer has had his fair share so far, really. A little

help from the net. Nothing Berdych could do about this one, though.

Third break point against the Berdych serve.

Wow. It's just unbelievable, isn't it? It's almost like he has got

three tennis rackets and he is throwing everyone of them at the

ball. It's incredible. Berdych is playing great. Defending everyone.

But Federer out the anti-everytime. He said it was a wonderful

opportunity, Berdych, to play the greatest of them all. It is a great

challenge to play Roger Federer. -- but Federer has upped the ante every

time. We have isolated some of this play. Tim, have played him. You need

good footwork, certainly on a grass court. You cannot always have the

perfect balance. Houston he keeps his head on so many shots. -- how

still he keeps his head. This is wonderful. 35. Happy to take plenty

of time off to take rest. But when he is moving like this to play the

ball, it is a rather aesthetically pleasing thing to watch. And you

sometimes feel with his age that early on in a set, or tournament, it

might take him a bit longer to find his rhythm. But he comes out in a

big match. There is no going through the gears. It is straight to the top

gear and he starts dominating. I just wonder what top gear is. Cars

used to be 50, then you talk about six gear, then Formula 1 cars

probably have about eight, nine. He keeps lifting them. -- cars used to

have fifth gear, then you talk about sixth gear. Talking about Formula 1,

Nico Rosberg is in the crowd. Is this an exhibition, or is it the

semifinals of Wimbledon? Because it is the semifinals at Wimbledon he

has got himself into the zone early. Dangerous. He does not want to give

his opponent the slightest of hope. It is rough for Berdych. Because he

has played well. He has come out, timed the ball, been aggressive.

They have been on court for 22 minutes, but it seems like 18

minutes of it has been Berdych serving. Look at how he is sweating.

He has had to change his shirt. And it's quite a cold Friday afternoon.

Just 22 minutes. It is a boiling hot summer day for us.

That is outstanding. That has to be one of the worst shots he has ever

hit. It is always good to have these to remind him. Gutsy for him to try

it. That is how much confidence he has. Anything.

Venus feeling it now. I thought he was good against Milos Raonic on

Wednesday, but he is better today. -- he is feeling it now.

Berdych has put his head down. Continue the best he can. This is

three out of five sets. There you go. Average service game

one minute for Federer. Berdych, half a marathon. Boris thinks that

is great. CHUCKLES

The return was lucky, but there wasn't any luck in this.

He continues to do well, Berdych. He is down a break. Not only the single

break. Second semifinal at Wimbledon.

Lendl one of his other countrymen to reach the final. 1973 was the

boycott year. He comes into this match absolutely ready, he says.

Could not be in a better position after that Novak Djokovic

retirement. Close matches. But well rested. We know. Is that a picture

of Novak Djokovic each on his shoes? Is that an imprint after he kicked

him out in the previous round? That was his parting gift. He gave them

to Tomas. I wish I could have been playing better, but at least you can

play my shoes. Do you think Rafael Nadal gave Sumter Federer? I highly

doubt that. -- gave some to Federer. He is not out of it. Such a big

hitter. He thumps the ball. New balls, which will change the game up

a little bit. Does he go back out wide again?

The interesting twist is that it is Federer won 92% of first serves and

100% on second serves. -- the interesting statistic. Just a bit of

an advantage. There goes that one, Boris. Yes. What it illustrates is

how hard it is to get into a rally with somebody who moves and hits

like Federer. First serve percentage is at 80%.

That is difficult to do. He makes it look like buttering toast. Good

tennis from Berdych. If you want to be critical, the approach shot was

too short. But it is just the consistency of Federer. Big return.

30-30. That is half a chance. Looks to me the seventh double fault

only for Federer in this tournament. The first of this match confirmed by

some margin. After serving a double fault at

30-30, then to hit a second serve, down break point. 109 mph into the

corner. Wonderful shot. It is a very good

first serve. You mentioned it, Berdych really isn't backing up.

Talking about the big muscles getting involved in that.

And get a break point just because he can. -- gets a break point.

He has had a lot of strong ground strokes deepening up the middle.

Serving with new balls. For Federer to lose on his serve, if that is the

case... Yes, this is unusual indeed. That double fault closes out the

game. There is a silent on Centre Court as his progress is halted. For

the sake of the match it may not be a bad thing. Credit where credit is

due, Berdych has played a strong game. Created the opportunities. He

was gifted that break point. Yes, he can, Boris. Just after five

o'clock local time. It has been pretty much one-way traffic. A

fantastic passage of play for Berdych, who has been here before.

You can tell. A shift of momentum. Federer was in the driving seat. The

question was by how much he would win the first set. All of a sudden,

new balls, a little bit different, Berdych jumped on a couple of

Federer's serves. He was gifted, certainly, by some double faults,

breaking the Federer serve. He broke Federer and Novak Djokovic, but lost

to Rafael Nadal, nervously, in the final of 2010. But he has vast

experience now at the age of 31. It is great to see him on this stage

producing his best tennis. Because he had a lock to resist there. Now

what from Federer? -- a lot to resist.

Serving to stay in this first set, Federer.

Most people in here, thought that was going miles out. If they hit

something like that at the club it would be going out. But watch the

talks in --. Watch the top-spin. Just a small lapse of concentration.

Slightly overconfident from Federer. It cost him the serve. But it is

back to square one, 5-5. Pretend nothing happened.

I was concerned about Berdych's defensive skills, but he has done a

great job fighting off those shots from Federer in those rallies.

That could be a costly error. It is a bit like a golfer missing a four

foot putt. I do not think the bounce was as bad as Berdych made out

there. His third challenge of the first

set. Federer has no challenges remaining. He will get another

challenge if we go to a tie-break. Set up nicely with the big first

serve, 127 mph. And with all of the time he needed. Cannot afford to

miss those. To the line. I was going to say that

I saw Chalke, but they don't have that any more. They call it titanium

pigment. I prefer chalk. It is better. Especially when John McEnroe

is talking about chalk flying up. It is a tactic Federer has used a

lot in this tournament. He did it against steroid, Milos Raonic, and

against a big man to go straight at them. Good tactic. -- he did it

against Zverev. It is a way to save a couple of break points. The stun

gun says 130, but it sounded like 150.

I don't think it is that difficult to the crowd want to win -- to work

out who the crowd want to win. That is fantastic, isn't it? Well done.

Once again, Tomas Berdych. 6-5 first set. He went down a break. He broke

when Federer was using the new balls. Now Federer has to serve to

stay in the first set. He has no challenges remaining. That could yet

be key. He has been quoted as saying that having all of the experience in

the world, which he has come is one thing, but he wants to play like an

18-year-old sometimes. We saw it earlier with that errant drop shot.

He wants to play all of the shots he wants to play. Sometimes he would

not like to be so experienced, he would like to play with experience.

Berdych sending this one off, or doing his best. But he is hanging in

there. Good job. He did well to get a tennis racket on this. No word on

Andy Murray, is there? Any word about any scams? No. Fingers

crossed. I'm sure in the next couple of days, or certainly soon, he will

be seeing a specialist to find out what the problem is. We hope he

makes a speedy recovery. And Novak Djokovic, who pulled out with a bad

shoulder when he was playing against Milos Raonic.

He could have done more with that point. Lucky with the net cord, and

had another pretty open forehand. Just over hit it.

You don't get many chances against Federer, and the one or two you get,

you have to use them. Tie-break to decide the set. It

seems like a fair outcome. Federer gets his challenge.

I feel this tie-break is more important for Berdych van for

Federer. -- more important for Berdych than it is for Federer.

He is just pounding the forehand side. Berdych seems to be going to

the Federer forehand a lot, and if you are going to do that, you have

to go with strength. I think that was a clear tactical

masterplan here. He gets the point the old-fashioned

way, backhand approach, volley winner.

Precision does it. Not necessarily the speed, but aiming it right into

the corner. Couldn't get that ball up and down

quick enough. Forehand return with slice. Zipping through the court.

And just like in the first set before we got to the tie-break,

Federer had the advantage and he is paid back again. Two big serves

would put Berdych in a tremendous position.

That's a bad one. Federer had moved to that side. The coaching camp for

Berdych obviously feeling the pain. The mistake was to miss the shot,

but I am surprised he keeps going to the forehand.

Federer, two points away from the first set, on his own serve.

I think she might have tickets for the final two.

The ball boy is still looking for the ball.

And that is the way. And Federer exclaims his delight. First set, in

53 minutes. That wasn't easy. Had a break, squandered it, but got

through the breaker. Set to Roger. SUE BARKER: It was tight but Federer

is still yet to drop a set that these championships. We will be back

with this semifinal in just a moment, where he stays on course for

his eighth Wimbledon title, his 19th Grand Slam victory, Roger Federer.

We will be back with that, and then tomorrow it is the ladies who will

take their place in the sun. I grew up dreaming and reading about

Wimbledon. Fresh ice cream. Wimbledon is the Golden Globe you

are aiming for. Immediately fell in love with it. This is just heaven.

The whole tournament is rare in much the same and there are a lot of

awesome things. This tournament is always special. I feel a lot of

support. The big stage. You walk on Centre Court and there is such a

harsh, before everybody explodes. -- there is such quiet before everybody

explodes. Quite a fairy tale. The best part of my life and I don't

want that part to end. SUE BARKER: It is the two players

who have looked so impressive over the past two weeks. A sixth time for

Venus, or a first for Garbine Muguruza? That is tomorrow, but back

we go, Federer won set up on Centre Court.

Marin Cilic awaits in Sunday's men's final. That is the championship

matchup. A great weekend ahead here at Wimbledon.

A little credit to Berdych. That was Federer's toughest set of the

championship so far. He had to dig a little deeper.

I said it was more important for Berdych, because the favourite is

clear, Roger Federer. Anything but a victory would be a big surprise.

So you want to start with that first set.

Well, that gets put into the same draw as that upshot in the first

set. Appalling! A delight to four players everywhere. I don't know

quite what the rush was to hit the drop volley. Could have easily let

the ball bounce. 92 tournament victories worldwide,

18 Grand Slam championships. No one has one more. The first victory for

Federer was in 2001. He is most famous for arriving with that

forehand down the line to beat Sampras on this very court, before

he lost to Tim Henman in the quarterfinal. But everybody saw

Federer first once upon a time. Even as a junior he certainly had

something about him. When he won in Milan in 2001, it was, OK, fine. He

was actually a junior with a temper. He broke rackets and screamed.

Totally different to what he is now. Something must have changed along

the way. I will tell you what happened, his parents said, we are

not going to drive you to the tournaments any more, you are

embarrassing the family. You can't act like that. We don't want

anything to do with you if you do. So that is when he changed.

Bjorn Borg was the same. Racket chucking, smasher of equipment.

Henman was worse! Banggaard I was well behaved all the