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BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALSNovember 10, 2014Tomas BerdychLONDON, ENGLAND S. WAWRINKA/T. Berdych THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How much of that is just a bad matchup for you? What about your general level of play today? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, unfortunately it was my worst match of the whole season, and I kept it for the start here in the World Tour Finals. So that's not the best one at the start. But, yeah, there are days like that. Now it's over of that. Really, I mean, it's just matter of, you know, looking forward, trying to find a way for next few days. Just try to leave this somewhere very far and try to come up with some better tennis. Q. How much of it is just your own mental state of mind, late in the season, tired, mentally, physically? What's going on? TOMAS BERDYCH: No, there are some things that, you know, you can judge it from. But I felt really good. It's not the way of, you know, being tired, even physically or mentally. That's definitely not an issue. We have enough time between the last tournament in Paris coming here. So really this is not the problem. This is just a bad day. That's how it is. Q. You lost the first four games very quickly today, like 15 minutes. How surprised were you at that start? Did you feel you were starting to panic? Did you try to work your way out of it? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, doesn't look like, but I was trying to find something, some way how‑‑ not even find a way how to get from it, but find a way how to feel the ball. My game is about hitting the ball nice, clean, then you can create something. But that's the beginning what I didn't have today at all. I hit so many frames. You know, just was not there. It's the thing that I have to sit with my team and find out and make the right things for the future days. But, yeah, as I said, today nothing works out for me, and that's the result. Q. Did you feel like you were hitting the ball well during practice all week or even during the warmup before today's match? When you stepped on the match court, it just wasn't there? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, you have places where you come and you can hit the ball almost with the closed eyes and everything is perfect and everything is set up. But for me I think it's, you know, just a bit different here. You know, it's always a bigger challenge to me to find a right rhythm to my game. Sometimes I'm able to do that. Sometimes it's not the right way. Today was actually the worst way. So, you know, but as you asked, no, there hasn't been any, like, huge troubles or difference in the practice. I felt good. My body's good. So that's how it is. Q. You've never won your first match here, but you've always gone on to win the second match. Is that to do with the format and peaking straightaway against the best players? TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, that could also be one of the reasons. This is a very unique tournament. You come up, starting to play group matches, you started with the best players in the world. You have no time to start up or play first round with, you know, someone who is little bit lower on the ranking, get some rhythm and find the way. So this is a bit different. But, you know, at least the starts always, or the past years, were better than today.  I see. Let's hope for the better days. There is nothing less than I can just keep fighting and just, you know, try to play good tennis. Q. You and Ivan Lendl are the only two Czechs to have played the Finals five times. I wondered if you admired him when you were a kid. Was he one of your idols? Do you still think about working with him in the future? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, actually I never had a name that I would really see as a idol or one player that I would like to be like or follow up. I mean, I like the tennis generally. Yeah, I would say it's more likely that some of the small occasions, like we are five times a year probably, but he probably five times won it, so it's a bit different story. Then the people starting to put more and more together, you know. But, no, I think working with him, that's over for now definitely. I mean, I don't know what has to be the change to change his mind. But it's how it is. I just respect his decisions. There is no reason to still be, you know, looking back. But you always have to look forward and keep moving. Q. A good win for Roger Federer yesterday. It seems this has been a bit of resurgence year for him. What do you think his key to return to form has been recently? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, we talking about the greatest player of all time in our sport. If there is someone who, you know, doesn't win 80 matches in a single season, then he's right away the one who is not on the top and not playing his best. I don't know what's so ever. I think he's just showing improving, how great he really is, how well he's playing, and that he's able to come up with that. I mean, still small chance, but with possibility to be No.1 in the world, it's really just incredible picture of his game. Q. Switching to Davis Cup for a second. You've been an active player. Do you think it's fair when players receive criticism for not playing for their country in Davis Cup or is that fair when they are criticized for not playing? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I think it always depends who criticize and what's the reason to do that. I mean, if it's just the plain or simple reason of just not coming and not playing the tie... I mean, tennis is so complex sport. The season is so long. Our season is not based on the Davis Cup matches. Not even about the one event like, you know, World Championship in athletics or something like that, which they have every four years or something like that. It's very specific. I think we all players deserve the respect what are our decisions. If the player doesn't want to play, he probably have some reason to that. So then, you know, probably will find out the people who has some opinions daily, and you don't like it, but you have to respect it. I think it should be the same in tennis. Q. If Federer were not to win in the Davis Cup, would you look at his career in a different light? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, probably more question to him, if he's going to see that as a big miss or opportunity or big loss or something like that. Really, everybody sees different. Everybody takes it different. I think he's in the best possible year and the way to do it. Q. Can you tell us a few words about the game of Marin Cilic this season and how you're going to prepare to play against him? You have to win that match to have a chance to go through. TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, exactly. I mean, I'm definitely not going to count that my score can be helpful, definitely not. I mean, I'm in the worst possible situation that I can ever be. You know, I'm going to face Marin or Novak first, in the end playing both of them, and the only chance to qualify is to beat them, it's almost a mission impossible. But, I don't know, let's try. Let's prepare for the next day. Let's do my work, my preparation. Whoever it is for the next day, if it's Marin or Novak, just need to be ready for it, need to be prepared, try to play better. Q. Are you surprised with the level of his game this season? TOMAS BERDYCH: No, I'm definitely not surprised.  I mean, when there is a player who improved during the whole season that much, then it's definitely not surprise. It's a guy who has a great season. He won a slam, took his way all the way up. You know, it's a great season. It's a really dangerous player. Q. How did you find the court surface today? How does it compare to the previous four years you qualified? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, honestly, I don't know if I'm in the right mood, the right feeling just to judge the court. Because today I didn't really feel anything right. But I don't think there is any difference between that. The courts are pretty much every year very same. If there is a small difference, it's very little. It's really hard to judge. I don't know what are the others saying or what are the opinions of other players. But I found the surface quite challenging. When you hit the ball very flat, it stays flat. When you put a lot of spin or some spin, it taking the spin quite a lot, too. Yeah, it's different than the courts, I don't know, in Paris or the weeks before. But, you know, it's always when you are building a temporary court, it's nearly impossible to make it exactly the same all the way around. But, no, I mean, in the end, the court itself is well‑prepared. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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