Wimbledon 2015: Five talking points from Andy Murray's exit

After Andy Murray was unable to keep pace with Roger Federer in their Wimbledon semi-final, we pick five talking points from his 7-5 7-5 6-4 defeat on Centre Court...

Federer was just too good

The second-seeded Swiss player served as well as he ever has, hot on the heels of his record 116-game streak of holding serve that ended in his routine quarter-final victory over Gilles Simon.

Saving one break point in the opening game of the match, he never faced another the rest of the way against one of the best returners in the game. Federer won 70 of 81 points on serve and, after the first game, was taken to deuce only once on serve.

Federer smacked untouchable serves of 125 mph, but also took off the pace and hit the lines with well-placed deliveries. At the same time, he flicked back Murray's 130 mph deliveries with quick reflex returns to keep his opponent guessing.

He piled up 56 winners and had only 11 unforced errors, compared to 35 and 17 for Murray. He is now 10-0 in Wimbledon semi-finals.

Federer also extended his career record against Murray to 13-11, including 5-1 in Grand Slams and at the age of 33, he is the oldest man to make the Wimbledon final since 39-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1974.

Tennis coach Roger Rasheed summed up his display by tweeting: "Roger's movement, timing, weight of shot on BH, explosive FH, court position, accuracy/ directions of ball, mixture, serve, aggressive nature=A+"

Second serve liability

Murray's percentage of second serve points won throughout his career stacks up well against some of the game’s all-time greats, but he was unable to keep his focus when it came to crucial moments in the clash.

Murray won 56 per cent of second-serve points against his Canadian quarter-final opponent Vasek Pospisil but that statistic dropped to 50 per cent against Federer.

When Murray put in second serves in the 80s, Federer stepped in and knocked off return winners for fun. On the plus side, he did win 71 per cent of his first serve points and made just 17 unforced errors.

After the match Murray said he had served well and was happy with his performance.

"Roger served fantastic. I had one break point in the first set but after that I didn't get any opportunities," admitted Murray who was looking to make the Wimbledon final for a third time.

"The pressure built and I was broken at the end of all three sets. But I didn't play that badly. I had a good match."

Venomous intent             

For much of the clash, Murray matched the Swiss, but lacked the 17-time Grand Slam champion's ability to increase his level at the business end of each set.             

Federer broke to clinch each of the three sets, sensing Murray's vulnerability under pressure and striking with venomous intent.

His serve was almost unplayable throughout the match with Murray crafting only one break point during the entire contest.

Federer's first serve percentage was a remarkable 76 and he won 84 per cent of points on his opening delivery, ensuring Murray, one of the game's best returners, had few opportunities to test his opponent's resolve.

"He served fantastic, apart from the first game where I had the chance there," Murray said.

"I didn't really have any opportunities. Then that puts pressure on you. The pressure builds throughout the set that way... That's definitely the best he served against me."

The incredible game

The match featured a thrilling, 17-minute game near the end of the second set with Murray serving at 5-4 down. The Scot saved five set points in an incredible game which went to seven deuces. The fifth was saved after a 21-shot rally. Murray finally held with a 129mph ace.

"I was screaming inside of myself," Federer said.

But he didn't blink, holding serve in the next game at love for 6-5, then breaking to take a two-set lead.

"It was a tough 20 minutes there but probably the key to the match anyway," Federer said.

What next for Murray?

Murray served well and was happy with his performance and you can't argue with his assessment. He couldn't have done much more against Federer, who was playing tennis from another planet. You'll be hard-pushed to see a more complete display of tennis anywhere.

Lesser players would struggle to bounce back from such a loss but Murray has shown great mental strength in the past and he will do so again to prepare for a crucial Davis Cup quarter-final against France at Queen's Club next weekend.

The world No 3 has already made the final in Australia and semi-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, so his season is already a massive improvement on last year when he was still recovering from back surgery.

He will relish the hard-court season and when he heads to 'The Big Apple' in September he will harbour hopes of rekindling his 2012 form in order to land a much overdue third Grand Slam of his career.