Sadly for excited England, a day to eat, drink and beat Murray

WIMBLEDON, England -- It was too much for this little nation, the place Shakespeare called this sceptered isle, this happy breed of men. It was yet another sporting disappointment, a creation of dreams superseding reality.

Of course Rafael Nadal defeated Andy Murray in their Wimbledon men's quarterfinal Wednesday. One miracle was enough.

Nadal hammers Andy Murray with a 'ridiculous' forehand. (Getty Images)

Murray probably shouldn't have been here, except he showed tremendous courage -- "Braveheart" he was labeled; Andy is from Scotland -- in his comeback Monday as the sun was about to set.

So desperate is this country for a winner -- in any sport, tennis, golf, soccer, rugby -- reporters for English papers, against the unwritten rule, were cheering shamelessly in the press room as Murray came back after losing the first two sets to Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Television ratings were remarkable. Something like 44 percent of the sets in use in the United Kingdom were tuned to the match when, after 3 hours, 58 minutes, it came to a remarkable conclusion at 9:30 p.m.

Britain was whipped into a frenzy. Centre Court tickets for the quarterfinal were going for $2,000. Murray against the odds. Murray against the forecasts. No, Murray against Nadal, and that was the problem.

Nadal, the French Open champion, the world's No. 2, never let the home crowd get into this one and more significantly never let Murray get into this one, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and then raising his muscular arms in triumph.

"He played so much better than me," said a chastised Murray, who at 21 is only a year younger than Nadal but in experience is a virtual decade apart.

"I didn't feel like I played my best. But he was playing too well. His forehand was ridiculous. It was so hard to get into rhythm. I felt rushed on every point. It's amazing how fast his arm moves. He deserved to win."

There has been speculation all along, and well justified it is, that Nadal will face five-time champion Roger Federer in the final a third straight year. Nothing that's happened so far in this All-England Championship should discourage that thinking.

Rafa looked unbeatable in the quarters, and so did Federer, who in powering past Mario Ancic 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 reached a Grand Slam semifinal for the 17th consecutive time. Ancic, in 2002, was the last person to beat Roger at Wimbledon, where Federer has won 39 straight matches; on grass anywhere, his streak is now at 64.

Federer gets a revitalized Marat Safin in the semis, which could be interesting, but the way a women's final between the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, appears a foregone conclusion, so does a men's final between Federer and Nadal.

That's the way it should be, isn't it, No. 1, Federer, against No. 2? We always want the best against the best, and these two, the cool champion from Switzerland, the emotional young man from Spain, are the best in the game.