Producing witty responses has long come easy to Roddick, who enjoys banter as much as he enjoys banging aces. But producing decisive shots under pressure at Wimbledon has proved more problematic of late.

Now, after a stirring if not entirely convincing five-set victory over Lleyton Hewitt on Wednesday, Roddick is back in the final four at the All England Club for the first time since 2005. The next challenge for Roddick, the resurgent, sixth-seeded American: Andy Murray and the British public as Murray continues his quest to end Britain’s 73-year losing streak in the men’s singles.

“We might be able to count the people for me on this hand,” Roddick said. “But I think it will certainly be something to remember. I think the crowd’s going to be electric. I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere, and one that I can certainly appreciate, even if it’s not for me.”

At 22, the third-seeded Murray is one of the leaders of the next generation: a subtle, shape-shifting talent who reached the final of the US Open last year and who has beaten Roddick six times in eight matches by reading his serve and blunting his power.

Haas gets another chance

Roger Federer’s semi-final will test his intelligence as much as his reactions as he takes on Tommy Haas, the 31-year-old German who is basking in the warmth of an unexpected Indian summer. The German has come here for once injury-free and he has lit up the championships by mixing classic serve-and-volley with wit and innovation from the back of the court. Haas let Federer off the hook when they met at this year’s French Open, letting the Swiss come back from two sets and a break-point down, and with that heroic tussle still fresh in everyone’s mind, their meeting on Friday will have added piquancy.

Haas is a player who looks better than ever here. After saving two match points against Marin Cilic in the third round, Haas has gone from strength to strength and reached the semis with a cool victory over world number four Novak Djokovic on Wednesday.

“Against Tommy I have to play a good match from the start,” Federer said. “As we saw in Paris, it was brutal.”