Tomas Berdych Interview after his
lost of the Men's Final at Wimbledon 2010 at the hand of
Rafael Nadal
Wimbledon 2010
By LadyDragon
WIMBLEDON, United
Kingdom --(LadyDragon.com)
04/07/10--Q. How good was Rafa today?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, he was really good. I mean, he was
strong. I think the biggest difference between us was
that when he get a chance, he just took it, you know. He
give me one in the second set, one in the third set, and
none of them I can, you know, bring it to my side and
just made a break.
That just show how strong he is. I think it was just
really about the small difference.
Q. We all know what makes Rafa so good on clay: his
movement and his spin. What are the most difficult things
about his grass court style of play?
TOMAS BERDYCH: You know, I think he can -- the things
what he can do on the clay is that he's moving extremely
well. You know, he can play really with a lot of spin,
which makes him not to making almost any mistakes.
And on top of that, he just bring that, you know, he can
play more aggressive on the faster court here, on the
grass. It just makes him really dangerous.
Q. Can you talk about what your game strategy was
going in and how you tried to vary it as it played out.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, it's tough to say that I
don't have any strategy. But, of course, you know, I
don't know if you can say like weaker parts of him - it's
not many of them - and, you know, you just try play your
best tennis.
You know, it's not like that you gonna go there and you
know that he's doing something wrong or something like
that. You know, it's the final, so you gonna face the
toughest opponent in the draw, you know.
So it's really tough to find out some special tactic. So
my strategy was just, you know, concentrate for myself,
start well and, you know, waiting for some little
chances.
But, as I said before, he took it, you know.
Q. Do you consider at this time Nadal the best and
Federer behind him?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I mean, ranking shows that. So if it's
fine like that, then yeah.
Q. What are your thoughts about the differences
between the two of them right now?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I mean, you can see the differences when
they gonna play each other. You cannot say that I beat
Federer here and lost to Nadal, because every match is
completely different.
So I don't want to judge it like that, that I play to one
guy and lost to another opponent in the final. So, yeah,
only what you can see is in the ranking, and that's it.
Q. There's only one slam that Nadal hasn't won yet:
the US Open. What are your thoughts about his game on the
hard courts at the Open?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, I think, you know, his results on
hard court are, yeah, quite not that good as on the clay
and on the grass. So maybe it could be the reason of, you
know, the schedule of the tournament in the States which
is quite a little bit later on in the season, and, you
know, how he's struggling with the injuries and health.
So, you know, it could be the reason. But still, I mean,
he never losted to bad opponent. So, you know, you need
so many things to do the great results. I think it could
wait for him this year, but who knows.
Q. Do you consider him the favorite at the Open?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I mean, it's tough to say right now
favorite. You don't know what's gonna happen in next few
days. It can happen anything. Whatever. Tough to say
right now when the US Open's gonna be in two months.
Everybody can be favorite, you know.
Q. You're disappointed now, but you've had a superb
tournament. You beat Federer; you beat Djokovic; you've
had had a good season. Do you feel differently about your
game now? What are your aims going forward? Do you think
you can become a fixture in the top five as your game
should allow you to be?
TOMAS BERDYCH: That's what I'm trying to do, you know. If
I'm gonna get there and I'm gonna stay there for a couple
of years, then I can tell you yes, I can do that. That's
what I'm trying to do every day when I go for practice,
for match, for everything.
So right now I'm still, yeah, climbing higher and higher.
But still it can go little bit more. But just, you know,
need more tournaments, more matches.
Q. What's been the difference for you this year?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Oh, yeah, I was talking about that many
times. As I said, you know, just grow up a little bit,
get older, get more experience. Can be more patient on
court, but still can play my tennis, be aggressive, be
more concentrated on court. That's it.
Q. Is it difficult to appreciate what you've done in
the last couple weeks right now because of the
disappointment, or do you feel inside it's been a great
run?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Right now it's really tough, you know. I
think it's same like when you win the match against those
guys before. You just feeled great and you beat those
players and you enjoying that, and then you needs to see
something different.
But right now, of course I'm disappointing. You know, was
my first final. It could go, you know, better than this.
But still, you know, it was a lot of experience for me,
and I hope if I can, you know, work with those experience
like I did from experience of reaching semifinals in
Paris, then when I get to the semis again, just go
through.
So if I can do it same with the final, that would be
great.
Q. What was the wind like today?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, was quite windy today.
Q. How did it affect things?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, affect? I mean, it was same for both
of us. I mean, of course his game is I would say quite
easier to play in the wind. But I needs to figure it out,
how to play, as well, in the wind. I don't think it just
play a big difference.
But, of course if I can just, you know, choose, then I
don't like to play in the wind. But I can't, so I need to
fight with it.
Q. Do you think the size of the occasion affected the
way you played?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Definitely not.
Q. Even though your first serve was a bit slow to get
going?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, slower than maybe the days before,
but his was stronger. So, whatever. I mean, yeah. As you
said, maybe it could be slower, but I don't think it
played that much difference.
Q. What will you learn from this?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Oh, I mean, it's gonna be many things.
Right now it's really tough to say what's, you know, the
right things I just learn from that match. I mean, it's
really many experience to just go on court, step there,
to play my first final of Grand Slam.
Yeah, I mean, it's so many just emotional experience that
you have no chance to learn from any other matches. So
it's gonna be this ones. I think the only way how I can,
you know, get improved and be better than right now is to
play more of these matches.
You know, especially to play Rafa more because, you know,
as I said, his biggest weapon is his left hand. It's not
many players like that. It's really tough to, you know,
find the right rhythm.
And I think more matches against him, then just I can get
the feeling that I can do it better for next time. That's
it.
Q. You proved that you're great on clay; you're great
on grass; your game is probably best suited to hard
court. What have you got ahead for the rest of the season
from that point of view?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, if you just took it like this, by
statistics, then only the good time is waiting for me
ahead (smiling).
No, I mean, you never know what's gonna happen next day.
So I cannot say what's gonna be on my next tournament.
Of course, I will do the same what I did for preparation
right now and Paris every day, and we will see. Of
course, my tennis, I hope it's the best for hard court.
But I think the better thing is that, you know, I can
play well on all of those surfaces, which is really
important for today's tennis, which is not only like that
you gonna play on clay and it's enough for you, or just
on the other ones.
So I think this is my biggest, you know, weapon, that I
can play on all of those surfaces.
Q. Are you going to Bastad as planned?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Definitely I will just need to take some
time to think about that, what I'm gonna do. So I cannot
tell you now.
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