Andy Roddick is only too aware of his close call against Mario Ancic just weeks ago as the two prepare for a rematch in the Wimbledon semifinals.
Roddick, who successfully defended his title at Queen's early last month, had to battle past the Croatian in the round of 16 at that tournament, eventually winning 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4.
"I played Ancic at Queen's and I was lucky to win to be quite honest," Roddick said.
"I knew he could play."
Ancic, unseeded and just 20 years old, showed he certainly could play with an impressive 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-2 win over Tim Henman to become the youngest Wimbledon semi-finalist since famous compatriot Goran Ivanisevic in 1990.
Number two seed Roddick advanced to his second successive semi-final at the All England Club with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (11/9), 6-3 win over Dutchman Sjeng Schalken.
The 21-year-old American had plenty of ideas on where Ancic, who is 196cm tall, had improved in order to give him so much trouble recently.
"He's serving great, I don't know what's in the water in Croatia but it seems like every player is over seven feet tall," said 188cm Roddick.
"He's just playing a lot better. He's more experienced, he's committed to coming in on every shot.
{{/usCountry}}"He's just playing a lot better. He's more experienced, he's committed to coming in on every shot.
{{/usCountry}}"There's not a lot of indecision in his game right now. He's saying, 'this is what I've got, deal with it,' and I think that's a good mindset for him to have."
Contrary to the idea that Ancic thrived on the lack of expectation that came with being the underdog in his encounter with home hero Henman, Roddick believed the Croatian had been under pressure and handled it well.
"Playing Tim on Centre Court at Wimbledon, there's some pressure there, and being in the semis of a Grand Slam, there's some pressure there," Roddick said.
"Where the expectation may lie is a different story but there's definitely pressure all around, I think."
Ancic agreed: "When you go out there on Centre Court with such a big English crowd, of course you expect a tough match and I was mentally prepared for that."
But did he receive any special tips from Ivanisevic, the 2001 champion who retired after bowing out in the third round last week?
"He just wished me luck, just (said) to enjoy and play good on Centre Court," said Ancic, who was sure Ivanisevic would be in touch again soon.