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BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS

November 26, 2010

Tomas Berdych

LONDON, ENGLAND

R. NADAL/T. Berdych
7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Didn't look very happy with some calls overall in the first set, but you were not challenging. Why was that?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I was not sure that I see it correctly. And if I would see it correctly, I would challenge it.

Q. How much did the Hawk-Eye calling the challenge, the resulting outburst at 5-6 affect your concentration? Was that the reason why you lost the tiebreak?
TOMAS BERDYCH: It was not the reason. It just show how the referee is probably scared of him and just let him to talk with him too long, you know. I mean, every game is very tough. Even if you get a chance to have a 30-15 up, you know, be on like the good move, you know, you needs to play. But not like waiting and talking for three minutes.
The rules are quite correct, you know. When you ask for the challenge, and he stops the game. It's so simple that the point is what the challenge shows, and let's play and continue, not to be talking. Then, I don't know, he was almost like sitting there, he's not going to play, stuff like that.
I mean, it's not the mistake of Rafa. It's the mistake of the referee. He just need to show him that it's not like he can do whatever he wants on the court, just let him play. It should be more, you know, continuous. It was just a normal call. So I don't know why he was take so long.

Q. Were you disappointed with your play in the tiebreak in the first set?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Of course, yeah, I'm disappointing. I want to win. You know, I want to won the first set, and maybe we still would be on the court, whatever. It doesn't happen.
Yeah, I lost the match against Rafa. I can't be really happy after that.

Q. You had a very good year this year. You reached your first Grand Slam final. But still when someone watches you, it seems you still have a lot of room to improve. What are your goals as this season closes for next year? What are you going to work on in the meantime?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, I just step out from the last match of this season, and you already asking me for the goals for next year. I mean, the goal for right now, it's definitely to take rest because I'm going almost two seasons in a row, because we played the Davis Cup final last year. I really like to have some days off and not to be thinking anymore about the tennis. And then we can be talking about some goals for the next season.

Q. What do you want to improve in your game? Where do you see the possibilities to improve?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, of course, there are possibilities. But, as I said, right now I'm just finished the season, and that's it. I'll be thinking about the possibilities and what I need to improve just after that time when I'm going to be like mentally ready again to start preparation for the next season. That's going to be it. It's still going to take few time.

Q. You played France last year in Davis Cup. You played Serbia this year. Which team is a better one? You just played in Belgrade.
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, don't be asking me about more tennis which is going to come. Just the best team is going to win. That's all I can say.

Q. After what you said before about Nadal, that ball, can you explain exactly what happened. I had the impression that Nadal was saying he could still play the point. That's why he thought he needed to have a replay of the point. You wanted the point. What happened exactly?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, I mean, it's pretty simple. He was able to play. But every time when you just raise your hand, that means that you stop the play. That's the reason why I was just challenging the ball, because he stopped the play, and that's it.
So he stopped the play and said the ball was out. The referee just changed the call from the linesman, say that the ball was out, so the game, it was stopped. I take the challenge. The challenge was good, so the ball was good. There is no any like complaining about this point.
If you just raise the hands and you stop the game, it's the same if you play on clay. If you hit the ball close to the line, you just raise your hand, stop the play, doesn't matter which call it is. Referee coming down, checking the mark. If the mark is good, you lose the point. That's how it is with the challenge.
So there was no complaining at all about this point.

Q. How do you reflect on your experiences of this tournament overall?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Oh, yeah, well, I mean, the experience, it gives me really a lot of new experience. I mean, especially the first match was really different. As I said, starting the tournament against such a tough opponent like Novak is, that is really something new and it's something different.
The first game was not so good. But then in the next one I find my rhythm, starts to play pretty well, won the second match.
Yeah, well, I mean, with Rafa, it's just about that you go on court, you trying your best, and then you just gonna see what's gonna happen, if he's gonna be in good shape, or he's going to do some more mistakes or not.
But I think I had a pretty good two matches. The first one was just a new experience. So, yeah, I mean, it was really nice to be here, finishing the year here.

Q. Players gave recently the fair play sportsmanship award to Rafael Nadal. What is your opinion about it? Were you one of those that voted for him or not?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Probably I was voting for -- no, actually I was voting for Rafa because I was just, you know, trying to just decide I think between two names, him and Roger.
Yeah, I mean, I just decide to go for Rafa. I think he really deserves it, you know. Just was a little bit disappointing after what I read in London, you know, when I play against Roger and beat him. He was a little bit complaining about how he was injured and stuff like that. It was just kind of surprise for me. So maybe that was just the reason I vote for Rafa.
So I think he deserves it. Why not?

Q. Even after today, you still think that way?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I mean, he didn't do anything wrong. I mean, don't do anything that I said something wrong against Rafa. It was just one call in the game. Nothing happened. Of course, he deserves it.

Q. One of the highlights of the season was getting to a Wimbledon final. What was it like playing Rafa again today?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, every time you play No. 1 player in the world, I mean, is a great experience. Even here, it was a nice match. Yeah, I mean, it could go different. I mean, maybe two, three points in the first set, maybe we would still be on the court and playing.
But just doesn't happen. You know, he is the best player in the world. I mean, it's not gonna happen that you beat him every second time that you're going to play him.
I needs to still, you know, improve. I needs to learn from those mistakes. That's the way how I can be better for the future. And even to get here, it was one of my goals for this year, and I'm happy for that.

End of FastScripts

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