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U.S. OPEN

September 4, 2014

Tomas Berdych

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

M. CILIC/T. Berdych
6-2, 6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Just a matter of being outplayed today? Just talk about the match, if you could.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, well, I start pretty terribly. It was not the way to start the match like that. Then obviously was really tough to catch up. And really my serve was off. Basically, you know, when you have a game built on a serve, then it's really tough and difficult to reschedule it and do it a bit differently. Yeah, today was not, definitely not the day I want to have. Yeah, that's it. That's tennis. Just need to carry over and go forward.

Q. You played him a number of times. Assess the way he's playing right now.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, he's playing definitely really well. He's definitely the player to be in the semifinal. He really deserves that. Playing well, playing very solid, and having the best season ever so far. Really, he's just on the run. But anyway, I mean, in the third set I was finding the rhythm a bit back and had chances. At least the third set was close.

Q. Talk about the third set, the double-bounce call. Obviously you were pretty upset.
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, I pretty much said everything, so let's leave it to decide whoever saw it and whoever understands tennis. That's it.

Q. Do you feel you're struggling to find your best tennis last couple of months or so? Is it confidence?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, let's point it one way. If I'm not gonna play -- or I agree with you. I'm not playing the best tennis what I can and I'm still able to play quarterfinals in the slams, then that's a good one line. I need to move forward from that. So, yeah, let's be on that line and just go forward. I mean, it's probably -- nobody knows the perfect plan what to do and how to be always successful, but we all trying. I'm the same case. I'm going to try again, work hard again, and, yeah, go for it.

Q. Is it tough to think that you have the Davis Cup coming, semifinal, to switch mentally? Going to be on clay.
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, definitely not. It doesn't affect my tournament here at all. I mean, it's something which is waiting on, and that's normal. Really, I mean, me and the Davis Cup is really just about enjoying that moment playing for the country. I have done pretty much everything. We won twice in a row. Really, there is no pressure at all. We're playing another semifinal, which is amazing. We gonna play in Roland Garros. I mean, really, it's just something what you can just look for and really don't feel any stress, pressure at all.

Q. (Indiscernible.)
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, let's see what's gonna happen. I mean, I'm just right now think about it. I'm going to go on clay back again. It's causing me a bad time, but, no, let's see. I have done it in 2012. We won in Argentina. So let's see what's gonna happen now. At least we're going on the best clay courts that we ever have, so at least that's a good point. We're not going to end up somewhere on the muddy, soft, very bad-bounce courts. At least this is a nice, positive thing, as I said previously. Playing on Roland Garros, it's always a pleasure.

Q. Do you think that Marin is playing well enough to win this tournament?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, it's hard to judge because I think -- well, let's see which opponents he's going to get and who's gonna be in his way. But, you know, it's always hard to predict like that. But, yeah, he's playing well. If he's gonna keep going, why not? But really, you know, we're talking about still Roger in the draw and Novak in the draw. That's still something which hasn't been different for a long time (Smiling.)

Q. I was surprised to hear that you went in a French restaurant in New York.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yes.

Q. Do you have good direction where the French is?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yes, of course I do. I definitely like the French kitchen. I like that place. It was the first time our friend here brought us there. It was really nice experience. I like something which is small and very different. It was really nice place.

Q. What did you eat?
TOMAS BERDYCH: What did I have? Actually, I had chicken with some potatoes. We got amazing desserts from them, which we didn't even ask for. But we got like full table of that. I was completely full.

Q. I know the place.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, okay. So you know what I'm talking about. But it was really nice. Thanks.

Q. You lost to Marin in Wimbledon. What was different from this summer on? Did you learn anything from that to this time around? Did you have a plan to go into this match?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, when I look at it overall probably nothing, because the result is exactly the same. So, you know, it's not a good point, but, you know, it's another match. It's another story, another place. Surface, conditions, everything is different. But, yeah, he handle it well. He won again. He's playing really good tennis. Yeah, what else to say? I mean, back to work and be stronger next time.

Q. What part of your game you thought wasn't on today, that was a problem, that made a difference?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, it was serve definitely. I mean, it was horrible from the beginning. That's impossible to play with an opponent like Marin is. Really, I would probably struggle with 80% of other guys if I served that bad like today. That's something what really I needs to avoid, and, yeah, just be better in that.

Q. You have reached a good number of Grand Slam quarterfinals and obviously played in semifinals, as well. Are you at a point right now where a quarterfinal is just not good enough? You know, some players may get to a quarterfinals and say, Hey, that was a good run. But when you've been there a number of times, you say, It's still not good enough. Do you still take positives from?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, as I say, it's a bottom line to kind of a start. Everything before is to basically get there, find the rhythm, play some matches. Of course take all of them, because you can face tough ones, as I did here. I'm not saying it's super easy to get to the quarters, but, yes, it's something what I'm really looking forward to. And then basically the tournament starts. I would say from then on you can really judge the tournament, if it was really good or not. This is just, I would say, like standard. I mean, as you said, many players would take it as a great one. But not me. I want more. I want to play more. I want to play better. That's it.

Q. So in a way it seems like the tournament stopped before it really started? You know what I mean? You get into the meat and potatoes of the tournament and...
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, exactly. I would say it's like a match when you can compare probably like with, you know, world championship ice hockey. You know, when you get to the quarterfinals and you win then you can play for medal. If you lose, it's pretty much nothing really special. I think it's very similar to me here. And that's how it is. Really, as I said, need to carry over and go again.

Q. Do you sometimes think about Australia and regret it? Had you won with Wawrinka you probably would be a champion. It was very close match.
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, I really don't have -- I don't know how to explain it exactly -- like the power to think this way, you know. Because really then you would get completely lost in the tennis world. You know, I could point you probably like ten matches like that and see ten different results out of it. So, no. It was a great match. It was a great experience. Not a best end. That's how it is. It's been a touch better and he's made his way. That's it. You know, sometimes when you do a big result, it's not only about -- or actually the big part of that is to also have some kind of luck. Then the big things happen. But that's all part of our sport.

Q. To be so close, just how badly do you really want to win one of these?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, pretty badly. But, you know, that's something what's probably the tennis life like learn me, you know, that you have to be really patient and just keep going. Really, I'm not the only one who is trying for that. There are many others. Then there are those four guys that they are stealing everything. Yeah, I think we are hunting them and trying to squeeze somehow in between and just steal one of those. But, yeah, it's not easy, but that's a challenge. That's what keeps me still playing in the high level and in the way of really going week by week competing and trying to do and be better and better.

Q. What do you think has to be done perhaps to change that and get one of these Grand Slams?
TOMAS BERDYCH: What should be different?

Q. Four guys keep stealing all the majors. What do you think you have to do in order to change that?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah. Now I got it (Smiling.) Well, I'm getting this question really often, and I'm going to come up with pretty much same answer. I'm still looking forward to get that right plan what to do exactly right, you know. Because if I knew it I would have done it and I would be sitting in different position right now. Probably there would be another and different questions. But, you know, it's matter of trying -- having the plan. And I'm not saying every time the plan is right. So far it was not right because I'm still without any of those trophies. So really just get back to work and work even harder and be more prepared.

Q. Did you ever think about working with Ivan Lendl? Obviously he helped Andy take that next step and he's a Czech guy. Have you ever talked to him?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I think it's something which I was thinking about definitely. I think just needs probably the right time and timing to make it happen. Let's see. I hope for the time is gonna come up. Fingers crossed.
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