HE put it down to experience.
Andy Murray last night ascribed his sensational defeat of Fernando Verdasco in five sets to his increasing maturity as a top-class tennis player.
Murray beat the Spaniard 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 in three hours 27 minutes on Centre Court before a watching Sir Alex Ferguson and he admitted his victory had similarities to the late surges that Manchester United made under their former manager.
At two sets down, the world No.2 seemed to be departing Wimbledon 2013 but fought back to earn a match against Jerzy Janowicz of Poland in tomorrow's semi-final. It was Murray's seventh successful comeback from two sets down and his second at Wimbledon, five years after a defining defeat of Richard Gasquet on the same court.
Murray said he shared with Manchester United the knowledge of how to bounce back in desperate situations.
"When you play more and more matches and gain more experience you understand how to turn matches around and how to change the momentum of games," said the world No.2.
"That can be tactical; sometimes it can be your opponent. But often you need to be the one making the change. Maybe when I was younger, I could have lost that match. But I think I've learnt how to come back from tough situations more as I got older."
He admitted he had to focus when the Spaniard took a two-set lead, saying: "I thought about what I was doing wrong and the best way to get myself back into the match. I changed tactics a little bit, was more patient. I took a bit longer between points. I didn't rush and didn't give him any free points after that."
Murray said his impressive record of comebacks helped yesterday.
"If you've never done it before you don't know exactly what it takes and how to turn it round," he said. "The more times you're in those positions and the more times you can come back, you understand the way you need to think and the way you need to negotiate your way through the last few sets."
He now plays Janowicz, the 22-year-old Pole tomorrow for a place in the final. "It will be a very tough match. He has a big serve. He's a big guy with a lot of power. He also has pretty good touch," said Murray.
Janowicz, though, has already made one unforced error. Asked about facing the Dunblane player, the world No.22 said: "I hope Andy will feel some kind of pressure. I'm sure he will feel some kind of pressure because Great Britain is waiting for an English champion at Wimbledon."
The other semi-final will be contested between Novak Djokovic, the world No.1, and Juan Martin Del Potro.
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