Tomáš Berdych is known as the perennial spoiler in ATP tennis.
Who can forget how he demolished the No. 1 tennis player in the world--Roger Federer--at the 2004 Athens Olympics? Berdych is that sort of player who can change the parameters of any tournament. Yet, some of Berdych's critics claim that his quiet demeanor may be the reason he has beat some great players, but has not yet won a Grand Slam.
On August 28, in his smooth and strong style, Berdych defeated David Goffin 7-6, 6-3, 6-3. On August 30, his opponent is Jurgen Zopp. Together, they will quietly play their match down at Court 11. In this U.S. Open draw, Berdych is poised to possibly meet up with the No. 1 Federer in the quarterfinals. There is a whole string of beatable opponents before that possibility can even occur. I believe this match is inevitable.
More important, I observed that Federer did not seem very strong against Donald Young, earlier this week. For a player that was going after a historic number of U.S. Open championships, Federer looked absolutely anemic. I do not know if the strain of this summer, which included a very competitive Olympic run, has worn out Federer. Nonetheless, Berdych is playing like he means business, and Federer may just have to look over his shoulder. Berdych is ready to win his first Grand Slam championship.
Here is a profile of talented Czech player Tomáš Berdych:
Full name: Tomáš Berdych
Birthday: September 17, 1985
Zodiac sign: Virgo
Hometown: Valasske Mezirici, Czech
Residence: Monte Carlo
Stats: 6 feet 5 inches, 200 pounds
ATP Rank: No. 7
Highest ATP Rank: No. 6 on October 18, 2010
Plays: Right-handed, two-handed backhand
Parents: Martin and Hana Berdych
Coach: Tomas Krupa
Physiotherapist: Martin Janousek
Nickname:
Berd-Man
Turned Pro: 2002
Best Grand Slam Singles results:
- Runner-up at the 2010 Wimbledon finals, losing to Rafael Nadal
- Got as far as the semifinals at the 2010 French Open
Career Record:
356-207
Total prize money: $11,608,043
Social Media/Website:
twitter: @TomasBerdych
facebook.com/tomasberdych/info
Hobbies: His hobbies include computers, listening to music, and supporting the Detroit Red Wings. His favorite sport outside of tennis is hockey.
Favorite movies: A film buff, Berdych's favorite films are the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which he watches over and over again.
Injuries: For the past two years, Berdych has been dealing with right shoulder pain that has sidelined him for just a couple of weeks, three different times.
Favorite Surface: Berdych prefers to play on hard courts.
Sponsors:
- Nike
- Head
Other facts about Tomáš Berdych:
Berdych began playing tennis at the age of 5. ... NHL players Martin Straka, Jaromir Jagr, and Dominik Hasek, as well as other Czech players from the NHL and the 1998 Olympic gold-medal team, are known to come to Prostejov to play. ... At the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, with only five ATP wins under his belt, Berdych beat Roger Federer, the No. 1 player in the world. ... Reporters note that he has embraced his role as the "spoiler." ... Berdych admits he is a "shy guy" off of the courts, but realizes he needs to "fight for every point." ... A quiet player, he doesn't have a lot of friends on the Tour. Most of his friends are at home, in the Czech Republic.
Georgia Makitalo is a lifelong tennis fan whose biggest thrill was attending to the U.S. Open in 2001.
Other tennis articles by Georgia Makitalo:
Marin Čilić Ready to Make His Mark at the U.S. Open: A Fan's Look
