Wimbledon 2012 men's final: Federer vs Murray- History up for grabs

Roger Federer and Andy Murray are all set to lock horns in yet another epic final.

Suyash Srivastava

It is fascinating to see how Grand Slam finals have the tag of ‘history’ attached to them. And when the King of Grass Roger Federer is a part of it, one has to dig out the details to see how many of them are to be rectified. The ‘Swiss Machine’ is all set for a face-off with Britain No. 1 Andy Murray, who has reached his fourth Grand Slam final, but more importantly has become the first British player to reach the Wimbledon men`s final in 74 years. I Federer vs Murray: Head-to-Head»I Wimbledon: In Pics »ITime for Andy Murray to wipe those tears»I While the King of Clay Rafael Nadal had clinched his record seventh French Open title at the Roland Garros, Federer will want to bag his seventh prestigious Wimbledon title. The last time Federer and Murray played against each other was at 2010 Australian Open final where Fed-ex easily outclassed Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11) for a fourth championship in Melbourne and 16th Grand Slam title overall. Federer is however not new to Grand Slam trophies. He has won 16 of them. But since the Australian Open triumph, it has been a tough journey for the 30-year-old who has seen Djokovic and Nadal playing, winning most of the major tournaments. By winning the 17th Grand Slam title and a seventh Wimbledon crown, Federer would emulate Pete Sampras and William Renshaw and would also reclaim the numero uno spot, surpassing Djokovic. On the other hand, Federer’s opponent Murray is looking to end Britain’s drought for a trophy at the Wimbledon. The 25-year-old goes into Sunday`s final having already played in – and lost – three Grand Slam finals - the 2008 US Open and 2010 and 2011 Australian Open title matches. He reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon four years on the trot and won 22 career titles. Prior to the Wimbledon, the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic had advised his close friend Andy Murray to be more aggressive to win Grand Slams. The Australian legend Rod Laver, who himself won the prestigious Grand Slam on four occasions came up with a similar suggestion for the Britain no. 1 tennis player. Murray seems to have taken their advices seriously which has improved his game to a great extent. In the second semi-final against Tsonga, Murray played some aggressive strokes to deflate the Frenchman, whose game was getting better as the match extended. This is Murray`s seventh Wimbledon after he made his debut in 2005. Murray`s journey to a Grand Slam final has mostly been stalled by Rafael Nadal who was shockingly knocked out of the tournament by 100th-ranked Lukas Rasol in the 2nd round. It’s a big day for both the players. Roger Federer has been under the scanner by the critics who were ready to write him off but the King has somehow managed to bury the past by playing the quality tennis which has helped him win 16 major titles. Federer, who turns 31 next month, will have a point to prove that age has nothing to do with his exceptional presence, dominance on grass courts. On the other hand Andy Murray has also seen a lot of struggle. The whole of United Kingdom would be cheering for him hoping him to create history. Only if Murray does that, he shall all of a sudden gain enormous respect between the media and his friends. He has seen the big three - Federer, Nadal and Djokovic win most of the major tournaments and thus Sunday’s final is once again an opportunity for him to show that he deserves to be a part of the top league. We are all set for another thrilling Grand Slam final. The manicured lawns at the All England Club are ready to witness history being made once again. While the majority of the crowd would support local boy Andy Murray, the same people would also cheer for Federer, who has entertained them at the Centre Court of the All England Club with some thrilling performances over the years. No matter who wins, history books will be amended for sure and the local crowd will have a match worth their money. May the best man win.