Tennis-Age no barrier as Federer rolls back the years to beat Murray

By Toby Davis LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Roger Federer's three-set demolition of Andy Murray at Wimbledon on Friday gave a succinct answer to those who question why the Swiss continues to play deep into his thirties when he has already won everything the game has to offer. He extended his record in Wimbledon semi-finals to 10-0 with minimal fuss, having served with such consistent precision that the home hope could muster only one break point in the whole contest, and had, he said, proved a point. Federer may be the oldest player to reach a Wimbledon final in 41 years, and will start Sunday's showpiece against Serbia's world number one Novak Djokovic as the underdog, but there are clearly many miles left in the his tank. Asked if his 7-5 7-5 6-4 triumph over Murray showed why he continued to postpone retirement despite failing to win a grand slam title in the last three years, he said: "For me it does. "I always knew the reason why I was playing. I don't need to explain a whole lot... I think the fans know why I'm playing. "At the end of the day, I enjoy it. I work hard in practice. In a match like this, I can have a great performance. And clearly it's an amazing feeling when you come back from the match and everybody's so happy for you." TIOCKING CLOCK Ever since Federer lifted his last grand slam title by beating Murray on the same stage in 2012, he has been reminded of the ticking clock counting down on his phenomenal career. The other members of tennis's big four are all several years younger than him and their consistency was supposed to make it difficult for Federer to ever add to his 17 major titles. But he has kept plugging away and has stayed a consistent grand slam performer, especially at Wimbledon, where he has now reached the final two years running. Federer has dazzled the Centre Court crowd over a number of years, but could rank Friday's clinical display right up there among his best. He hit the target with his first serve on 76 percent of the time, leaving Murray with only fleeting opportunities to put pressure on the Swiss. While Federer's 56 winners, including a stunning flicked backhand pass at 5-4 in the third set that had a forlorn Murray gazing skywards, ensured the execution was swift. "I served very well. I served a very high first-serve percentage plus going big. So definitely it was one of the best serving days of my career," he said. Summing up the scale of his achievement, he added: "It's a beautiful feeling." (Reporting by Toby Davis; Editing by Ken Ferris)