Novak Djokovic needed four sets to eliminate big—and big-serving—Czech in quarterfinal play at the Australian Open tennis tournament. After a shaky start from both players, it was Berdych who first found his feet, but his strong-willed opponent revved up after dropping the second set and rolled through the rest of the match.
Novak Djokovic showed signs of early fatigue in his match against Number-six ranked Tomas Berdych Monday night—not surprising after the top-ranked Serb’s five-hour battle to defeat Stanislas Wawrinka Saturday.
Both players looked tense in the first set, missing easy shots; Berdych had his powerful serve (131 mph) but Djokovic had his fleet feet and powerful ground strokes to compensate. The 25-year-olsd Serb broke Berdych in the third and fifth game of the first set, and again in the final game of the match, which Berdych gave away with a double fault. The big Czech looked a little overwhelmed when the set ended.
The complexion of the match changed completely in the second set: Berdych broke Djokovic in the first game and again in the tenth game to win the set 6–4. Berdych was still missing first serves and hit a couple more double faults, as in the first set. It was Djokovic whose play slipped a little. The number-one seed seemedawkward, as if his joints weren’t quite working; his attitude also changed, as he started talking angrily to himself after every missed shot.
The Serbian champion didn’t make it easy—several games went to deuce several times, but Berdych still triumphed. However the 6'5” Czech didn’t have long to savor his ascendancy.
Djokovic composed himself after dropping the second set, and came out attacking. While Berdych was still serving up easy second serves and moving less well that his opponent, Djokovic seemingly warmed up enough to play his ususal game. He broke Berdych in his first service game, and breezed through the set 6–1.
