Dubai: Tomas Berdych is hoping to make it third time lucky at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this month after falling short in the final here for the past two years running.
The Czech lost to Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-3, in 2013, and Roger Federer 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in 2014, but now looks to go one better this year in his ninth appearance in Dubai since 2005.
“I had really many chances, and then I basically just gave him the game and, you know, that’s it,” said the World No.7 of last year’s defeat to Federer. “It’s very disappointing for me the way I handled that situation. I was in the better shape and playing really well and made my chances, but unfortunately I didn’t execute it until the end.”
Despite falling short in Dubai, Berdych enjoyed arguably the best season of his career, not only winning titles in Rotterdam and Stockholm but reaching further finals in Oeiras and Beijing and qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals in London. And he has continued to excel this season, first reaching the final in Doha and then claiming a stunning victory over Rafael Nadal to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open for a second straight year, before losing to Andy Murray.
“I was definitely ready for it,” said Berdych of his first win over Nadal since 2006. “Everything was working. I was able to execute my game plan really well, but until the last point you can’t think about anything else. You have to really keep going until the last one. When it’s done it’s done, and it’s great.”
Not only is Berdych on top of the world in tennis, but his personal life couldn’t be better either as he recently announced his engagement to model girlfriend Ester Satorova. That two-year relationship has been the icing on the cake for him, and has probably played a large part in him enjoying such a successful run in Dubai as well as elsewhere.
“Whatever is happening in tennis, I can come back home or wherever I am, I can talk with my partner about basically everything,” he said. “We can talk about the other things, which is great, that I can just completely switch off from the tennis. That’s basically the best way to relax. Then, once you step back on the tennis side, you are absolutely focused for whatever you do. So for me, I think it’s a great combination.”
Such contentment off the court can be a powerful force and may provide the extra ‘something’ that Berdych needs to get over the final hurdle. But Berdych will face fierce opposition in his bid for the title from the likes of Djokovic, Federer and Murray.
Tickets for the event are available from the Box Office at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, Garhoud which opens from 9am to 9pm daily. Grandstand tickets can also be bought online at http://www.timeouttickets.com/. For further information about tickets, prices and the tournament visit www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com.
