Dubai: Tomas Berdych must be wishing he was born in a different era — not that he is the only one on the ATP World Tour nurturing such thoughts.
The Czech knows he is more than likely to end up like his illustrious former countryman, Slovak Miloslav Mecir, who — despite being one of the finest players to grace the game — had only Grand Slam finals and semi-finals to show for the incredible talent he possessed.
Even Berdych will admit he is not as gifted as the sublime Mecir, who just happened to be playing in the era of Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander and Boris Becker. But the 30-year-old Czech has been close to winning a Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2010, when despite beating Roger Federer in the quarters and Novak Djokovic in the semis, he couldn’t get past Rafael Nadal in the final. And while he knows his time is running out, he is not ready to give up on his dreams, yet.
“That is a question I have been asked so many times,” he told Gulf News in an exclusive interview ahead of the men’s week of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships which begins on Monday, when asked about what more he needs to do to win that elusive major title.
“I would love to know the recipe that would work. I just have to keep believing in myself and do the hard work. I can only do the best I can and wait for my chances.”
Berdych reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open last season, his second consecutive trip to the last-four stage at the season’s first Grand Slam, and while he was beaten by Federer in the quarter-finals this year, he believes he can still play at a very high level.
“Last season was pretty good. I played at a high standard. I had another year in top 10, winning a couple of titles, so I think it was pretty good overall. Obviously the start of last season was pretty good, reaching the Melbourne semis. I definitely want to do better in the rest of the slams this year,” he said.
Berdych is a proud Czech, as illustrated by his two Davis Cup and one Hopman Cup titles. But he wants to win the ultimate prize for his country, an Olympic medal.
“The Olympic year obviously makes it a very busy one because I have to play one more Davis Cup tie as well, so the season is very packed. I would love to win an Olympic medal,” he said, adding: “However, I am now getting to the stage of my career where my health is a big priority and keeping myself fit is key in a long and full season. I am not concerned about the results as they will fall into place.”
Berdych is currently in action at Marseille at the Open 13 tournament where he is playing Nick Kyrgios in the semi-finals with both heading to Dubai from there. The Czech has a great record in Dubai, having made two finals, his game well-suited to the fast courts here, and he is hoping he can finally land the big prize this time.
“It is as like all previous years, packed with top guys. I like the challenge of playing them. Dubai suits me with its warm, fast courts. I like playing in Dubai and I enjoy my time here. I am hoping for another good result there, but winning the title would be amazing,” he said.
