The third seed was outplayed by Roddick and lost 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-5).

While Murray looked nervous at the start, Roddick served two aces in the first game and sent down the fastest delivery of the tournament at 143 miles per hour in the third.
 

The sixth-seed broke Murray, 22, in the final game of the first set.
 

The Scot broke back immediately and took the second set but could not compete with Roddick's consistency in the following two sets.
 

He held three break points in the first game of the third and had a set point in the tie-break but failed to

take advantage on either occasion.
 

Murray said: "I'll move on very very quickly and go and work on my game and improve and come back stronger.

"That's a pathetic attitude to have if you lose one match and you go away and let it ruin your year.
 

"I've had a very good year so far.

 

"I'm very close to the top of the game."

 

There were huge expectations on the shoulder of Murray as he sought to become the first British man to win the singles title since Fred Perry in 1936.

 

But he still believes he is capable of winning Wimbledon in the future.

He said: "I think I have a chance and I think the way I played this year was very close to getting to the final.
 

"I'll come back next year and try and do better."

 

Roddick will face Roger Federer in Sunday's final after Switzerland's five-times champion beat Tommy Haas 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-3.

The 26-year-old, who won the US Open in 2003, said no-one had expected him to win and he had to play his best tennis to secure victory.

Roddick said: "He had all the pressure on him and I could come out and swing and that probably helped me today.

 

"Let's make no mistake, he has been a much better player than I have over the past year, I was just a little bit better today."
 

Federer will be playing in his seventh consecutive final and could make history if he wins a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam.