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ATP MASTER SERIES MADRID

October 20, 2006

Tomas Berdych

MADRID, SPAIN

Q. How big is it to beat Nadal in Masters Series in Madrid?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I think the more important thing for me is, yeah, that I beat him right here in the Masters Series, but the more important thing is that I can beat him in his home in Spain.

Q. You have beaten him three times in a row, am I correct? So it seems like you have an edge on him or what?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I don't know. Maybe I have to say that I like his game.
Yeah, when we play on some fast courts, some hard court or here indoor, so that's an advantage for me. And I'm very happy that I can use the advantage of the fast court. And I made the matches to the win.

Q. He also plays a long way behind the baseline, doesn't he? Does this give you time to wind up with your big strokes?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah. I think this is the kind of game that I like; that he's just running on the back of the court, and he's running besides the linesman. And then he's just hitting the balls up through the net. And then I can go for a volley or I can hit the forehand.
I think for me it's much better than when I'm playing Federer, when he's chipping all the balls and he's playing more smart on my game. So that's why I can beat Rafael three times.

Q. Are you surprised that he doesn't try to change that pattern a bit more?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I don't know. I seen him many times in many of the matches, and I think -- I don't know. When he's playing his best tennis, he's running, he's everywhere. And then he can hit some unbelievable shots.
But, I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but I never saw him play some different style of the game.

Q. What were your emotions when you were giving that little message to the crowd at the end?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I was expecting to play some guy in his country is going to be tough. But if it's going to be tough like this, I'm not expecting that. Because I can understand that they want for him to win the match and win the tournament, of course. He's second in the world, yeah, he's a great player, but I think they have to understand that there's many, many other players that can beat him. And then when he say to you that you are very bad, for me it's nice that a very bad player can beat him three times.

Q. Congratulations, because you have played great tennis. You have said that you are very happy for beating Nadal here in Spain? What do you think about the Spanish fans, about the Spanish spectators?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I already said this. I was expecting that they were going to stay on his side and they would follow him and they would want him to win the tournament and win the match. But I think this is not the Davis Cup. The Davis Cup is I think absolutely different. Here they are screaming when you hit the double fault. You expect this in the Davis Cup, but you're not expecting it in this tournament.

Q. Do you think this could happen in your country, the Czech Republic?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, never. They're going to support me, but not in this style like if he hit a double fault and then the stadium would go out and be screaming.

Q. What about your gesture at the end of the match?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I just showed them that they have to know that there's some other player in the circuit that can beat Rafael. And that it's not only him in Spain who can win. They have to know that tennis is for both sides. It's not only like football, just one team, and if they are losing it's still the same. I just show them there's something different than Rafael.

Q. I understand you. But do you think that you have made a mistake -- you have made a mistake, you have made a great match, but, do you think at the end you made a mistake?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Me? About what?

Q. No. Telling the people to be silent and all that. Only a question. Answer whichever way you want.
TOMAS BERDYCH: If Rafael say to you when you're shaking hands that you are very bad, what do you want to do? I'm not make nothing wrong on the court. I'm not talking about one single shot, which I want to say that it was out or it was good.
I think the referee was great. He doesn't make one mistake in the whole match. I don't know nothing, nothing like I was making like this to his eyes or whatever. I don't know why he needs to say to me that I'm very bad.

Q. He said to you that you are a bad guy or a bad player? What did he tell you?
TOMAS BERDYCH: He just told me with his English that, "You are very bad."

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