For Andy Murray, the struggle is everything, from the training blocks to the grand stages of tennis in New York, Melbourne, Paris and Wimbledon.
Rarely is it easy, and so it was again in the semi-final of the 129th All England Championships, as Roger Federer, for whom exertion is anathema, resisted the Scot’s unyielding efforts for two hours and seven minutes to reserve a place in Sunday’s final against Novak Djokovic for the second year in a row.
The 33-year-old Swiss, who has won seven of his 17 majors here, was ahead throughout the match after Murray chose to receive, and won 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 in the toughest test of his enduring skill in the six matches of the tournament to this point.