US OPEN

September 5, 2004

Tomas Berdych

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

TOMAS BERDYCH: I don't know what's the secret. But I think you have to go on court. You don't have to think about you play with Federer because Roger is one of the best players. So you have to go on the court, concentrate only for your game. You have to play more than 100% because it's very tough to beat Roger Federer. I think you have to be little bit lucky because I don't think the Roger that day was the Roger which won the Wimbledon. But nobody asked for that. Anyway, it's very tough to beat him (smiling).

TOMAS BERDYCH: Not lucky, but I feel it wasn't the Roger what was, let's say, on Wimbledon, on the tournaments before. But I play my best tennis that match, so I'm very happy to beat him.

TOMAS BERDYCH: I think it's very good you can beat the player like Roger and Robredo. I think I have more experience after that matches. So, of course, I think it's very good for me, I can beat the player like this. Here I'm in the fourth round, so it helps me.

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, you are right (smiling). I don't know. Something change. Maybe I try to -- maybe I start better practicing, maybe more practicing. I don't know. I think it start after Roland Garros. I won two challengers in a row. So I won 10 matches. Maybe that was the point. Then I start to play with the better players. I lost in Kitzbuhel with Massu in three sets. Was a very tough match. Then it start on Olympics and here. So that's the tennis.

TOMAS BERDYCH: In Germany, Germany. Weiden and Braunschweig.

TOMAS BERDYCH: I don't know. I lost fourth set. In the fourth set, I had one break up.

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, 2-0. So that was my mistake. I should finish in the fourth set. So it's why. I think Mikhail Youzhny had some problems with the leg because he start with the tape on his leg. So maybe that's why he was in the fifth set little bit tired or maybe he feel more his pain on the leg. But I start well. I make a break, then I hold my serve. It was (3-Love/3-1?). I think that was the point. But anyway, it's very tough to play five sets, the fifth set.

TOMAS BERDYCH: I don't know how much confidence. I will go to court. He's a player who have to win. So I go there and I will enter the match and I will try to play my best tennis and we will see, because in tennis you never know. You can go to court with Roger, you beat him. You can go to court with guy who is 200 on the race, and you lost. So you never know.

TOMAS BERDYCH: No. Nobody ask me.

TOMAS BERDYCH: This one was the second.

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, second.

TOMAS BERDYCH: First in first round with Jonas Bjorkman.

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, it's very difficult because with these guys, it's very tough to win three sets in a row to beat him like 3-0 or 3-1, if you lost first set. Maybe that's why I play two times five sets. But I'm happy to five sets and two times win.

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah.

TOMAS BERDYCH: I don't have the ambitions, like I go to tournament and I say, "I want to be in semifinals." I go to tournament and I want to go round and round and round. So if I play first round, I'm concentrate for first round. If I won, the same for second round, not to come to tournament and I say, "I want to won this tournament," and then I lost first round. That's very bad. But if you go there, you won first round, then second round it's okay. But if you go and say, it's not for me good.