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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 25, 2009

Tomas Berdych

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

R. FEDERER/T. Berdych
4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've been so close to beat Roger Federer. Did you think the turning point was 3-3 in the third set and then you hit the ball into the net?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I wouldn't say I was so close. I won two sets and then I was 3-All. Still, I mean, even if you have a match point you're closer, but not close enough to beat him.
When the last ball is finished, the referee call the score, then it's finished. I was quite far from this situation. But, yeah, I'm pretty happy with it. I won two sets with him. I give him a little more pressure.
Yeah, I mean, this is just like best for some other matches that I find out maybe the way how to play with him. We will see in the next match.

Q. You pushed him into a very hard limit in the fourth set. Did you not have enough fuel in the tank and you wanted to finish it in the fourth set?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I think to beat him, especially on the Grand Slam, the best way to win is in three sets. If you leave him to win one, two sets, then he's going to be stronger and stronger. That's just happened today.
I wanted to finish in the third set, but unfortunately it doesn't work well. Yeah, like I said before, I'm quite happy with the game today.

Q. Can you talk about the Hawk-Eye situation in the fourth set?
TOMAS BERDYCH: What to say? I mean, if they bring some new system and doesn't work, why should it be on the courts? I mean, he can tell you whatever he wants. Just told you that somebody told him that he saw the ball and the mark and it was out, so that's why the original call stands. But, well, it should be working.

Q. You beat Roger at the Olympics and also won a great game in doubles in the World Group. Did you play Roger then?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah.

Q. Does it make you have a bit more confidence in your game, or not?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, it's completely different. When we play Davis Cup and we play doubles it was completely different. I wasn't alone on the court and he wasn't alone on the court. No way to compare.

Q. Last year you came very close to win the second set, and maybe you made not such a good choice with a drop shot. This year you seemed more disciplined, just playing maybe more smart. Do you have a different way of looking at the game than you had last year?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, sure. I mean, maybe it's all the way -- like I made a change of my coach before the season. I already did preparation with him. Yeah, there is a lot of new things and new stuff I am trying to work on.
If already some of them are working and looks like that works today, so I'm pretty happy for that. It's still already like one month, so I hope it's going to be better in the future.

Q. Do you have any different goals this year, or things you would like to do in terms of ranking or winning a big tournament than in the past?
TOMAS BERDYCH: After the last year, first of all, I would like to stay healthy. I just hated last year that I was out for one months, maybe a little bit more. Then it's pretty tough to come back, because the season and the tournaments are going and the players are playing every week. It's really tough to just step back to the train and get the good results again.
I think the key to good consistency of the matches is just stay healthy, and then you can have the schedule as you want and play as much matches as you wish. Then all the things can go together.

Q. You called two medical timeouts there. Was your physical condition a problem to the end?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, well, a little bit I feel my -- on the left leg, the hamstring. I don't think it was anything what's -- like cost me that I lost the game or something like that.
I just feel I want to try. If it's going to be better or if it's going to help if I'm going to take a medical timeout. It was just my option to be better. Of course, in that moment I wasn't 100% on the court. But, yeah, that's the sport. It was the same for him.

Q. Did you feel sometimes that he was afraid of you? You made some nervous shots sometimes. Did you feel you were getting to him?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, well, I think from the beginning -- well, I wasn't not ready, but I didn't want to start too aggressive from the first game. But it looks like that I got the chance since from the first point already, and then I just took the chance and was trying to pushing him as hard as I can.
It looks that it works, so I think right now the tennis is just about the chances. If you have a chance, you have to try to take the chance, and then I don't know.

End of FastScripts

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