Rome: Rafa Nadal beat Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych 6-2 6-4 to reach the Italian Open final on Saturday with a dominant performance that he described as emotional after his long injury absence. Nadal, who returned to action in February after seven months out with a knee problem, will have the chance to win his sixth title since his comeback when he faces either Roger Federer or Benoit Paire in Sunday's final.
The sport's dominant claycourt player was at his aggressive best in dismantling the heavy hitting Berdych, breaking in the first and fifth games of a one-sided first set before clinching a decisive advantage in the ninth game of the second. Nadal wrapped it up when his opponent sent a backhand return long and then said he could not have hoped to be playing better after his lengthy layoff.
"I am feeling better physically," the 11-times grand slam winner said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster Teledeporte. "These are emotional moments for me as I think I have managed to turn around a situation in which after many months of doubts I am able to play at a level that I would not have dreamed of four months ago."
Serena Williams crushed Romanian qualifier Simona Halep 6-3 6-0 to book her place in the women's final and extend her winning streak to 23 matches. World number one Williams, who is chasing a fourth consecutive tour title, will face Victoria Azarenka in Sunday's final after the
11:49 PM, May 18, 2013
Rome: Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna reached the semi-finals of the Rome Masters after getting a walkover from rivals Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek even as Sania Mizra and Bethanie Mattek-Sands crashed out of the women's event, here. Berdych, who shocked world number one Novak Djokovic in the men's singles in a gruelling three-setter, cited muscle fatigue as the reason for him withdrawing. Bhupathi and Bopanna will now fight it...
01:49 PM, May 18, 2013
Rome: Czech Tomas Berdych snapped a run of 11 consecutive defeats by world number one Novak Djokovic to reach the semi-finals of the Rome Masters before Rafa Nadal was stretched to the limit against David Ferrer on Friday. Berdych clawed his way back from a 6-2 5-2 deficit to stun the Serbian top seed 2-6 7-5 6-4 and set up a semi-final meeting with Nadal, who for the second week...
07:52 AM, May 18, 2013
Rome: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic wasted a chance to serve out the match and was beaten 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 by sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych in the Italian Open quarterfinals on Friday. It's the second consecutive week that Djokovic has struggled, having also lost to Grigor Dimitrov in the second round of the Madrid Open, where he was bothered by a right ankle injury. Djokovic said he had been playing pain free this...
08:17 PM, May 17, 2013
Barcelona: World number six Tomas Berdych was given a tough workout by Nikolay Davydenko at the Barcelona Open on Tuesday before seeing off the former number three 3-6 7-5 6-4 to secure a berth in the last 16. Czech Berdych, who had a bye into the second round and is seeded three on the clay at the Real Club de Tenis, served poorly against the 31-year-old Russian, who had won...
11:26 PM, Apr 23, 2013
Monte Carlo: Current anti-doping measures in tennis are a "disaster" and the introduction of biological passports can only improve matters, world number six Tomas Berdych said. "The system right now... I don't know how it works with the others but with me, it does not work at all," the Czech told Reuters in an interview at the Monte Carlo Masters this week. "You have to say every single day... where...
11:52 PM, Apr 21, 2013
Monte Carlo: A string of errors put world number two Andy Murray out of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday when he lost 6-1 6-2 to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round. Fourth seed Tomas Berdych and Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro, seeded five, were also beaten at the first big claycourt event of the season, while Rafael Nadal calmly continued his bid for a ninth consecutive crown with...
11:38 PM, Apr 18, 2013
Monte Carlo: Rafael Nadal calmly continued his bid for a ninth consecutive crown at the Monte Carlo Masters with a 6-2 6-4 third-round victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany on Thursday The Spanish world number five recorded his 44th win in a row in the first big claycourt event of the season to set up a quarter-final encounter with 34th-ranked Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. The 21st-ranked Kolschreiber did not pose...
06:12 PM, Apr 18, 2013
Astana: Czech Republic have rested Radek Stepanek and chose Jan Hajek and Lukas Rosol to try to give the Davis Cup defending champions a good start against hosts Kazakhstan in the opening singles of their quarterfinal on Friday. The Czechs are already without injured world No. 6 Tomas Berdych, while Stepanek, who earned the winning point in the final against Spain last year, is coming back from neck surgery in...
04:09 PM, Apr 04, 2013
Berdych dropped out after losing Sony Open quarter-final against Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-3. ...
11:00 PM, Mar 29, 2013
Looking as though he had never been away, Rafa Nadal gave the tennis world a stark reminder of what they had missed for seven months last year with a superb display at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday. ...
11:41 AM, Mar 17, 2013
Del Potro defeated Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and Nadal rallied to beat Berdych 6-4, 7-5 for spots in BNP Paribas Open final. ...
06:35 AM, Mar 17, 2013
World number five Nadal will face sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych in the last four at Indian Wells. ...
01:41 PM, Mar 16, 2013
Del Potro seaid, he and a few others like Berdych, Tsonga and Ferrer are trying to get into that group but it's not easy. ...
07:29 AM, Mar 15, 2013
Tomas Berdych became the first man to reach this year's BNP Paribas semi-finals with 6-4 6-4 victory Kevin Anderson. ...
07:00 AM, Mar 15, 2013
The Czech confirmed on Tuesday that he would take part in the London event in a bid to sharpen his grasscourt skills after the European clay season. ...
06:25 PM, Mar 05, 2013
The top-ranked Djokovic extended his unbeaten streak this year to 13 matches and has now beaten Berdych in 13 of their last 14 meetings. ...
11:01 PM, Mar 02, 2013
Tomas Berdych beat defending champion Roger Federer 3-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 to set up a final clash against Novak Djokovic. ...
11:42 PM, Mar 01, 2013
The world's leading two players were joined in the last four by Czech Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina. ...
08:29 AM, Mar 01, 2013
Tomas Berdych advanced to the quarterfinals of the Dubai Championships, saving 12 of 14 break points to beat Tobias Kamke 7-5, 6-1. ...
07:29 PM, Feb 27, 2013
