"Fed to the Lions" was the headline the Daily Mirror used to sum up the Centre Court defeat of British No.1 Andy Murray in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Murray was quoted as saying in the same newspaper and many others: "That's definitely the best he's served against me. There is not really much you can do when someone is serving like that. I played well today. It was the best I've probably served in the tournament. He served fantastic and that puts pressure on you."
They stood and roared for Andy Murray and then knelt in awe before the tennis deity that is Roger Federer
Federer, already champion seven times, was succinct: "I was clearly able to play very well from the start. It was definitely one of the best matches I've played in my career."
"Whether Federer has ever served better on Centre Court is open to debate," said Barry Flatman in The Times. ''Admittedly he did crack 50 aces in the 2009 final against Andy Roddick but Murray is respected as a far superior returner than the now retired American."
In the same newspaper Rick Broadbent wrote: "There were mixed emotions on Centre Court yesterday. They stood and roared for Andy Murray and then knelt in awe before the tennis deity that is Roger Federer. What we can know beyond reasonable doubt that he will have the people vote in tomorrow's final."
The Sun said "Infedible" and gave Murray the opportunity to compare Federer to the Argentine football supremo Lionel Messi.
He said:"When people talk about someone like Messi, people love the way he plays the game. He and Roger make it look easy. It stands out more."
The Daily Mail back page lead was blunt: "Blown It." Inside the paper Mike Dickson said that Federer "defies nature." Prior to this tournament he briefly spoke of his ambitions for the Rio Olympics and the dangers of reflecting too much about retirement, although he did concede that he had already ruled out some kind of long goodbye.
"On days like this Murray might feel his farewell could not come too soon - but no one else will."
The Daily Express came up with "Fed and Buried" as its back page lead and inside Matthew Dunn's courtside report headlined "Regal Roger Serves notice." The theme of the day's reporting was much the same across the board. There was no other way of reporting this semi-final.
In the Daily Telegraph Greg Rusedski underlined that Murray "did not do too much wrong" and that there should be no kneejerk response to the defeat in what was a Federer masterclass.
Oliver Brown said that Federer has hurt Murray like no other. "He has made him cry copiously in public twice, first in Melbourne in 2011 and then again at Wimbledon the following summer. This time Federer simply made him, not to mention the other 15,000 souls present, gasp in awe at his ageless powers."
On Saturday, of course, there is a newcomer to the Wimbledon finals in Garbine Muguruza of Spain who plays the formidally equipped Serena Williams in the women's final.
Williams said:"It is definitely not an easy match up. We had a tough match the last time we played and she's given me problems in the past. So this time I have to just go in, have fun and do the best I can,just try to stay positive and stay focused."
