Novak Djokovic vs Richard Gasquet
Djokovic, the Wimbledon champion in 2011 and 2014, has won 11 of 12 matches against Gasquet, whose only victory came back in 2007.
At this year’s French Open, Djokovic eliminated Gasquet in straight sets. later at Roland Garros, of course, Djokovic’s pursuit of a career Grand Slam was stymied in the final by Stan Wawrinka, the man Gasquet edged 11-9 in the fifth set in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
As for whether Gasquet could pull off another surprise by getting past Djokovic, here was Wawrinka’s assessment: “I don’t give him much of a chance.”
Roger Federer vs Andy Murray
This is the matchup that will get most of the attention, for several reasons.
Federer, the runner-up to Djokovic at Wimbledon a year ago, has not won a Grand Slam title since beating Murray at the All England Club in the 2012 final. A few weeks later, Murray defeated Federer at Centre Court to win the gold medal at the london Olympics.
Murray credited those two matches with helping him take a step up in his career; later in 2012, he won his first major championship at the U.S. Open, and in 2013, he became the first British man in 77 years to win Wimbledon.
Federer holds a 12-11 edge over Murray, taking the past three matchups. Even Djokovic isn’t sure who should be expected to win. “I can’t pick a favorite, honestly,” Djokovic said. “I would go 50-50. It’s really hard to say.”
Djoker-Gasquet first up
Novak Djokovic will be first up on Centre Court to face Richard Gasquet in the men’s semifinals on Friday. Roger Federer and Andy Murray will meet in the second match on the same court.