Andy Murray’s struggles with a hip injury finally caught up with him as Sam Querrey defeated him 3-6 6-4 6-7(4) 6-1 6-1 in the Wimbledon quarterfinal. The Brit appeared to grimace in pain on a few occasions in the opening three sets but he won two of them and was competitive throughout that period of the match. However, he was unable to get as much pace on his serve or move anywhere near as fast or as freely as usual in the fourth and five sets and Querrey took full advantage by firing down plenty of aces and hitting lots of return winners against the Murray serve.

Murray said, “I think I had chances in the first three sets. In the second set, I was up 4-3, and then got broken twice. That obviously turned out to be quite an important part of the match. Maybe I could have got the match done in three sets had I closed out the second after getting the break. Sam served extremely well at the end of the match, loosened up and was going for his shots. There was nothing much I could do.”

The Brit’s hip injury was the main reason he could not perform at his desired level. He said, “The whole tournament I've been a little bit sore. But I tried my best right to the end and gave everything I had. I'm proud about that. It's obviously disappointing to lose at Wimbledon, so I'm sad that it's over.” Murray continued, “Well, I knew I wasn't going to do any major damage (to my hip) by continuing to play. So, I wanted to try and find a way (to win).”

“At the end of the fourth set and fifth set, I felt like Sam hardly missed any first serves. He was acing me pretty much every time. And I wasn't getting enough power on my serve to put him in any bother, so he was dictating all of the points.”

Murray explained what the plan is to deal with his injury. He said, “Before the tournament, it was very short-term because I wanted to play Wimbledon. I want to play all of the slams and give my best. I managed to get through a bunch of matches (here) and did okay. Now I'll sit down with my team tomorrow and look at the next step, look a little bit longer term. The US Open is six or seven weeks away, so we’ll come up with a plan for what I have to do next.”

When he was asked to describe the full extent of his hip issues, the Brit said, “I'm not going to go into all the details. I've been dealing with it for a very long time during my career. Obviously, as you get older, things are a little bit tougher to manage than they are when you're younger. There's a bit more wear and tear. I've managed to deal with it for a very long time and I'm sure I'll be able to get through it.”

Murray continued, “I feel like I've done all of the right stuff, but I'll try to do more, try to get myself in better shape. Hopefully, I'll come through the other side of it a better player, a better athlete. That's what I'll try and do.”

Despite Murray’s troubles, this is a fantastic day for Querrey as he has made it to a Grand Slam semifinal in his 42nd attempt. He is also the first male American player to achieve the feat since Andy Roddick reached the Wimbledon final in 2009. He said, “It was an incredible match and it's an exciting moment.  I’m really proud. Not many people get to play tennis professionally, let alone at Wimbledon on Centre Court against Andy Murray. So, to make it to my first semi-final (in these circumstances) makes it even more special.”

Querrey hit more than 20 aces for the fourth match in succession and cracked 67 winners against the Brit, so his game is in excellent order right now, and it is bringing him great results. He said, “(My recent success) changes (my satisfaction levels) a bunch. To have never made the quarters of a slam before last year was kind of a bummer. I felt like I was a good enough player to have that checked off. Now to do it back-to-back years and make a semi, it's extra toppings on top of my career. It feels great. Hopefully, there will be a little more.”

The American also talked about how he dealt with playing against a clearly injured opponent. He said, “I noticed it a little bit from the beginning. But I just stayed with my game. I tried to play aggressively and keep swinging after the ball. I didn't want to alter my game and try to get into those cat-and-mouse points because that's where he's really good. I just kept my foot down and kept trying to pound the ball.”

Querrey continued, “(When I’m playing an injured player) for the most part I just try to worry about what I'm doing. I don't want to alter my game that much or change things based on what the other guy is doing or how the other guy is feeling. I just try to block it out, focus on my game and do the things I work on in practice.”

Today’s success against Murray was the American’s third consecutive five-set victory after similar triumphs against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Kevin Anderson. However, he is not worried about fatigue. He said, “I feel pretty good. Five-setters on grass usually aren't as physical as they are on a clay court or a hard court. I'm not sure of our match time today, but it probably wasn't three hours. I feel good. My body feels great. I get a day off, which helps, so I don't think it will be an issue.”

Querrey will need to be at his best physically and mentally against semifinal opponent Marin Cilic, who is one of the most in-form players in the world. The Croatian overcame a strong challenge from Gilles Muller to win their quarter-final 6-3 7-6(6) 7-5 5-7 6-1, having not dropped a set in his previous four victories. Cilic said, “I was quite focused and calm, even after dropping the first set, and believed that I was going to continue to play good tennis.”

He continued, “Winning the US Open (in 2014) has helped me for all the Grand Slams I have played since, and I believe it will for the rest of my career. Preparation-wise I believe in my own abilities. I believe that when I get to these stages of tournaments, I'm still going to still be able to play great tennis. I know I have it in me to win. That's extremely important.”

“(To peak at the right time) it is extremely important part is to be mentally fresh, mentally ready. It's a matter of a few points here and there that can make a huge difference. I believe these last couple months being really focused every single match has helped me to get to the point where I'm a little bit stronger mentally. I believe that can make a huge difference.”

Federer predicted the Croatian would do well at Wimbledon this year. In response, Cilic said, “it's great for me to hear that even him, and a lot of players around, even ex-players, were seeing me as someone that could go quite deep in the tournament. That has given me a little bit more belief and confidence that people are seeing that I'm in a great form, that I'm able to do great things.”