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SONY ERICSSON OPEN

April 4, 2010

Tomas Berdych

MIAMI, FLORIDA

A. RODDICK/T. Berdych
7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Obviously you've got to be proud for your results this week. The difference today, was it just Andy playing pretty clean tennis, and when he has to serve he makes it every time?
TOMAS BERDYCH: You know, well, he was playing pretty well as you can see on the court. He was really good today. He was really strong, serving well.
You know, I was really looking for maybe to get one chance or maybe one is enough. But he holded pretty well. I didn't get any chance during whole match during both two sets.
So that's well played for him.

Q. How about the second serve. It's almost as formidable as the first serve as far as statistically. You didn't do much damage on the second serve; is that a problem?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, problem, of course we know that he's a great serving guy, so, yeah, it's just how you said. He was just too strong today. Doesn't matter if he serve strokes from the baseline or whatever. He was strong and deserved to win.

Q. Seemed like you're first serve of also off.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, well, of course my serve was not that good. But still, you know, I just lost two close sets.
You know, he get one chance and he just took it. That's how it is. I mean, if maybe I would get one then it would be different.
So I don't think that was that big problem for me, that I didn't serve that well as the other matches. Still I can keep with him and stay close. But, you know, that's about one, two chances, and that was for him today.

Q. The 11th game of the first set, the double fault on the drop serve. Was it a case of nerves, or what happened just then?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, actually, that side on that court was pretty tough to me to returning, because I had a the straight sun on my side on that serve.
That's always very tough, you know, when you have a pretty high toss of the ball that you gonna have to change it a little bit, and then your rhythm for your serve just get different.
I didn't felt well on that side actually because the sun was pretty straight in my view for the ball. But, you know, that was the same for both of us. You know, he just took the chance and win it.

Q. It seems like on the first break chance that he had in the first set, the first breakpoint, you made an error on the first serve and then the clap from the crowd. Was that a distraction also for you?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, that's usual, especially here. You know, when you play in States against American, that's all right. That's how it is.

Q. If you look at the week as a whole with the win over Roger and some other good performances, you must be satisfied?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, of course. I am actually, well, not satisfied as I would be if I be sitting here as a winner.
Yeah, I'm happy for this maybe two weeks, ten days, whatever it is, that I play a couple of really good matches. You know, I felt great here. Everything was good.
So just give me a lot of confidence, you know, to next weeks in the season. Just looking forward to it. Go for another tournament.

Q. I noticed the other day when I mentioned Ivan Lendl's name you didn't perk up. Do you find any comparisons to him? Early in his career he didn't do so well in big matches - grand slam finals - and then he broke through. Do you feel any comparison or parallel to him at all?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I don't know what this thing would change if I would say that, Okay, I'm similar like him. You know, still, he won so many great tournaments, matches, whatever.
He's completely on different level still than me. So for me it's still far away to go. If I start to win more tournaments and whatever, then all right, maybe we can be talking about some similar things with Ivan.
But still, he's a different level, different position than me. I still need to work a lot to get almost just close to him. We will see.

Q. Did you say what the difference between you two guys was? It was so small.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, of course. I mean, the difference was really small. I mean, I just said that, you know, I didn't get any chance from Andy. Not even one just really one single chance maybe to have a breakpoint or whatever.
You know, maybe it couldn't be just breakpoint, it could be one point let's say on my serve that you just survive it, play well that game, and then it gives you more confidence and you can make a break, whatever.
Doesn't happen today. He played really solid and strong on his serve, and he just deserve to win.

Q. I don't know if you were asked this either, did he play any different or better than the other times that you've played him? Do you feel that he's playing better now or that he played you any different than he had in previous times?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, I would say that both of us just played better tennis. To get to the final, you have to play better tennis than those other matches that was, I don't know, quarterfinal, semifinal. To get to the final of the big tournament like this one, you have to play really good tennis.
So I think it was much better from both of us. But, you know, he was a little bit better today, and that's how it is.

Q. You played him years ago and won the first few times, five, six, seven years ago. Do you feel he's changed a lot over the years, his style of play?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, I would say so. I just saw really big difference when he starts to play with Larry Stefanki. His game just change quite a lot. I would say that he's -- you know, he works a little more on that serve.
You know, he's not just serving the big bombs. You know, he's a guy who can serve like 70, 75% of first serve, which on his variations of the serve that he can serve, you know, strong then with a lot of kick, whatever, that's really big improve, I would say.
And then, of course he's much solid from the baseline. Then when he get a chance, he can play also really aggressive with a lot of, you know, just slice backhand. It's very tough to do with that something.
Yeah, I think his game really change, yeah. That's what you need. Tennis is getting improving, tennis is getting better. And all of us, if we would stay on the same level, then if some new guys would come then they'll be stronger than us.

Q. What would you say the keys to beating Andy are? You played him three times this year so far. What would you do differently or what could somebody do to beat him?
TOMAS BERDYCH: You know, it's still the same. I would try to be better than today, you know, maybe waiting for another chances.
I don't know what can you do better with him. If he's serving that good, then you're not gonna get to any breakpoints, and maybe just waiting for tiebreak if I would serve well.
But this is still only if whatever. You know, it's the same case like I played last week against Verdasco, 6-Love, 6-3 in our match. We just came here and played three hours. Who would expect that?
That's how the tennis is. So just waiting for another match, just another opportunity. Go for it. Waiting for chances.
Hopefully it's gonna come.

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