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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 19, 2011

Tomas Berdych

CINCINNATI, OHIO

T. BERDYCH/R. Federer
6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Tomas will be appearing in his first semifinal here in Cincinnati. Now his third in the last four meeting wins over Federer.
Questions.

Q. Tomas, you beat Roger for the first time in a while last year in Miami. That really seemed to give you and your game a lot of confidence, I believe. Can you share a little bit about that Miami win and what that did for you going forward?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Of course, it was just great memories for that. But I think we are already very far after those moments. We are already in the next season. I don't know why I should go that far back. You know, it's already year and a half ago.
I think right now it's just the better moment to enjoy, and I think it's just -- I like to live in this time, not to be coming to that far back.

Q. How is your shoulder feeling? Are you optimistic you'll be able to play tomorrow?
TOMAS BERDYCH: You know, actually I'm just too quick come here even to see my physio or the guys in the locker room. So, you know, I felt it in the end of the second set quite a bit, and I was really looking forward to finish it in the second set.
But, yeah, that's the one thing what just happened on court. The other is if I'm going to be able to play for tomorrow, which I hope yes I will be. I will try to do my best with my team to get the shoulder back ready and be 100% for the match.

Q. Were you doing anything on your first serve that confused Roger? You won 86% of your first serve points.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, yeah, I did. I was really working on it after the Wimbledon. When I had few weeks off and I was really practicing hard, and especially this was the one main thing that I was really like trying to work on more than the other things.
I'm happy that it was working and it's working how it is.

Q. You won, I believe it was 75% of Roger's second serve points. Did you find it was particularly easy for you to read today?
TOMAS BERDYCH: You know, one thing is that I think it's all these stats starts probably with my serve, because when I was winning quite easily as far as games and I was able to play something more on his serve, then it makes me more confident and then I can go more for the shots, especially on his second serve.
I mean, it's really tough to say, because one day you can play a player that you almost cannot read his serve even if he's not serving that fast, and then the other day you have a player that you can just see it quite easily and just have a good rhythm for the return and it goes well.
I mean, Roger is just a great player, serving pretty well, and, you know, just one thing is that I was playing really probably the best match this year for me.

Q. You've won three of the last four meetings with Roger. Before that you had lost eight previous ones. Talk about differences in his game as he's playing you, why you've been more successful recently than you were earlier.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, the time I was losing to him like eight straight matches in a row I think it was in the years when he was completely dominating in the tennis and he was almost like impossible to win and win like with him. He was just playing amazing tennis.
So all the time I went on court with him was just, you know, try to do something and just fight for it, but he was too good. You know, I got older, I improved a lot, I got much more experience how to play those big guys, and I think it just turned, yeah, like your colleague just said her like in the match in Miami I won one and a half year ago, and then I get like more belief that it's just you can -- or I can beat him more times than just once in ten matches.
And I make a success with it.

Q. Did you think his level has fallen off a little bit or has everyone else caught up?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, I don't think so. His level, it's tough to say if it's lower or not. I mean, everybody has better and worse days. I think just these days tennis just get that higher and that much higher on the level that all the other guys are on the level. Probably five, six years ago was maybe just him and not much other guys.
So I think these days there is much more like players that can do really good results and can beat him. So it just looks that his level is like dropped or something, but, no, I think it's just the picture of all the other guys went up.

Q. Can you talk about the speed of the courts out there.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, I mean, court is quite fast. But, you know, since I remember here and since I was coming here to Cincinnati, the courts are pretty much every year the same.
So, yeah, this is a week, one of the weeks of the season which is a bit faster than the others, compared to Indian Wells, Miami. You, that's how it is. All players know it. The good thing is they don't change it, so every year it's the same so players can get used to that.
Yeah, I like it. I always play quite well here. I was quarters once, beat Rafa, and then today Roger.
So, yeah, I like this week.

Q. Talk about your next match. Obviously you'll play the winner tonight between Djokovic and Monfils. Djokovic has been winning everything this year. How do you match up against him if that's who you play, or Monfils if he's able to pull the upset tonight? What do you have to do to win?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, I think it's going to be maybe even more than I did today, you know. I was playing pretty high level today, and probably if I want to be successful tomorrow as well, even with Novak or GÃ¤el, it's going to be -- I'm going to have to bring something even more.
But first of all, I will have to start with the one very important thing, to be 100% ready, to be 100% healthy. If that's going to be that - I hope so - then I will try to fight for every point and try my best.
I mean, now saying what I'm going to do if Novak win or GaÃ«l win, I don't think is that important. You know, in these rounds of the tournament, it's just the way of how are you feeling, if you just had a good sleep and you just feel good in the morning and just go for it and play your best game.

Q. Talk about the top 4 in the game. They're fairly consolidated in their positions. How far away do you think you are from becoming part of that where it's not a surprise when you beat someone like that?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, actually I don't like too much this judging how far or where I am right now. You know, right now I'm in the semifinal of the tournament and I'm trying to do my best, you know. So I'm going to try to do it next week or next tournament I'm going to play.
You know, the season is really long, and it counts from the first week until the last one. Just the important thing is to do well, and that's what I'm trying to do all season.
If it's going to stop in the end of the year, I don't know, fifth, six, fourth position, whatever it is, then that's going to be the position where I deserve to be. That's how it is.
Someone can say it's really far ahead, then you win, one, two matches, get confidence, a bit of luck; win another two, three matches and you are just suddenly much closer. So it's really tough to judging this.
My thing is just to be really ready for every single match I go on court.

Q. You said your first concern is to be 100% healthy for tomorrow. With the US Open coming up, if you're not a 100% do you plan on pulling out?
TOMAS BERDYCH: This is too early to be deciding this. I have a lot of time to work on the shoulder, to relax, have a good sleep.
Tomorrow I still have time to go warm-up and see how it is and still decide. Definitely now I'm not going to be saying anything what's going to come up.
My priority is to get healthy and play because it's a good chance. I am in the semis, and that's where I want to be, and playing well. So I want to take this advantage and we will see.

Q. Still on the physical side, it looks like you've gained volume in the legs. I remember you working hard in Indian Wells in the sun. How much did you work on the rest?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, it's just more -- of course, I mean, I have to work on my movement, especially on-court movement almost every day, because with my tall and these days tennis, it's really tough.
That's probably the No. 1 thing that you have to be really, really good on it, because if you don't move well on court then, I mean, there is no chance to play well and to winning matches.
So, yeah, that's the one thing that I'm really focused on. Try to do it almost every day. Yeah, I mean, that's the thing that I really have to be working on, because it's my kind of not weakness, but it's the one thing that I need to do every day.

Q. You won 25% of your first returns today. Is that going to be good enough to be competitive against either player tomorrow? If not, what can you do to improve it?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, I don't think that the statistic on winning on first serve is that much important, you know. Because if someone serves really well, then it's really tough to bring some points from that.
Even you can win only maybe one point on the first serve and you could still be able to win the match. So I think I was more happy with actually my statistics with the serve and then the statistics with winning on second serve, which if you get the chance to play second serve on your opponent's serve, then that's a kind of a chance.
I was taking pretty well today, and that's a good point.

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