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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS MEN

February 24, 2011

Tomas Berdych

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

T. BERDYCH/P. Petzschner
7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Tough match, obviously.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, of course, I mean, especially this one. It's very nice that you can compare these two matches let's say from yesterday and today and see completely different two opponents, completely two different matches.
You know, both of them were very tough, and especially today's. That's the way what Philipp likes to play: big serves, sometimes come to the net, a lot of slice in the backhand side, and then he just make a winner like that. So that's what he likes to do, you know, just not give you a rhythm on court at all.
He did it quite well, you know, but I was well-prepared for today, especially the mentally. You know, I'm happy that I can go through in two sets.

Q. Novak was saying the other day that when the sun is out during the day that court is as fast is as almost a Paris indoor court.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I think that's more the conditions. I think the court is getting or staying pretty same. It's just matter of a little more heat and it affects the ball, that the ball is flying more. Pretty much that's everywhere. You know, here you don't actually play that long matches. If you start at 2:00, finish now, you don't see that big difference. If you start later then already the sun is let's say below from the side of the court, and it's not the straight sun. It's not going to change too much.
I think in let's say Melbourne is like the special place that you can start the match when it's like 35 degrees, and, you know, fourth, fifth set you can play and it's like 20. That's really big difference, and then even that you have to almost change the tension in the racquets and stuff like that.
I don't see it here at all.

Q. So the surface isn't that fast? I mean, it's not slow, but it's not...
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, I mean, it's not one of the really slowest courts, hardcourts that you can play, let's say compared to probably Indian Wells, which is very slow court.
And on the other way, if you just go to Miami, the court is getting faster there as well.

Q. US Open was very quick last year, as well.
TOMAS BERDYCH: And US Open is getting some of the years very fast. So I mean, still, it's much slower than probably the days before where was the really fast hardcourt, almost like without the sand playing, and it was really fast.
So yeah, I think the court is pretty good.

Q. I think it took you sort of seven set points in the first set to win it. What were you thinking? Because he's got good stickability; he stuck with you. What was the process behind that? Just stick at it kind of thing?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, I'm trying to create some chances, and then when I get the chance, of course I'm trying to took the chance. And as it took so long in the first set, well, yeah, as I said, he's great serving. I mean, yeah, I had one chance on second serve on his serve, but then he serves well.
As you can see, he just go for the shots, and he seems to me like that he doesn't not much care in this situation like what to play, you know, some strategy or something. You know, he just went there and he just go, you know, bang, something's going to happen.
If he makes the winner, of course, yeah, he makes the winner, and what you can do with that? So I'm happy that I took, even though it was the seventh set point. But it was, and it happens. We don't have to be on court anymore now and I can go rest.

Q. He's quite inventive, isn't he? You can be in long a rally, and then he's throw in some perhaps unorthodox. Does that make him a tricky opponent?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, of course. That's what I said. He's really like changing the game. He doesn't want to give you the rhythm at all. That's what it is. Sometimes he's just putting the ball in, and then all of a sudden you don't even just expecting that he can go for the shot or something like that. Bang, he make a winner.
So sometimes you just get the points like that and you're just looking, and has nothing to do with, you know, that it's luck, not luck, of course. That's his game. That's how he's playing and how he wants to play. You just have to deal with that.
You know, so these kind of matches are more mentally tough than physically. But, yeah, I'm through. Happy.

Q. You might be playing Djokovic tomorrow. Probably your fifth game since Wimbledon last year. What are your thoughts on that?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean we are in the semis of a big tournament, and the opponent has to be tough, has to be -- probably is going to be one of the top seeds.
Still, don't go too much ahead. I don't think even Novak don't like that, to looking too far ahead. He's still waiting for opponent and is going to play the match.
Yeah, if it's going to be Novak, another nice chance to play Australian Open winner, and always nice. So I will try to prepare as well, be strong, and try my chances.

Q. You were a Wimbledon finalist last year; you made the O2; top 10 player now. But you still seem the sort of guy that can walk down any main street in any city in the world and not too many people would recognize you. Do you like that, or do you want to be a star like Rafa and Novak and Roger?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I would like to be on the side of the results, but definitely not what they need to go through. You know, but this is a part of that. Definitely if you're going to have 9 or 16 Grand Slams under the belt, of course the popularity is going to get much, much higher.
But, you know, for this time, I'm quite happy with that.

Q. What about when you go home to Czech Republic? Are you recognized there?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Probably that's why I like to choose the small city, because the people pretty much knows everybody or everybody knows me pretty much well. You know, I'm not kind of like unique to them. They know that this guy is here since he was 12 years old, and he's now pretty much same as he was before. You know, he didn't change like, you know, could happen sometimes.
So, you know, the people just leave it like with that, and that's pretty much good thing. Because, yeah, I have just pretty much easy time with that and don't to have like, yeah, we don't go there, we don't go there because something there or whatever.
No, that's pretty much good side of it.
Still, it's getting quite and good, but if it's going to come with all the great results, I'm...

Q. How about Monte-Carlo?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, probably I'm one of the latest like stars that you can find on the list who lives there, you know, so I don't think that's any problem there.
Probably, of course, yeah, still Roger would be the one very, very known there. But that's nice about that place, you know, that the people are really used to the names and stars and everything. So that's pretty much, you know, even easier.

Q. How do you feel about your game? How do you feel it's coming along now that you're in the semis? Are there things you can improve on? Things you're happy with?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Of course I can improve on many things, especially my serve. I'm struggling a little bit. You know, it could be the way of changing little bit from inside to outside. But I'm in the semis, so tough to complain about that.
Of course, today it wasn't really about the nice game, great shots, and especially good rhythm and like feeling great on court. But even that, I count with this victory even more because it's not -- or it's very easy, you know, to win when you feel great, serving like 15 aces, and just go easy, 6-2, 6-3. Then you can see, yeah, it's easy to win like that.
But if you can win the match let's say like today, you know, when you need to fight really from first point until the last one and you don't feel that good on court, then the victory is even like more special for me.

Q. Your best performance here so far?
TOMAS BERDYCH: I would say maybe the match against Nikolay, because that's the way of -- we both played the game like each other wants to play. Yeah, I mean, it was said already here that today was not the game what I really like, so I cannot count that it was my best performance.
But, yeah, on one way of course it was, because he's the opponent which play something way different than the other guys, and I went through that in two sets. So, yeah, I'm very happy to just take this match.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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