Tomas Berdych’s run to the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Champions might be a distant memory, but his passion for a first major title is stronger than ever.
The 30-year-old Czech has been a regular feature on the men’s tour for many years. Since July 2010 he has been ranked continuously inside the top-10 and currently has 12 ATP titles to his name. The consistency of Berdych has been praised by many as he has grown accustomed to being outshone by the dominance of the ‘big four’ (Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray).
Berdych could easily fall victim to the ‘what if’ scenario torment. What would his career be if the ‘big four’ wasn’t playing the same time at him? How many more titles would he have won? Instead the world No.8 is praising the high calibre of players currently on the men’s tour.
“What’s more interesting is where the sport is right now, and I would say it’s in an absolutely incredible place. It’s three greats in the same generation and tennis has never had that before. Those three have made all the others much better players than they would otherwise have been. And then there are others like Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, and then I’m trying to chase them.” Berdych said during an interview with online fashion outlet Mr Porter.
The high praise from Berdych’s of his fellow rivals is one explanation as to why he is at peace with not winning a major title. Next week’s French Open will be his 51st consecutive grand slam appearance. In his past 50 major tournaments, Berdych has reached eight quarterfinals, four semifinals and one final (Wimbledon 2010). Remaining realistic about his future chances in the wake of his recent separation with coach Daniel Vallverdu, the 30-year-old said a title would be a ‘big achievement’ in this era.
“My take on this is that if I win a slam, it would be an even bigger achievement because it’s such a tough era,” Berdych said.
“It would be easy to look at it in another way and to become frustrated and be disappointed by that. But what are you going to achieve by thinking in that way? Tennis is at an extremely high level.”
Besides his grand slam quest, Berdych also took the opportunity to defend tennis after a series of controversies marred the sport earlier this year. Match-fixing and Maria Sharapova’s doping case have certainly put a negative limelight on the sport. Speaking about these issues, Berdych believes that his sport in ‘one of the cleanest’ and it will do little to affect the stability of the ATP Tour.
“Men’s tennis is in such a strong position right now, and I don’t think these stories can hurt the sport,” the world No.8 said.
“There’s no evidence so far and there should be no worries. These days, it’s a bit sad that anyone can make a story and it can become very big.”
Berdych will be hoping to seek redemption at the French Open after being crushed 6-0, 6-0, by David Goffin at last week’s Rome Masters. He will seeded eighth in Roland Garros next week.
Tomas Berdych’s full interview with Mr Porter can be read here.
