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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPSFebruary 28, 2014Tomas BerdychDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES T. BERDYCH/P. Kohlschreiber THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Like yesterday, two pretty tight sets but a straight‑sets win. TOMAS BERDYCH: Yes, that's correct. I have to agree with that. But it was really tight and very close sets. The one moment I want to point, it was definitely the beginning of the match, which I probably forgot myself at the room and just came right after, and it was definitely not me, and it was really horrible start to the game. But also these moments are happening, but then, yeah, I managed to refocus myself and stay there, stay calm, and waiting for my chance, which in the end I get. Then I was ready for it, so I took the first set. Basically the similar stuff in the second set. I just ‑‑ you know, Philipp was several really well, very solid, didn't give me much chance at all on his serve. Then I got my one chance in the last game, and I took it. Q. At the end of the first set you took 16 of the 20 points. Do you find that you, as a player, you can sort of dominate your opponent like the way, say, Federer would like to dominate? Do you think you're in a sphere that you can do the same way as the other top four or something? TOMAS BERDYCH: Do what? Q. Dominate the opponent with your points. TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I'm trying to win as much points as I can. The most important one is the last point, to win the last one, and then the referee say, Game, set, match, that's basically the best way. And if you lose many points in between or whatever happens, it's really not so important. The important is the last point. That's what I'm successful of doing in last couple of matches, and I'm pleased to do that. Q. You said the start for you was slow, but then you were calm and managed to turn it around. Is that something you feel that maybe a few years ago you wouldn't have handled it so calmly? Is that something you feel you developed a lot in your game? TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, sure, definitely. It's something what all my experience are now showing back basically in all those years that I went through. Some of them or some of the players just managed to deal with that maybe faster, some of them not, some of them never. I'm glad I'm in the second group, at least. I think it's a good sign, and yeah, I'm trying to improve every day. That's really important part of the game. Q. What do you like about playing here? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, when I'm on the court and really there are some really fast balls coming, I'm really not that pleased, you know, with the speed of the surface. And then in the end when I sit here and I'm here for really quite many times and always sitting here after the winning match, and I say to myself, Well, it's not going to be that bad, actually, it's going to be the other way around, it's your advantage, and I can play well on the fast courts, fast conditions, and so that's it. Q. You guys were going pretty neck to neck in both sets. When you were leading 5‑4 in the second, what did you think, when he was serving, what did you think of that time? Did you have a strategy at that time how to break him? TOMAS BERDYCH: 5‑4 or 6‑5? Q. 5‑4 in the second set. Or 6‑5. TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe where I'm going to go for dinner or something like that. (Laughter). No, really, it's the same thing. It's the same routine in between each game. It's nothing special if it's 5‑4 or 1‑Love. The score in that time, it really doesn't matter that much. It's really about how to approach the first point in the game and then keep on going one by one. That's the same setup and procedure for each single game in every single match, every single set. Q. Just a very simple question, actually: Who would you like to play tomorrow in the finals, and how are you going to prepare for that? TOMAS BERDYCH: So I start from the back. Well, I will do my best to relax, prepare myself, you know, have a good meal, relax, massage, stretching, and then have a good sleep and be ready for tomorrow. That's the same setup that I'm trying to do day by day. That's not going to change. Well, then, I'm not sure if I can really choose. Q. But if you had a choice? TOMAS BERDYCH: If I had a choice, all right. You pushed me for that. I will say Roger. I don't think that you're going to be that much surprised. But really I think just let the better win. I think it's a match of two greats, and I need to be really ready for both of them no matter who's gonna win and try to bring my best game for the final. Q. Can you talk a little about your clothing, your line? Are you involved with the designing? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I think that they are doing pretty good job in terms of like informing and really discussing the stuff, that it's going to come up how the line is going to be made, what's their idea, so, you know, when they gonna change the outfits and everything. So I think this is really completely different setup than I had in the past. I basically never knew. I was not the one that they would really care of. They always had some guys in front of me. So really the service is amazing from them. In terms of really the design, I would say it's that I'm not saying really how it should look like or if the stripe is like this or that way, but more likely that they show me the idea, how the whole collection should look like. We talking about the colors, what they want to use or if, you know, I'm pretty happy with that or something like this, that they are not going to make really something that I don't feel just comfortable on court. So I think they are really doing the good job for the brand that they never did as a professional athlete and sports clothes for that. Q. Roger said yesterday that he believes you are on the brink of something, and he stopped short of what something was. How good does it feel to hear that from him, and do you believe it yourself? TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, definitely I believe in myself. That's the main thing. That's the main, I would say, main and very strong aspects of all my success in last couple of weeks, months, and that I'm playing well. Of course it's very nice to hear from a gentleman like Roger is and with all his experience and everything that he has achieved. That's really nice. But again, you know, if it's the match with him or whoever else, everything always start from the zero, and you have to keep going, keep playing well, and that's the main focus. Q. It's hard to find flaws in your game. You're a complete player and have all the strokes. Basically you're a very clean player. There is a clear change of mentality during the last two years. What's the next step for you to finally getting to that elite group? TOMAS BERDYCH: What is the elite group? Q. Well, say, the first five players in the world, four or five players in the world. TOMAS BERDYCH: All right. Maybe I was part of it. I was fifth and now I'm sixth in the world (smiling). Maybe‑‑ I don't know. What should I change more? Can you help me with my stats, four years, six years in the top 10? THE MODERATOR: Six, I think. TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, all right. So let's keep counting the years, and we will try to do the same thing and just let me know when the years gonna be enough to, you know, be enough in the top. But really I will not change many things for that. I will keep doing the same things what I'm doing till now. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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