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QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN

January 1, 2019

Tomas Berdych

Doha, Qatar

(Applause)

THE MODERATOR: Hello, everyone. Today we are having our second kids' press conference with one of our stars, Tomas Berdych. We have a few questions for you. Are you ready to start?

TOMAS BERDYCH: I'm very glad and pleased to see this audience. I think it is nice to also change and you know get younger because seeing always the same faces, so it is beautiful to see all you guys and I'm waiting your questions.

THE MODERATOR: I'm sure they are happy to see you. Let's start with the first one. Can you pass the mic there, please.

Q. What was your most important game of tennis?
TOMAS BERDYCH: That's a nice one. I've played, I would say, really a lot of them. And I have to say that every single one was very, very important to me because every match creates a nice story, a nice experience. Sometimes also a bad experience.

But really all of them gave me something, even a little piece, and that's what it's all about. You are trying to collect all those small pieces, put them together, as those pictures, the puzzles, so tennis is very similar to that.

Q. Now you had an early end to season 2018, due to your back injury. Now you are ready to start the season. How are you feeling during your recovering time?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, my recovering time, there was a very new situation for me. In my the whole career, I've never been out more than a couple of weeks in the season, so this has been the first time and for long, for six months.

So at the beginning there was a lot of doctors, a lot of recovery and also every time and it learns me and gives me a new perspective for the tennis as well because I also had a chance to experience the life a little bit from the other side, not only being on the tennis court, and I really enjoy it, I cannot say I was bored or anything.

I mean, I tried to use the time as much as I could and it was great and even better was that, at the end of this process, I was able to start to train, start to practice. Right now I can be sitting here with you answering the questions after winning my match yesterday, so really the things were going pretty well at the end of my recovery.

Q. In your whole career what was the best ranking you've reached?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Number four. That was 2015, I think. Yes.

Q. What is your favorite shot in tennis?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I would say forehand, that's the one I like the most. But, you know, you have to be very complex, so you have to work all the skills, but the favorite one is forehand.

Q. Why do you like tennis?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, maybe when I was the age like you, then my parents brought me for the first time on the tennis court and back then I didn't really know much about it back then and, of course, I had plenty of other interests, so it was not the number one fun for me.

But keep coming to the courts, I developed really the love in tennis and you can see, you know, a lot of friends there, you travel the world and especially I think the best feeling why I really love tennis is when you win the match. No matter if it's a big match, small match, anything, the feeling is something what is very unique and you cannot buy for any amount of money, so that's very special.

Q. What is the reason behind your success?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, that's a long process. I would say it is definitely starting at the beginning with - I have to say with my parents because they really gave me the discipline from the first day of my tennis steps and I'm very grateful for them, for this opportunity to have.

And yeah, I think it was them because at the beginning they really have been like, I have to say, good and strong to me and gave me the lines and then since then I went so many steps in my career and being dedicated is really very important.

Q. We know that you like ice hockey and also U2 band, what other interests do you have out of tennis?
TOMAS BERDYCH: That's correct. I'm from Czech, in the Czech Republic ice hockey is very popular. For music, U2 is my favorite, but also I like the other bands as well, or other music.

And also now I start to like the art even more, I'm very interested and a little bit, I'll have to come back next year again when the new National Museum's going to be open, to see that, that would be very interesting to me. And there are other - I'm a bit older than you but still a child, I enjoy the cars, so that is another passion for me.

Q. In 2010 you played in Wimbledon final, you beat Federer and Novak and you lost against Nadal. What are your good memories from this tournament?
TOMAS BERDYCH: There is plenty of good and great memories and even though it's now eight years since then, they still stay in my head because it's been so far my only Grand Slam final and, as you mentioned, beating Roger in that place and then Novak in the semifinal. It was two huge matches for me.

And then, you know, the experience of playing a Wimbledon final. That's really one of the dreams that you have when you start to play tennis. Unfortunately, I lost. But that day Rafa was just too good, so I have to give him all the credit. I don't think I've done anything bad or anything that I would change, you know. Definitely I would try to change to win, but realistically it was very difficult. But those memories from those two weeks are really strong for me.

Q. How many times have you played in Qatar?
TOMAS BERDYCH: How many times? Help me - five, six? I would say six. I think this is my sixth time.

Q. How many hours do you train every day?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, so when I was younger, I think it was a little bit more than now. So, it was, I would say, like about four to five hours of tennis, plus some fitness. And now it's a little bit less because yes, I need to take care of my body a little bit more than I used to. And so I have to split my day a little bit more between the tennis practice, fitness practice and then also recovery. So, now the tennis is around two, two-and-a-half hours, plus some fitness, so something around that.

Q. Who do you like to play as an opponent?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, anyone that I can beat! (Laughter) No, it's - you know, this is very hard to pick because we don't have that opportunity in tennis that we can choose the opponents. So we have to be ready for whoever comes up and whoever is the one across the net.

But there are guys that I like to play a little bit more with them, somebody a little bit less. It's - that's the beauty of the sport. Not every single guy is the same one and everybody can make you work really hard.

Q. How many hours per day were you practicing when you were ten-years-old?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Ten-years-old. Okay. That is a long time ago! Let me try to remember. Well, I don't think there was that many hours of tennis. I would say maybe one or two a day, but I think what it is very important in that age is also that you try to also gain some other skills, especially in the sport because being complex, it's very important so doing lots of running, even playing just football and all those kind of things. It is very important because all that you can very well transfer to tennis.

I don't think that if the kids that are ten-years-old playing five hours tennis a day is really good because what he's going to do then, what he's going to do when he's 15, 16? There is the very important time that you have to practice a lot. When you are ten, I think one or two hours a day is maximum.

Q. What was your strategy when you were five or six-years-old?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, when I was around five or six-years-old, it was around that time and it was kind of slowly, so when I was like eight then I start to realize I can have some talent and I can start to play more.

Q. When you play against Novak, what will be your tactical strategy?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Wow! Well, first of all, I don't know if I should tell that. No, I think it's - he's - he knows and he is a great player. Right now he is the number one in the world. So, he's a very tough opponent to beat. And the tactics, you know, I manage to beat him two, three times? Yeah, two, three times. So, it was always a very difficult match. I had to be serving very well because he is very good on return and he has a great defense as well.

And just try to stick with my game, try to play very aggressive, try to come to the net. Not to play really long rallies with him because that's where he is very good and very strong. And just try to win one more point than him.

Q. What will be your strategy when you play against a solid baseliner on clay-court?
TOMAS BERDYCH: That's a very tough one for me. The clay-court is probably my most difficult surface. But still I had some good results on there. And, again, I'm a tall guy and I cannot be the one to play and engaging in very long rallies, so I have to try to play the rallies a little bit shorter, play them a little bit more aggressive, try to open up the court a lot, make the guy running and then that's what creates me the opportunities.

So I have to be the one who dictates the game, who plays aggressive and when there is a chance come to the net and not to stay or not to play his game.

Q. What age did you play your first tournament?
TOMAS BERDYCH: My age? Yes, it depends which one you mean. I think my first-ever tournament was under, nine and under, so I was around, yeah, eight, something like that, so I think when I was eight I played my first.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much for the interesting questions. Have a good day today. Thank you. (Applause)

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