RODDICK: The two-time finalist believes marriage, lifestyle changes and the influence of a new coach can help him go one better this time, writes Stewart Fisher

ANDY Roddick knelt quietly on the stairs and offered a silent prayer to the tennis gods. He desired a few seconds of tranquil contemplation to gather his thoughts after making it into his third Wimbledon final. Little did he suspect a BBC camera was trained on him.

"I just wanted a moment for myself," said the world No 6. "I didn't know anybody saw that on the stairs. It was just me taking a second to try to make myself believe that I was actually going to the locker room having done that."

It is little wonder the 26-year-old from Nebraska, who now lives in Austin, Texas, felt he had to pinch himself when he made it beyond Murray on Friday. Most people wondered whether he had it in him. Including himself. Three long years had passed since Roddick made it to his last grand slam final, the 2006 US Open. Just one year ago he was sneaking out of SW19 after a second-round defeat to Janko Tipsarevic.

As Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played out that epic final, Roddick was in such a bad place mentally that he couldn't even bring himself to watch it on the TV. He was in an airport lobby as he travelled back from a break in North Carolina. "I didn't want to watch because you wish you were there," he said. "Especially in the kind of mental state I was in at that point it was tough to watch."

After a heart-to-heart with his new wife, swimwear model Brooklyn Decker, Roddick decided he could still compete at the top end of the men's game. Improvements in lifestyle, including losing a stone in weight, took him part of the way. Larry Stefanki, Tim Henman's former coach, has helped take him the rest. "He kind of picks the right times to discuss stuff," is the American's understated approval. Roddick calls himself an "old married dude" these days. But it seems to be working.

"The meat and potatoes are probably still the same," he said. "But personally I've grown up a lot. I know that being happy and not having any worries away from the court can only help things. Brook has been a very calming influence and someone that I can kind of confide in and not have to put up a super brave front in front of. And it certainly makes the players' box better looking."

Boasting a 75% first-serve percentage against Murray, and the fastest serve in the tournament, Roddick's resurgence is real enough, but he may still require some further divine intervention if he is to upset the odds to become the 20th different men's singles champion at the All England club in the open era. The personal head-to-head between the American and Federer, after all, stands at a distinctly grisly 18-2 in the Swiss player's favour. And you can make that 6-0 if you just count the finals.

Two previous Wimbledon finals between the pair, in 2004 and 2005, both went Federer's way. Yet still the American feels the outcome can be different this afternoon. "I think maybe now more than ever I can vary it and maybe have some confidence playing out of my element," he said.

The Centre Court crowd admires Federer, but if it is to turn into a popularity contest there is likely to be only one winner. The American has the kind of easy charm and sense of humour that is hard to dislike. "I think here, more so than any place outside of the States, I've developed a little bit of rapport with the fans," Roddick said. "Maybe you guys help me by asking me a bunch of goofy questions and I help by giving a bunch of goofy answers. Roger's earned their respect many, many times over. Hopefully they will like both of us a little bit."

Roddick has a disarming habit of putting his progress through tournaments into the context of a concert-goer at a Rolling Stones gig. Last year he felt so far out of the picture that he said he was back in the eighth row. Having made it into the semi-final, he was near enough to the front to see what Mick Jagger was wearing. So where is he now? "Trying to get backstage," he said.

If he can prevail this afternoon, he will have gatecrashed the party all right.