“I won’t die,’’ Soderling said after his 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-1 defeat. “I think I’ll be fine.’’

Once medical aid arrived, and a bandage was applied, Soderling was back on the court within about three minutes. But overall, the break ran upward of 10 minutes, which didn’t sit well with Nadal, who felt the trainer should have been summoned much more quickly.

“The rule says you can do it,’’ said Nadal, emphasizing that he had no issue with his opponent calling for the timeout. “It’s in [Soderling’s] hands. For me the wrong thing is we wait for the physio for five minutes. So that’s the bad thing. Because in the end, if you stop for three minutes, it’s OK. But if you stop 10 minutes, it’s not OK. That was the problem for me.’’

The match tied in sets, 1-1, Nadal held a 5-4 lead in the third when Soderling required the medical attention. Soderling went on to drop the third set, and then faded fast in the fourth.

Overall, he didn’t think it was the aching toe that sank his chances.

“I think the difference was that [Nadal] returned a little bit better than me,’’ said Soderling, who lost to Nadal in the French Open final. “I was a little bit frustrated because I didn’t put many returns in. Of course, he served pretty well. But it’s not like I am playing one of the best servers on tour. I have to at least put some more returns back in play.’’

Nadal, who finished with 12 aces, five fewer than Soderling, landed 67 percent of his first serves, compared to only 60 percent by Soderling. But perhaps the most telling stat was points won on second serve — Nadal won 61 percent, Soderling only 38.

Soderling’s average first serve was 126 miles per hour, some 10 percent better than Nadal’s 115, and the Swede averaged 102 on second serves compared to Nadal’s 93. The opportunities were, indeed, there for Soderling.

“He’s hitting the ball very well,’’ said Soderling. “Of course, he’s moving well, as always. But, you know, it’s very difficult to compare how he’s playing on grass compared to clay. But he’s the world No. 1, and I think he’s playing pretty solid tennis. He’s got a good chance to win this one.’’

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to hang on to it much longer,’’ said the 35-year-old Henman, referring to the hill that still carries his name. “But I’ll try.’’

Henman made it to the semis here four times, in ’98, ’99, ’01, and ’02, but each time failed to make it to Sunday.

The ever-gracious Henman texted his congratulations to Murray’s cellphone after his fellow Brit erased Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Kodes, now 64, defeated Russian Alex Metreveli, 6-1, 9-8 (5), 6-3. The two unlikely candidates found their way to the final, in part, because 13 of the 16 seeds that year on the men’s side pulled out to protest that the Yugoslav tennis federation suspended Nikki Pilic.

The federation alleged that Pilic refused to represent Yugoslavia in the Davis Cup, a charge he denied, but the suspension was supported by the ILTF. Pilic, who will turn 71 in August, runs a tennis academy in Munich.

“Not many moments can be compared to this one,’’ said Berdych, after dusting off Roger Federer, the six-time Wimbledon champion, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

“You know, to be standing on Centre Court here in Wimbledon, beating the six-time champion here. It couldn’t be, I would say, better. But still there is one match to be better feelings than this one [sic]. I hope I can get to that.’’

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com.