LONDON -- When they shook hands after the final at Queen's Club, Milos Raonic, in all seriousness, told Andy Murray he wanted a rematch in three weeks' time.
Raonic was remarkably prescient. Friday evening on Centre Court, the No. 2-seeded Murray dispatched No. 10 Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in less than two hours.
Earlier, Raonic earned his first Grand Slam championship berth, coming back to dismiss seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer 6-3, 6-7 (3), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Now the two victors square off for the title on Sunday, 9 a.m. ET on ESPN & WatchESPN.
"I didn't get many opportunities in the first set," Murray said of the Queen's encounter with Raonic. "Then started to read the serve a little bit better. There were a few things I picked up on. Started to return much better. I was down a set and a break, managed to turn it around."
This is Murray's 11th Grand Slam final, and it will bring something new: the pressure of being the favorite. It will be the first time he's facing someone other than Federer or Novak Djokovic -- or any lower-seeded player at this stage, for that matter.
"Well, obviously it's a challenge either way," Raonic said. "He does a lot of things well. I think the biggest challenge for me, which I felt was the thing I want to happen the least or repeat itself the least from Queen's, is I got sucked into his game. I didn't play on my terms. That's going to be the most important thing for me."
The subplot might actually be juicier than the main event.
Murray has beaten Raonic in six of their nine matches, including the past five meetings. But in a delicious turn of events, their recently hired high-profile coaches were bitter rivals back in the day.
Murray recently teamed up again with Ivan Lendl and their most recent collaboration is off to a perfect 11-0 start. John McEnroe recently joined Carlos Moya and Ricardo Piatti as part of Raonic's coaching team and the 25-year-old Canadian is playing the best tennis of his life.
For the record, Lendl held a 21-15 head-to-head match margin over McEnroe, and his eight major titles are one more than the legendary New Yorker managed.
"What [McEnroe] told me today was, 'Go out there and leave it all out there,'" Raonic explained. "Mentally, I had one of my best matches in my career. I think that made a big difference."
In terms of pure aesthetics, Sunday's final might be a better match with Murray facing Raonic rather than Federer. After going the entire 2015 season without a five-set match, the 34-year-old Federer played back-to-back, maximum-distance matches. It's the first time in his long career that has happened.
Toward the end, the oldest semifinalist here in 42 years did not look like the stylish, vintage Federer who lingers in our mind's eye.
There were "unexplainable" back-to-back double faults at a critical juncture of the fourth set and, later, a visit from the trainer to work on a tight right quad muscle. And then there was the wrenching moment his left foot got caught in the turf and he went down, awkwardly, face-first and stayed prone for what seemed like the longest time.
"I don't ever fall down," said Federer, sounding arrogant but merely stating a fact. "It was a different fall for me than I've ever had. I just hope I'm going to be fine.
"I was insecure coming into Wimbledon, I must tell you."
Federer missed the recent French Open, marking the end of his record streak of 65 consecutive Grand Slam appearances. It was a gallant run here, but another marvelous mark fell, too. This was Federer's first loss in a Wimbledon semifinal -- after winning his first 10.
But make no mistake, more than Federer losing, Raonic won this match. Against one of the greatest players of all time, he saved eight of nine break points and served big and beautifully. There were 23 aces and one serve that traveled 144 mph. Raonic's bottom-line numbers were clean, too: 75 winners versus 40 unforced errors.
Murray was similarly efficient, converting five of 10 break-point opportunities. He made only nine unforced errors.
And as an extra bonus, Murray's 52nd match win here at the All England Club vaulted him past the great Bjorn Borg, who watched from the Royal Box.
A lot of words have been expended here in England about what a Murray win would mean to this island nation in the wake of Brexit, the ensuing financial chaos and the loss of the English side in the European Championships. The atmosphere on Murray Mound, where fans watched a big screen attached to No. 1 Court, was festive, light and loud.
But Murray is playing for Murray, seeking a second Wimbledon title and a third major overall.
Raonic, who appeared in his first major semifinal right here two years ago, has now made two of three semis this year and has a legitimate chance to win his first Grand Slam.
"You just have to put yourself in that position, sometimes once, sometimes 10 times," Federer said of Raonic. "Eventually you're going to break through, get the lucky break, or you just deserve it because you've worked hard and you believe in what you're doing. Things fall into place nicely.
"That's what happened for him today. I wish him well for the finals."
Murray thinks his experience in those 10 previous major finals will help him.
"I think you learn from those matches, for sure," Murray said afterward. "Those experiences playing against the best players of all time have helped me a lot."