TENNIS ATP FINALS 2014 – Stan Wawrinka d. Tomas Berdych 6-1, 6-1. Group A
Q. How much of that is just a bad matchup for you? What about your general level of play today?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, unfortunately it was my worst match of the whole season, and I kept it for the start here in the World Tour Finals. So that’s not the best one at the start.
But, yeah, there are days like that. Now it’s over of that. Really, I mean, it’s just matter of, you know, looking forward, trying to find a way for next few days. Just try to leave this somewhere very far and try to come up with some better tennis.
Q. How much of it is just your own mental state of mind, late in the season, tired, mentally, physically? What’s going on?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, there are some things that, you know, you can judge it from. But I felt really good. It’s not the way of, you know, being tired, even physically or mentally. That’s definitely not an issue. We have enough time between the last tournament in Paris coming here. So really this is not the problem.
This is just a bad day. That’s how it is.
Q. You lost the first four games very quickly today, like 15 minutes. How surprised were you at that start? Did you feel you were starting to panic? Did you try to work your way out of it?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, doesn’t look like, but I was trying to find something, some way how not even find a way how to get from it, but find a way how to feel the ball.
My game is about hitting the ball nice, clean, then you can create something. But that’s the beginning what I didn’t have today at all. I hit so many frames. You know, just was not there. It’s the thing that I have to sit with my team and find out and make the right things for the future days.
But, yeah, as I said, today nothing works out for me, and that’s the result.
Q. Did you feel like you were hitting the ball well during practice all week or even during the warmup before today’s match? When you stepped on the match court, it just wasn’t there?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, you have places where you come and you can hit the ball almost with the closed eyes and everything is perfect and everything is set up.
But for me I think it’s, you know, just a bit different here. You know, it’s always a bigger challenge to me to find a right rhythm to my game. Sometimes I’m able to do that. Sometimes it’s not the right way. Today was actually the worst way.
So, you know, but as you asked, no, there hasn’t been any, like, huge troubles or difference in the practice. I felt good. My body’s good. So that’s how it is.
Q. You and Ivan Lendl are the only two Czechs to have played the Finals five times. I wondered if you admired him when you were a kid. Was he one of your idols? Do you still think about working with him in the future?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, actually I never had a name that I would really see as a idol or one player that I would like to be like or follow up. I mean, I like the tennis generally.
Yeah, I would say it’s more likely that some of the small occasions, like we are five times a year probably, but he probably five times won it, so it’s a bit different story.
Then the people starting to put more and more together, you know. But, no, I think working with him, that’s over for now definitely. I mean, I don’t know what has to be the change to change his mind. But it’s how it is.
I just respect his decisions. There is no reason to still be, you know, looking back. But you always have to look forward and keep moving.
Q. Can you tell us a few words about the game of Marin Cilic this season and how you’re going to prepare to play against him? You have to win that match to have a chance to go through.
TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, exactly. I mean, I’m definitely not going to count that my score can be helpful, definitely not. I mean, I’m in the worst possible situation that I can ever be.
You know, I’m going to face Marin or Novak first, in the end playing both of them, and the only chance to qualify is to beat them, it’s almost a mission impossible.
But, I don’t know, let’s try. Let’s prepare for the next day. Let’s do my work, my preparation. Whoever it is for the next day, if it’s Marin or Novak, just need to be ready for it, need to be prepared, try to play better.
Q. Are you surprised with the level of his game this season?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No, I’m definitely not surprised. I mean, when there is a player who improved during the whole season that much, then it’s definitely not surprise. It’s a guy who has a great season. He won a slam, took his way all the way up.
You know, it’s a great season. It’s a really dangerous player.
Q. How did you find the court surface today? How does it compare to the previous four years you qualified?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, honestly, I don’t know if I’m in the right mood, the right feeling just to judge the court. Because today I didn’t really feel anything right.
But I don’t think there is any difference between that. The courts are pretty much every year very same. If there is a small difference, it’s very little. It’s really hard to judge.
I don’t know what are the others saying or what are the opinions of other players. But I found the surface quite challenging. When you hit the ball very flat, it stays flat. When you put a lot of spin or some spin, it taking the spin quite a lot, too.
Yeah, it’s different than the courts, I don’t know, in Paris or the weeks before. But, you know, it’s always when you are building a temporary court, it’s nearly impossible to make it exactly the same all the way around.
But, no, I mean, in the end, the court itself is well prepared.
