Tomas Berdych Takes Down the Serb at Wimbledon
- Advertisement -
(Provided by Tennis World USA)
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were a match away from competing in their first Major final at Wimbledon 2010. The Spaniard did his job in the semi-final, while the Serb fell to Tomas Berdych in straight sets! Tomas ousted Roger Federer in the quarter-final and carried that form to oust Novak 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 in two hours and 18 minutes for a place in his first Major final.
Tomas beat Novak for the first time in three encounters, firing 34 winners and 17 unforced errors to control the pace and seal the deal in straight sets. Speaking about the encounter two months later at the US Open, Novak admitted he played a stupid match, defending most of the time and not using his opportunities against a rock-solid rival who played on a high level.
Berdych won 22 points more than Djokovic and saved three out of four break chances to maintain the pressure on the other side.
Novak Djokovic fell to Tomas Berdych in the 2010 Wimbledon semi-final.
The Serb struggled with the second serve many times that season, hitting eight double faults in this one and experiencing three breaks to conclude his run in the semi-final.
Tomas fired 41 service winners and had the upper hand in the shortest rallies up to four strokes, taming his strokes nicely and winning the crucial points. Berdych drew first blood with a break at 3-2 in the opener, using Djokovic’s forehand error to forge the advantage after 21 minutes.
Novak held at 15 in game eight to prolong the set, and Tomas claimed it with a forehand winner a few minutes later for 6-3. Berdych repelled a break chance in the second set’s fourth game with a forehand winner and held after two deuces to keep his serve intact.
Djokovic survived a scare in the fifth game before spraying a smash error at 5-5 to fall behind.Making the wrong move for the first time, Tomas failed to serve out for the set in game 12 after a forehand mistake on Novak’s third break chance that introduced a tie break.
Djokovic fell 6-2 behind after a double fault and fended off four set points to increase the drama. Berdych played against set points at 6-7 and 8-9, staying calm and erasing them. Tomas seized the sixth set point at 10-9 thanks to Novak’s costly double fault, opening a massive advantage and gaining a boost.
The Serb saved a break chance at 1-2 in the third set with an ace and held with a forehand down the line winner to remain in touch. Tomas fired three consecutive aces at 3-3 and broke at 30 in the next one after Novak’s costly back-to-back double faults.
Berdych served for the victory at 5-3 and sealed the deal with a service winner to score another notable triumph and earn a place in his first Major final.
Read More: Tomas Berdych Takes Down the Serb at Wimbledon 2023-07-13 06:15:33