Old men dominate Wimbledon semi finals lineup

Experience has generally triumphed over youth in the 2009 Wimbledon quarter finals, with Tommy Haas the oldest of a wrinkly four semi finalists.Tommy Haas was the oldest of those to survive the quarter finals, defeating Serbian Novak Djokovic 7-5 7-6(6) 4-6 6-3. Djokovic, the youngest of the eight players contesting the quarter finals at 22, has not kicked on in his tennis career after winning the Australian Open at the start of 2008. The German Haas has never progressed past a grand slam semi final, reaching that stage three times in Australia, and at the ripe old age of 31 years and three months he might not have expected to ever reach one again. Haas will face Roger Federer in one semi final, who had less trouble disposing of Croatian Ivo Karlovic 6-3 7-5 7-6(3).

In the other semi final, the home town favourite will most definitely be Andy Murray, after the Scotsman bucked the ageist trend by beating Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero to the tune of 7-5 6-3 6-2. Ferrero is in his last year on the regular tour before retirement at the tennis wall of 30 years of age, while Murray goes on to meet Andy Roddick who outlasted Lleyton Hewitt 6-3 6-7(10) 7-6(1) 4-6 6-4. It was Hewitt’s second five-setter in a row, and the best match of the tournament so far with Roddick’s backhand winners being a highlight.