The legions of Murray fans are packing their lunch baskets, sun blocking their shoulders, laying out their best outfits and preparing for Friday’s carnival, and then, of course, the finals.

The semifinal match with Andy Roddick is a mere formality, a tune-up before the main event. Despite the past and future heroic efforts of German Tommy Haas, All England knows who will be waiting in the wings. They are counting on it. Do we really need these semifinals? Why not play on? Destiny lies around the bend.

As wonderful as that Swiss gentleman is, this is not his tournament. He will have other chances. There is only one Wimbledon. There is only one Andy Murray. It has been 73 years. It will not be 74. The time is now, the place is here and the stars have aligned perfectly.

When all is said and done, Andy Roddick is not Rafa Nadal, bad knees and all. Murray fans could never have tolerated Nadal and then Federer. This is better. It has a sense of balance.

Murray-Roddick, Federer-Haas, two well-balanced preps for, excuse the basketball analogy, “the big dance.” So, 22 year young Scotsman, Andy Murray, is it to be or not to be? That is the question.

Andy Murray turned professional in 2005. Since his second place finish at the U.S. Open in 2008, he has been on the cusp. He was favored to win The Australian Open before inexplicably tapping out in the 4th round. He was heavily favored to reach the semis in Paris before stumbling in the quarters. Andy Murray has 195 career wins. His 2009 won-lost record is an amazing 40-6. Andy Murray is a championship-waiting-to-happen.

The time is now, the place is here!

Andy Murray is 22 years young. He is 4 years younger than his Friday opponent, Andy Roddick whom is 26 years-not-so-young. While his 195 career wins are admirable, Andy Murray does not possess half as many tour wins as Tommy Haas (445) or Andy Roddick (492). He possesses less than one third the number of wins as King Roger (best-to-ever-play-the-game) Federer (650). Where I come from, we see numbers like those and we want to know more before we slide our dough across the window.

Let’s make something clear. The time is now, the place is here and Andy Murray is Centre Court, center stage.

No Brit since Freddy Perry has ever been in a better place at Wimbledon. After Roddick, the Scot plays a man he has beaten four consecutive times, a man against who he holds a 6-2 lifetime record. That’s a finals? Sounds like a duck shoot!

Andy Murray has been carrying the flag since the end of round one. He has been on every front page, every back page and as one commentator aptly stated, “will never have to buy a pint again.”

The Wimbledon faithful were out in force for Hewitt – Roddick. It was a “carnival atmosphere” with Aussie Crazies and Hewitt’s links to the Commonwealth acting in bizarre tennis fashion. But Andy Roddick has played in New York. Heck, he won in New York. It does not get any crazier than that.

Andy Roddick knows how to play through this atmosphere. In his 9 year career, Andy Roddick has learned to beware of the player with nothing to lose. Andy Murray has not.

Murray’s inability to deal with those kinds of players has been his demise in Grand Slam events, and in the British press. Fernando Verdasco came at him in Melbourne, prevailing in five sets. In Paris, Murray was rudely ousted by Fernando Gonzalez in four sets. Verdasco? Gonzalez? Grand Slam?

Aberrations, perhaps? Cause for hope for Andy Roddick? Definitely! Look at it another way. 4th round in Melbourne, out. Quarterfinal in Paris, out. Semifinal in London? We shall see.

When I look at Murray’s 2009 Wimbledon, I see a few problems. Blessed with an easy draw, he struggled in the very first round against American serving ace Robert Kendrick, 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. Robert Kendrick is a nice player with a future. Robert Kendrick is not Andy Roddick.

Murray then blew past Ernests Gulbis and Viktor Troicki, but what would one expect? Against the only player that should have been where he was, Stanislaus Wawrinka, Murray put the fear of God into the crazed Wimbledon gallery. They even had to enclose the place to get this one done. They didn’t do that for Tommy Haas. But, it was an outdoor tournament then. Mr. Murray could not be stretched into a second day, could he?

Wawrinka’s five set man-test ended with Murray on top, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. While a wonderful win? This was a match that should have ended in three hours, not closer to five. If Andy Murray loses focus or blinks against Andy Roddick, he is in trouble. Stanislaus Wawrinka is not Andy Roddick.

So, while Murray should get to the finals, and frankly, do the unthinkable and deny the greatest player to ever play the game his 15th Grand Slam title, he had better keep his eye on the ball and his mind off the gallery. You will not see Andy Roddick, Tommy Haas or the King looking to their corners for help. No sir. You will see Andy Roddick, Tommy Haas and Roger focused on the moment, in the game, where they belong.

This is Andy Murray’s moment. This is Andy Murray’s destiny. He will never be 22 again. It will be a long time before Andy Murray plays another Grand Slam without Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in his path for successive matches. It will be a long time before the stars are so perfectly aligned and London so ready, so willing so eager.

This is it Andy. So, will it be, or not to be? You decide.

Roger Federer’s tears were tears of accomplishment. The release of emotion followed the culmination of a dream. Roger Federer may no longer be the best tennis player on the planet, but he is always the man to beat. The 27-year old phenom has reached the semifinal in the last 22 consecutive Grand Slam events. Think about that!

That is 22 events against the greatest tennis players alive. He has played through whispers, injuries, good luck and bad. He has been the model of consistency. No active player can equal that feat.

Even the skillful Nadal failed to make the semis in Paris.

Roger Federer may not be the player he once was. On occasion, he loses a set to a lesser player. He is sometimes tested in early rounds. It is no longer a walk to the quarter-finals for the lean right-hander. The young players get better each year. A win over the world’s number two is a win you can hang your hat upon. In the world of young, aspiring tennis talents, Roger Fededer is perceived to be beatable. It’s laughable really!

Now that he has equalled Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams, he seeks number 15. He would love to win Wimbledon where Rafa Nadal ended his run of five straight in 2008. Many experts feel that match, the longest finals ever played, was the greatest tennis match ever played.

What is true is that in today’s Grand Slam events, every draw is filled with players who can compete, who can win any given match. That is just one more thing that makes Federer’s resume and 22 straight semi-final appearances more remarkable.

Federer’s 2009 numbers are solid. He is 33-6 and has earned $3.4 million. His career mark is 650-155 and his career earnings exceed $48 million. Pretty lofty numbers for a guy the young studs think they can beat.

In the past four years, Federer and Nadal have shared all but two of the Grand Slam titles. At every event, Djokovic, Murray, Roddick, Verdasco and others like Soderling are lingering in the wings.

There is no more fitting place than Wimbledon for Roger to set the new record for most Grand Slam Championships. Grass is suited for the sleek Federer. He moves quickly to the ball, has a vast array of shots and the perhaps the most effective forehand in the game.

While there have been many champions with ability, there is only one Roger Federer. In every match, the champion brings the same demeanor, the same attributes. This is what you can expect when you watch the greatest player of all time.

• Composure – Good line calls, bad line calls, friendly crowds, not-so-friendly crowds, Roger never plays outside himself. That is a luxury of being the greatest. Play within yourself and you are the best.
• Unrelenting – Federer does not beat himself. He may not get as many aces as in his earlier days, but he rarely faults. The Champion understands the court, understands the angles and is patient to set himself up.
• Precise – He prepares precisely, he trains meticulously and he understands his opponents strengths and weaknesses. He arrives at the court with a plan and executes it efficiently.
• Consistent – Players who reach the semis 22 times consecutively is probably the most consistent player to ever pick up a racket.
• Presence – Somehow Federer takes control of the match, the crowd, the umpire, the linespeople and even the ballboys. To watch him play is to watch tennis royalty. The Champion never demeans the game.
• Intensity – The bigger the match, the more intense Federer is. He rises to the occasion as well as anyone who has ever played. His performance is never flat.

The great thing about Roger Federer is that he plays the game. He does not rely on gamesmanship or distraction. He is a new-age player with a traditional feel for the game. When the great one is done, we may never see another player do so much for their sport.