Wimbledon preview - Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych
After a slow start to his title defence at Wimbledon, Roger Federer has found his groove, and that could spell bad news for quarter-final opponent Tomas Berdych.
While Federer is almost a permanent fixture in the final eight of the Grand Slams, Berdych has only recently developed a taste for the action in the quarter-finals and beyond, having reached his first major semi-final at Roland Garros just a few weeks ago.
The Czech also has a Wimbledon quarter-final on his CV, in 2007 when Rafael Nadal ended his run, but will be hard-pressed to improve on that when he faces the top seed this year.
Federer holds an 8-2 win-loss record against Berdych, who won their first match against one another at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and then lost eight consecutive matches until he snapped that losing streak in the round of 16 at the Miami Masters 1000 earlier this year.
It’s a victory that might engender some confidence for the 12th seed, but one which should be viewed in context heading into the quarters at Wimbledon. Federer held match point in that two-hour-and-51-minute contest, so very little separated the pair on the hard courts in America, and Berdych followed that win with victories over Fernando Verdasco and Robin Soderling, before falling to Andy Roddick in the final.
This time, Berdych meets Federer on what may just be the 16-time Grand Slam champion’s favourite stomping ground. The grass, the five-set matches and the fact Federer has a knack of saving his best for the Grand Slams all count against Berdych here.
While there’s plenty to like about the 24-year-old and his powerful and attacking brand of tennis – which Berdych has worked on tempering with some patience in his shot selection – Federer’s two most recent matches, straight-sets victories over Arnaud Clement in the third round and 16th-seed Jürgen Melzer in the fourth, suggest he’s played himself into title winning form at the right stage of the tournament.
Indeed, as, on paper at least, his opponents have become more difficult, Federer has made his victories look increasingly easy.
Berdych, who is yet to face a seeded opponent in SW19, now has the unenviable task of halting the Fed-Express just as it is gathering steam.
It’s a feat only Rafael Nadal, at the peak of his form in 2008, has been able to achieve in the past seven years at Wimbledon, and a challenge which will probably prove too great for Berdych in the quarter-finals this year.
Prediction: Federer in four sets.
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