Player Spotlight - Tomas Berdych

So, we all know Tomas Berdych.  But do we really KNOW him?  Let's get a glimpse of the man behind the soft voice, powerful groundstrokes, and 6'5" frame.

Berdych, of the Czech Republic, now resides in Monte Carlo where he currently trains.  The 24 year old has been on tour since 2002, so he's no newcomer to the ATP.  He began playing tennis at age 5 in his hometown, Vallaske Mezirici, and is an avid Detroit Red Wings fan.  Tomas is dating fellow Czech tennis player, Lucie Safarova.  His favorite surface to play on is hard, but his results prove he's good on all surfaces.

Tomas is relatively middle-aged in tennis years, but his style of play says otherwise.  His powerful groundstrokes are his greatest weapon, alongside his lightning-fast serve.  His big hitting off both wings is comparable to the likes of Del Potro and Soderling.  For a man of his stature, he moves exceptionally well, often surprising his opponents when running down hard-to-reach balls.

One of the greatest aspects of Berdych's game (outside of his forehand and serve), is his ability to find power on his groundstrokes, despite being in no position to get it.  Additionally, Berdych has a very positive, relaxed mental attitude on court, rarely letting missed balls get to his head. Couple that with his ability to find power in the most surprising of situations, and you can get one killer playing style.  To get a better feel for his mental and physical tennis game, check out the video below.

Here, you can see how a BARELY missed forehand doesn't cause him to lose his cool, even against Roger Federer, while also getting a glimpse of his powerful forehand:


Tomas picked up his most recent coach, Tomas Krupa, in January 2009.  Since then, he has been hard at work perfecting his game and honing his skills to become the powerful threat he is today.  Berdych has found success throughout his career, winning his first title in 2004 at Palermo, picking up a total of 5 titles in his 10 final appearances.  He has been ranked as high as number nine in the world (back in 2007) but with a current world ranking of thirteen, and a ton of talent to boast, he should crack the top ten once again.

Despite being ranked higher earlier in his career, Tomas' real breakthrough as a top player has come in 2010.  After a poor second round exit at the Australian Open, Berdych rebounded, upsetting first seed Roger Federer in the Round of 16 at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.  He went on to lose in the final to American Andy Roddick.

Tomas gave us his best peformance ever at a Grand Slam at this year's French Open.  He consecutively beat three seeded players in straight sets: John Isner, Andy Murray, then Mikhail Youzhny to claim a spot in the French Open semifinals.  He, unfortunately, lost to Robin Soderling in a five-set showdown.  His performance here really put him on the tennis map as a serious contender.

Then at Wimbledon just this week, Berdych again defeated first seed Roger Federer, making his second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal.  He is the only Czech born man, aside from Ivan Lendl and Jan Kodes, to make the semifinals at Wimbledon.  Tomas now has a chance to further his greatest Grand Slam result against world number three Novak Djokovic.

Tomas Berdych's fantastic play as of late is making him a serious threat at every tournament on the ATP World Tour.  He has pleasantly surprised us with his powerful play, nonchalant demeanor, and charming smile.  Regardless of his outcome here at Wimbledon, Berdych is proving to the tennis world he can keep up with the best.