Wimbledon 2010: Djokovic outclassed by first time finalist Berdych
The last fortnight has been full of surprises and they seem to continue into the bitter end of the Championships. Many players who have previously not been past the first couple of rounds at major tournaments are now featuring in the last stages of the Championship. It has been a rollercoaster ride for the top seeds some of whom have not played to their potential. Thus the magic of Wimbledon has been very evident over the last two weeks. Defending champion Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Fernando Verdasco have all perished in the Championships thus far. The latest victim of Wimbledon 2010 is the third seed Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic was tamed in the semi-final by the man from the Czech Republic Tomas Berdych. Berdych has been a nightmare for the seeds in this years’ Championship as he outclassed defending champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, much to everyone’s surprise. With this win, Berdych enters the first major grand slam of his life and makes him the third Czech player to get this far. In 1973 Jan Kodes reached and won the final whereas in 1986 and 1987 Ivan Lendl reached the final but failed to win the title. It was a moment of success for Berdych, who would be looking to emulate Jan Kodes. Novak Djokovic on the other hand was stunned at his defeat. He was hoping to reach the finals at Wimbledon and win his first ever title. However, his dream was short lived, courtesy some excellent tennis by the Czech. Berdych blitzed thirty four winners and smashed eleven aces to eliminate Djokovic. On the other hand Djokovic’s performance could be measured by twenty two unforced errors and getting just twenty four out of one hundred and twenty seven points on return of serve.
The Serb had a very edgy start to the tournament; he was pushed into the late hours of the night by Olivier Rochus in the first round. He overcame the Belgian in five sets and then regained momentum for the rest of the tournament. He fought past Lleyton Hewitt even though he called a medical time out due to a bout of illness and eliminated the conqueror of Andy Roddick, Yen Hsun Lu, but in the semi-finals it was Djokovic who was left staring at the dark end of the tunnel. Berdych has been on top of his game throughout the tournament and his win over Federer boosted his confidence even more.
The first set was on serve till the sixth game, when errors from Djokovic created two break point opportunities for Berdych. He was quick to capitalize on the chances and took a 4-2 lead in the first set. However, his nerves became evident in his service game as he double faulted when in possession of three set points. But after thirty three minutes he took the first set 6-3. This in itself was a great feat and morale booster for the Czech who had never before taken a set of Djokovic in their previous two meetings.
The pressure was on Djokovic to level things up in the second set. He started off slightly edgy but got himself out of trouble in the opening game. At six feet five inches, Berdych was dominating play from the baseline and the sheer strength of his shots sent Djokovic in a tizzy. The set was on serve till 5-5. Djokovic was broken by Berdych to love however, Djokovic came back to level the set and push for a tiebreak. It seemed as if Djokovic’s fate was hanging by a thread. The tiebreak was a battle of wits between the two players. Berdych quickly raced to a 6-2 lead but Djokovic was not one to let go so easily and rallied back to save four set points. However, this moment of excitement for Djokovic was short lived, as a double fault from the third seed handed Berdych the second set.
It now seemed a tall order for Djokovic to come up from being two sets down. His serve let him down yet again. A double fault in the fourth game created a break point opportunity for Berdcyh which he saved, however another double fault in the eighth game handed Berdych a break of serve. It was all over for Djokovic as Berdych held his nerve and created history for himself. The giant killer was overjoyed as he reached his first ever Wimbledon final.
Tomas Berdych is not unknown in the player’s circuit, as he has consistently been in the top twenty rankings. With his new found stardom, he is likely to enter the top ten rankings at number eight; He has eliminated the first and third seed of the tounament. His foe now is just the second seed Rafael Nadal. Sunday’s final will now prove to be a thrilling encounter for tennis fans world over.
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