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Full Name: Tomas Berdych
DOB: 17 September 1985
Height: 196cm
Weight: 91kg
Turned Pro: 2002
Highest Rank: 7 (Updated February 2011)
Current Rank: 20
Career Prize Money: $7, 806, 788
Plays: Right handed, double handed backhand
Website: http://www.tomasberdych.cz/cz/
Long considered an under achiever given the strength of his shots, 2005 saw Berdych bow out early in Adelaide, Sydney and the Australian Open. While the rest of that season was fairly average he did claim his 1st Masters Series title (and only one so far) at the Paris Masters.
2006 started much the same way as 2005 but he started to claim some scalps, beating Rafael Nadal in the Rogers Cup and Andy Roddick and Rafa again in the Madrid Masters the same year. During his match against Rafa, Berdych managed to upset the vocal Spanish crowds, and Nadal, by hushing the crowd.
2007 and 2008 saw some good results on clay and a win at the Japan Open in 2008.
While he continued to show promise, he failed to live up to his potential getting within a few games of defeating Roger Federer in the Australian Open, he was dominating Federer before doing one of the most talked about chokes in recent years. Since then more has been said about him choking and underachieving than anything else.
Recently he’s hit his stride making the quarterfinals of Indian Wells. He is due to play the finals of Miami this weekend after taking down Roger Federer, Fernando Verdasco and Robin Soderling on route to the finals. He is set to meet Andy Roddick.
UPDATE: In 2010 Berdych played some consistently beautiful tennis making the semi’s at Roland Garros and the finals at Wimbledon where he was beaten in straight sets by Rafael Nadal.
