6 months ago, I did a post about the uncanny similarities between Andy's progress and Fed's at the same age - the one that Petch read out when he got a bit bored commentating on a non-Andy match that fortunately one person on here was watching! It went:

On 15 May this year, the answer to the above question would have been Andy Murray, on 8 August 2002, the answer would have been Roger Federer.

I can't resist rolling that forward to when they hit 21 1/2 (which Andy is today and Fed was on 8 February 2003), though I won't look for any of the more obscure coincidences this time!

I have always thought that the similarities in quite how multi-dimensional Fed and Andy's games are and the anger control issues they both had to deal with make comparing them far more pertinent than comparing Andy with Rafa or Nole ... indeed, the way he has virtually caught Nole now after it looked like the Serb had stolen such a march on him in late 2007/early 2008 is ample proof of that, if any were needed.

SLAMS by 21 1/2

Andy - 1 Final, 1 additional QF
Fed - 2 QFs

Of course, Fed would go on to reach his first slam Final 4 months later and win it, but he played Flip (who never won a slam) in his first slam Final, whereas Andy had to play a 12-time former slam winner in his!

MASTERS by 21 1/2

Andy - 2 Finals, won both in straight sets
Fed - 2 Finals, won one of them

TOTAL TOP-LEVEL TITLES by 21 1/2

Andy - 13 Finals, winning 8 (including 6 of his last 7 and 6 in a row outside slams)
Fed - 10 Finals, winning 4 (he would win Marseille the following week)

RANKING POINTS at age 21 1/2

Andy - 3720 (before today's semi), ranked 4
Fed - 2415, ranked 6

CAREER HIGH by 21 1/2

Andy - 4
Fed - 5

That appears to be 5-0 to Andy then. Surprised?

Of course, Fed was just about to embark on a grand slam winning frenzy at this point, so Andy would have to do the same to keep up. That's going to be a lot harder now (even if Andy stays healthy, which can never be taken for granted with any player), given that there was a bit of a vacuum at the top 5 years ago (*) which continued on surfaces other than clay for another couple of years, and there is anything but that now. However, I think it's still an amazing comparison from Muzza's point of view!

(*) When Fed first won Wimbledon, the previous half dozen slams had been won by Thomas Johansson, Albert Costa, Lleyton Hewitt (already past his peak), Pete Sampras (who then retired), an aging Andre Agassi and Juan Carlos Ferrero.

(E&OE - any corrections gratefully accepted!)