Andy Murray is confident that his dramatic five-set victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Wimbledon quarterfinals can prove beneficial in his pursuit of SW19 glory.
The 2013 champion appeared in cruise control at two sets up, but 12th seed Tsonga provided a valiant comeback before succumbing to a 7-6 (12-10), 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1 defeat on Centre Court.
Murray — who had not dropped a set at the tournament before the last-eight tie — was not too disheartened by failing to finish the job sooner and believes the tough win can be a boost mentally.
"I was definitely tested a lot. It was probably the hardest match [of the tournament]," Murray said, "That was a really hard, hard match to come through.
"I think it can give you a bit of confidence. It can help to go through games and stages in matches that are challenging. If you're in that position in the next couple of matches, you know you've been there.
"So I'm hoping it helps me the next couple of rounds."
Murray now faces Tomas Berdych in the semifinals and the Czech represents a new challenge on the grass as none of their previous 14 career meetings have come on the surface. "We've played a few times over the last couple of years on different surfaces, but never on grass," he added.
"I'll have to have a look and see some of his matches to get an idea of maybe some of the things he does differently on the grass courts, what his strengths are, maybe some of the things he struggles with a bit.
"Obviously he's a big guy who serves well. When he's dictating the points, he hits a big, big ball. He's a powerful guy."
Murray's victory saw him level the great Bjorn Borg on 51 Wimbledon wins and the Briton was thrilled with the achievement. "He's one of the best player that's ever played. I must be doing something right to have equalled his wins," he said.
"He also won the tournament a lot more than me. I still have a long way to go to catch up. But 51 at this event is obviously a lot. Hopefully I can win a couple more between now and the end of the tournament."
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