Tomas Berdych has been one of those perennial bridesmaids in men’s tennis. The Czech has been a constant in the top-10 in the last five years, but has been unable to penetrate past the ‘big four’ of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
He also holds the dubious reputation of being the Best Active Player Never to Win a Slam. Yet it’s not that he hasn’t been closer to winning one of the four Grand Slams. In fact, he’s the only player outside the Big 4 to reach the semi-finals at all four majors. Still he has played the second fiddle all along, unable to raise his game when it matters.
Now 30, time is running out for Berdych and he enters one more season trying to hold on to his top-10 ranking, if not win a Slam. He is currently No.6 in the world, but that was after he had started 2015 with a bang beating Nadal and rising to 4th, before he had his usual mid-season slump.
Berdych’s combined record against Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer is 12–55, which is why he has won only 12 titles in his 13-year professional career.
Berdych is once again back in Doha for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where he reached the final last year before losing to David Ferrer and this time the Czech hopes he won’t have to be entrenched  by the marquee names. Today, Berdych will kick-start his new season with a first round clash against Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky, to whom he has never lost in six meetings.
“I’m expecting a long, tough season. First of all, staying healthy is going to be the main thing. Then you are able to play the whole season, and then you are able to compete with all the guys when you are strong and fit,” Berdych said yesterday.
“Of course, it’s been a while since I put myself into the top 10 and would want to hold on to that place. There will be new, younger guys coming up trying to steal that position. So that’s going to be a good. Last year I managed to get on the fourth spot in the world, but, finished the year in the sixth place. It would be great to change that number at the end of the season,” he added.
Berdych said trying to solve the top-four riddle would be one of his aims, but added that the new players can also pose a threat. “I think every opponent and every player stands in their position, and really, no matter what number is in front of your name, it’s just your opponent for the day and you just have to be focused on that one. And once you pass him, the same thing again.
“If you’re looking too far ahead, you might lose some things which are right around you. So I have been used to do that throughout my career and I think it has worked pretty well till now. I’m just going to try to stick with that, try to work on my things and just keep going, working hard and hoping that one day I can move myself and just get higher in the ranking,” Berdych said.
He has also set his sights on Olympics and winning the Davis Cup for Czech Republic. “This season is going to be really packed, especially, it’s the Olympic year. For me there is one more thing, I have to play the first round of the Davis Cup to get my qualification for the Olympics,” Berdych said.
“It’s going be a little bit different than the last year. I think last year I just tried to use all the time for myself and just for my direction of the career. But this year I will have to look also on Davis Cup, and representing the country is always on the high priority of my goals and achievements, so I’m going to definitely include that.”