R.NADAL/T.Berdych
6-3, 7-5, 6-4

Q. How good was Rafa today?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, he was really good. I mean, he was strong. I think the biggest difference between us was that when he get a chance, he just took it, you know. He give me one in the second set, one in the third set, and none of them I can, you know, bring it to my side and just made a break.
That just show how strong he is. I think it was just really about the small difference.

Q. We all know what makes Rafa so good on clay: his movement and his spin. What are the most difficult things about his grass court style of play?
TOMAS BERDYCH: You know, I think he can ‑‑ the things what he can do on the clay is that he's moving extremely well. You know, he can play really with a lot of spin, which makes him not to making almost any mistakes.
And on top of that, he just bring that, you know, he can play more aggressive on the faster court here, on the grass. It just makes him really dangerous.


Q. Can you talk about what your game strategy was going in and how you tried to vary it as it played out.

TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, it's tough to say that I don't have any strategy. But, of course, you know, I don't know if you can say like weaker parts of him ‑ it's not many of them ‑ and, you know, you just try play your best tennis.

You know, it's not like that you gonna go there and you know that he's doing something wrong or something like that. You know, it's the final, so you gonna face the toughest opponent in the draw, you know.

So it's really tough to find out some special tactic. So my strategy was just, you know, concentrate for myself, start well and, you know, waiting for some little chances.

But, as I said before, he took it, you know.

Q. Do you consider at this time Nadal the best and Federer behind him?

TOMAS BERDYCH: I mean, ranking shows that. So if it's fine like that, then yeah.

Q. What are your thoughts about the differences between the two of them right now?

TOMAS BERDYCH: I mean, you can see the differences when they gonna play each other. You cannot say that I beat Federer here and lost to Nadal, because every match is completely different.

So I don't want to judge it like that, that I play to one guy and lost to another opponent in the final. So, yeah, only what you can see is in the ranking, and that's it.

Q. There's only one slam that Nadal hasn't won yet: the US Open. What are your thoughts about his game on the hard courts at the Open?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, I think, you know, his results on hard court are, yeah, quite not that good as on the clay and on the grass. So maybe it could be the reason of, you know, the schedule of the tournament in the States which is quite a little bit later on in the season, and, you know, how he's struggling with the injuries and health.

So, you know, it could be the reason. But still, I mean, he never losted to bad opponent. So, you know, you need so many things to do the great results. I think it could wait for him this year, but who knows.

Q. Do you consider him the favorite at the Open?

TOMAS BERDYCH: I mean, it's tough to say right now favorite. You don't know what's gonna happen in next few days. It can happen anything. Whatever. Tough to say right now when the US Open's gonna be in two months.

Everybody can be favorite, you know.

Q. You're disappointed now, but you've had a superb tournament. You beat Federer; you beat Djokovic; you've had had a good season. Do you feel differently about your game now? What are your aims going forward? Do you think you can become a fixture in the top five as your game should allow you to be?

TOMAS BERDYCH: That's what I'm trying to do, you know. If I'm gonna get there and I'm gonna stay there for a couple of years, then I can tell you yes, I can do that. That's what I'm trying to do every day when I go for practice, for match, for everything.

So right now I'm still, yeah, climbing higher and higher. But still it can go little bit more. But just, you know, need more tournaments, more matches.

Q. What's been the difference for you this year?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Oh, yeah, I was talking about that many times. As I said, you know, just grow up a little bit, get older, get more experience. Can be more patient on court, but still can play my tennis, be aggressive, be more concentrated on court. That's it.

Q. Is it difficult to appreciate what you've done in the last couple weeks right now because of the disappointment, or do you feel inside it's been a great run?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Right now it's really tough, you know. I think it's same like when you win the match against those guys before. You just feeled great and you beat those players and you enjoying that, and then you needs to see something different.

But right now, of course I'm disappointing. You know, was my first final. It could go, you know, better than this. But still, you know, it was a lot of experience for me, and I hope if I can, you know, work with those experience like I did from experience of reaching semifinals in Paris, then when I get to the semis again, just go through.

So if I can do it same with the final, that would be great.

Q. What was the wind like today?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, was quite windy today.

Q. How did it affect things?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, affect? I mean, it was same for both of us. I mean, of course his game is I would say quite easier to play in the wind. But I needs to figure it out, how to play, as well, in the wind. I don't think it just play a big difference.

But, of course if I can just, you know, choose, then I don't like to play in the wind. But I can't, so I need to fight with it.

Q. Do you think the size of the occasion affected the way you played?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Definitely not.

Q. Even though your first serve was a bit slow to get going?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, slower than maybe the days before, but his was stronger. So, whatever. I mean, yeah. As you said, maybe it could be slower, but I don't think it played that much difference.

Q. What will you learn from this?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Oh, I mean, it's gonna be many things. Right now it's really tough to say what's, you know, the right things I just learn from that match. I mean, it's really many experience to just go on court, step there, to play my first final of Grand Slam.

Yeah, I mean, it's so many just emotional experience that you have no chance to learn from any other matches. So it's gonna be this ones. I think the only way how I can, you know, get improved and be better than right now is to play more of these matches.

You know, especially to play Rafa more because, you know, as I said, his biggest weapon is his left hand. It's not many players like that. It's really tough to, you know, find the right rhythm.

And I think more matches against him, then just I can get the feeling that I can do it better for next time. That's it.

Q. You proved that you're great on clay; you're great on grass; your game is probably best suited to hard court. What have you got ahead for the rest of the season from that point of view?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, if you just took it like this, by statistics, then only the good time is waiting for me ahead (smiling).

No, I mean, you never know what's gonna happen next day. So I cannot say what's gonna be on my next tournament.

Of course, I will do the same what I did for preparation right now and Paris every day, and we will see. Of course, my tennis, I hope it's the best for hard court.

But I think the better thing is that, you know, I can play well on all of those surfaces, which is really important for today's tennis, which is not only like that you gonna play on clay and it's enough for you, or just on the other ones.

So I think this is my biggest, you know, weapon, that I can play on all of those surfaces.

Q. Are you going to Bastad as planned?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Definitely I will just need to take some time to think about that, what I'm gonna do. So I cannot tell you now.

Wimbledon 2010: Tomas Berdych's 04. July Interview