For the Wimbledon Centre Court crowd it has all become a bit less complicated.

Such is Roger Federer’s popularity that some were predicting the British number one would be second favourite in the affections of the majority had the pair met in Sunday’s final, as had looked destined to be the case when the departure of Novak Djokovic was followed by the dramatic quarter-finals both had negotiated. Not because of any of that nonsense relating to his support for teams playing against England or his readiness to back Scottish independence, it must be understood, merely because of the sentiment that surrounds the other man.

There was not, however, the slightest doubt about where their collected loyalties lay as they rose at the end to acclaim his semi-final win over Tomas Berdych. If the atmosphere had been fairly subdued to that point that was down to the way in which Murray had meticulously, if relatively bloodlessly compared with what had gone before, taken apart an opponent who once gave him considerable problems but has not done so for a considerable time.

Eleven years have elapsed since Murray won their first meeting and the Czech has emerged the winner in six of the subsequent 13, but he has not done so on the five occasions they have now come up against one another since 2013. Indeed, in many ways the way their careers have diverged since the pair appeared to be operating at a similar level just below the big three of Federer, Djokovic and Rafa Nadal around the time Berdych reached what now looks certain to be his only Wimbledon final in 2010, goes a long way towards defining why Murray is entitled to be considered part of a quartet that has dominated the sport in the past decade.

While he has so far won no more Grand Slam tournaments that Stan Wawrinka it is 11 time Grand Slam finalist Murray’s consistency in almost invariably reaching the latter stages of the biggest tournaments, not to mention his Olympic gold medal, that sets him apart from all the others.

Perhaps the sustained quality of his play was best summed up, then, by the almost inadvertent compliment Berdych paid him after stating that he expects him to win the tournament and was consequently asked whether this is the best he has seen Murray play.

“It's hard to say. I mean, every match is completely different. He's playing at home with all the crowd support behind himself. It's a completely different story,” he observed.

“It's difficult comparing matches on hard court, grass court, playing here, playing in Melbourne. I mean, we all try to improve. We all try to be in the best possible shape, playing the best tennis. I think that's his approach, as well.”

Consider that in the course of this tournament Murray has been kept on court for more than two hours just twice in six matches, the first of those, against Australian John Millman, lasting only another 10 minutes after they passed that mark and has dropped only two sets when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga hit his inspired patch during their quarter-final and the notion that this is business as usual for Murray is all the more remarkable. Even during that match against Tsonga he was never seriously threatened, the Frenchman having to come back from two sets to love behind to take it into a decider which, after negotiating a tough first game, Murray then dominated.

In the semi-final there was never the slightest feeling that he was under threat and if it all lacked a bit of drama there was no shortage of high class play, one half volley lob, as Murray consolidated the third set break of serve that had effectively put the contest out of the Czech’s range requiring sublime skill which left all in the arena gasping their admiration. This, though, was a match that always looked beyond the reach of Berdych not least on several occasions when drop shot-lob combinations had left him scrambling frantically, then pawing at air, Murray at his most alert in terms of awareness of how best to discomfort his rival and his touch allowing him to do so.

Perhaps the biggest warning to Milos Raonic, his opponent in the final, was that reference to the difference that can be made by the encouragement Murray will be enjoying both within Centre Court and from the adjacent strip of land he is happy should continue to be called 'Henman Hill'. Indeed, as the British number one noted after his semi-final win, he has, uniquely among the leading players of his generation, the rare privilege of having the chance to play in Grand Slams in front of a home support.

In preparing for that, though, the Canadian now has a great deal of useful recent experience to draw upon. There was, after all, no shortage of support for the Scot a month ago at Queen’s when they met in that final which may have been a factor in the way Raonic was unable to capitalise on a considerable advantage when he was a set and a break ahead, but that, in turn, possibly helped him cope with the partisan backing his semi-final opponent Federer was receiving throughout their battle and he can now be under no illusions about what to expect in the final.