Czech player Tomas Berdych has admitted that there is a good chance that he will not continue his career in 2020 following his first round defeat at the US Open.
The 33-year-old was knocked out of the tournament 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, by American qualifier Jenson Brooksby. Making it his earliest loss at the tournament since 2010. Berdych has endured an injury-stricken 2019 season due to issues with his back and left hip. Since March he has only managed to win two matches on the tour and dropped out of the top 100 in April. The first time he has done so since 2004.
“My hip hurts, it restricts me to move. I can’t serve, I can’t even bend, which is a pretty big problem in tennis. So it makes no sense to discuss the match at all.” Berdych said during an interview with iDNES.cz.
“I sacrificed a lot during the summer and believed that I would show something here (at the US Open). If I came here to attend, I would probably take it more calmly.” He added.
Berdych is currently ranked 98th in the world, but is set to drop lower following his loss in New York. It has been 17 years since he turned pro. During that time, he has won 13 ATP titles, scored 53 wins over top 10 players and has recorded 640 wins on the ATP Tour.
There are now signs that Berdych will soon call it a day on the tour as casting doubts about playing in 2020. Should that happen, the US Open would have been his 61st and final grand slam appearance.
“My idea has more or less disappeared today.” He said about playing next year. “I need to be in my fifties by the end of the season to get to the big tournaments. But with zero (points) from the US Open, it probably won’t work.”
Although the retirement looks increasingly likely, Berdych has insisted that no final decision has been made. Telling Czech media that he doesn’t want to ‘announce anything ten minutes after the match.’
It is the body of the former Wimbledon finalist that is causing him trouble. Saying he has ‘congenital and chronic’ problems with his hip. He has declined an option of surgery because it takes five months to recover and only has a 50% chance of being successful.
Berdych is set to play tournaments in St. Petersburg and Zhuhai later this year. He has also applied for wild cards to play at Tokyo and Beijing.
