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ROGERS CUP MEN

August 10, 2010

Tomas Berdych

TORONTO, ONTARIO

T. BERDYCH/S. Stakhovsky
6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How did you feel today?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, it was quite tough match. I mean, even the score, it doesn't look -- 2 and 4, but, you know, to play Sergiy -- well, I know him quite well, what his style of the game is. It's always tough, you know. He's playing a lot of slice, you know, chip and charge, and coming to the net and sometimes just really fast from the baseline, serving well. So it's really -- you don't know what to expect like for the next shot.
I need to stay really like focused, you know, for every point. That's what I did, and, yeah, I'm happy that I can go through, I mean, even just two sets for today.

Q. French Open semifinals and then Wimbledon finals. How important are these milestones for you?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Of course, it's so far my two biggest results on the Grand Slams, and, yeah, I mean, the final of Wimbledon was really special for me, and even that it was in Wimbledon, but, you know, after that I just take couple of weeks off, you know, some rest.
Right now I just need to -- or in that weeks I just need to calm down all the emotions and just start again, you know, since the beginning, you know, since the first match and not to be, you know, somewhere like thinking still about some good results.
So it was a great result for me, but still the season is going on, and, you know, I need to just, you know, keep going and try to bring it up till the last tournament of the year in London.

Q. You said you need to let go of that, but so much of this game is mental and so much of this game is confidence, and that's something for you that has seemed to be so important this year. How much has this year changed you in terms of your confidence in your self-confidence in big moments, confidence against the very, very best players?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, it gives you a lot, because after every winning the match like -- I mean, I said it starts pretty well for me in Indian Wells, because the tournament, I really like to be there, but the results were not so good. I mean, until this year, you know, I lost quarterfinals to Rafa, and that shows me that even the results before was not so good, but, you know, I still can go and reach it. So, you know, that gives me some confidence.
And then the match against Roger, you know, in Miami, that's just, you know, brings -- it shows me that I can really, you know, beat those guys. And, of course, as you said, I mean, for tennis is the more important thing to have confidence. But still, you know, I mean, just I was a couple of weeks out, you know, couple of weeks out from the tournaments, and I need to work, starts to build it not again, but the kind of confidence which you have after every winning matches, it's a little bit different than if you go the season pretty well.
So, yeah, I mean, I just starts to build it today, and I hope it's going to be even better after couple of days, weeks, and will be 100% ready for US Open.

Q. You've beaten all the top 5 except for Rafa. Is it still different playing him, like is there any intimidation there? I mean, because you haven't beaten him yet.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Of course it is. I mean, right now I think he's -- yeah, he's really deserves to be No. 1 in the world, and that's what he, you know, proved, shows to everybody that he's so strong and playing that well. I mean, if I would know what's to do better, then I would try to do it on court and try to beat him.
So far, you know, I'm quite -- you know, I think many of us is quite far from him, and he's playing really well, so, you know, it's like kind of chase for him. But still there is lots of other players which you needs to beat them too to get to play Rafa, so it's not that easy. And, yeah, it's just, you know, part that he really deserves to be No. 1.

Q. You talk about confidence and how it's so fragile. When you were out of the top 20 a couple years ago, was there ever a point where you didn't think you would be able to get back to the top 10 where you are now?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Of course there was a moment that I was like thinking, and I was positive to that one day I want to be back, you know, in the top 10 and higher, you know. But it's not only that you're gonna sit in the locker room or whatever and just say, you know, It would be nice to get back to top 10. I mean, the work is much harder than just to say that.
And I know that I was doing every day my best what I can, and, you know, it's not like to just really happen in couple of weeks, month, and it just happen, yeah, one, two years, whatever it is. I'm happy that it is now, and I just need to keep, you know, keep the consistency, keep what I'm doing, and I'm doing it right and I hope I can do it even better for another weeks in the year and we see.

Q. Your success this year has been well documented. Obviously the French and Wimbledon, but at the same time you haven't won a tournament yet. How important is it for you, you know, to really consider, you know, cement the year with a tournament win?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, you are right. I mean, I was to finals this year and not win a tournament yet. But, I mean, I wouldn't change it, anything I did, for anything, you know, I reached this year just for one victory of the tournament. I mean, I -- so far I had a five, and I would say right now it's just about the numbers, you know.
I was really sad that it doesn't happen in Wimbledon, because there was really something special that I never been in the Grand Slam final, but, you know, as everybody mentioned -- or I played to Rafa, which was almost impossible that day, and he was really good.
So, yeah, I mean, we will see. It's still a lot of tournaments to go, and for me, I wouldn't say that it's a goal to really just to bring another title for me. For me it's important to even play like three, four, maybe five semis, some finals, and have a really good consistency, you know, of all those results than like, you know, win one tournament and then another four just lost first round.
So, yeah, for me, the goal for this year was to get back to top 10, to finish in London, and so far I'm doing good and I hope I can just keep it and see it in London.

Q. People have been saying for a long time just how talented you are, how much natural ability you had. I imagine you're probably tired of people telling you that. Talent is not something that you can just make happen or bring together like that. How nice is it, after spending a long time trying to kind of master your talent and unlock yourself, how nice is it for it to be happening, for you to be kind of finding the game that you've always wanted?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, of course, this is the best like moments, you know. This is the things like, you know, to reaching the final and the moments like you can just step on the court, walking there, you know, for the final. I think that's the moments that -- you know, I think these days if you have whatever money, you can buy whatever you want, but this, you know, like the memories from the tennis are really, like, really nice.
This is the reason why you're doing this sport. And like you mentioned, you know, the talent is not everything. There is behind it all the hard work, and it's -- that's what I'm trying to do every day. It's these kind of results like, you know, to have those moments like from the finals, semifinals. It's really great.
So I'm happy for that, but it's still not -- I hope I'm not done, and I hope that still the bigger results is waiting for me in my career so far.

Q. You are the fourth Czech tennis player to reach the Wimbledon finals. The other ones were also legends, like Jaroslav Drobn_, Jan Kodes, Ivan Lendl. Can you tell us who were your personal tennis role models and examples?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, actually, I never had any name that I would be like following or just saying that I would like to be like him. But, yeah, I mean, as I starts to play quite well, win my first tournament and another one and results like that and people just see what I'm doing on court, how I'm playing, it's so many of them just put me on side with Ivan Lendl.
Well, it's nice to be in the, you know, in like in the position that people just put me on side with him. It's very nice.
But still, he's a much, much better player, you know, with much better results so far than I do. But, you know, the tennis is nice in that you don't know what's gonna happen in couple of weeks, couple of months. So I'm trying to -- trying my best. And for me it's really nice that people can, you know, put my name on side with Ivan Lendl's name.

End of FastScripts

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