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U.S. OPEN

August 27, 2014

Tomas Berdych

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

T. BERDYCH/L. Hewitt
6-3, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Lleyton can be a dangerous opponent, especially early in the tournament. Former champion here. To get through the way you got through, are you feeling pretty good about it?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, I feel pretty good. It's a tough opponent, a big challenge. The conditions were extremely tough today. The heat, the wind, and facing Lleyton for the first round, it's nothing that what you really want to have. But otherwise, when you are prepared and feel good, that's a perfect start.

Q. Talk about first of all the way you feel you're playing out there. First matches in a Grand Slam are always tough to get by. Just talk about the way you've played.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, they are always tough, especially when I step on the court and it was quite windy. It's something what I don't really prefer, but you need to deal with that. I found my rhythm pretty well in these conditions. I was making my chances and then was able to make them, make breaks, win the first set, and was playing solid. Really, I mean, just the second set when I dropped a serve, and then was really just trying to stay there, trying to create another chance. That's what finally came. The second set was very important. Made it, and then really, I mean, in the third set was pretty much every single game on his serve I was making break point chances. But, yeah, I finally made it, and I'm happy with the way I handled it.

Q. You mentioned the wind. Is it trickier to handle in Ashe Stadium compared to some of the other courts out there?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No. I would say it's quite similar, quite same. Sometimes you can get a wind that circles around, but this time it was pretty much straightforward. It was just from one side to the other, and it was good. It was not a side wind which is even more difficult, so it was just really from back to front. It was okay to get used to it.

Q. As soon as the US Open finishes you're gonna have to focus very quickly on another big event, on clay and in very different conditions. Is that at all on your mind here? Do you have Davis Cup at all on your mind, or not at all?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, not at all. It's, as you said, another big event, but I'm here for the Open. That's something what you really need to focus on and not to be really thinking about what's gonna come up. That's how it is. Just everything, all the focus is here for this week, and then, you know, I'm going to go and I'm going to move forward and prepare for that. I did it last couple of years when I played a semifinal here. Then flew to Argentina, same thing, play on clay. So, yeah, I have been those experience. But just once I'm done I'm going to focus for Davis Cup.

Q. What do you feel about the fact it's so close and so different conditions?
TOMAS BERDYCH: That's Davis Cup, you know. Always we can talk about the dates and about the format and about everything. We can spend an hours of talking about it and see if I like it or don't like it. But it's how it is. You have to take it. Once you commit to play, you have to be ready.

Q. Going very far in the US Open, would that give you an advantage or a disadvantage in terms of Davis Cup?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, hard to say.

Q. Less time to practice, but at the same time confidence.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, exactly. I mean, that's these two things. Always it's a matter of taking the situation how it is right now. And really, why to complain that you play semifinal if you don't have a time for Davis Cup; same thing other way around. You always need to see the situation by the positive way. So no matter how it is, just try to pick the positive thing and move forward.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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