China Open 2011 Interviews (10/8) – Cilic, Berdych

Written by: Staff on 8th October 2011

China Open 2011 Interviews (10/8) - Cilic, Berdych

Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych returns the ball to France's Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals of the China Open Tennis tournament in Beijing, China 08 October 2011. EPA/ADRIAN BRADSHAW |

2011 CHINA OPEN INTERVIEWS – Oct. 8
[Below are the latest interviews from Marin Cilic and Tomas Berdych, respectively]

M. CILIC/I. Ljubicic

6‑4, 6‑3

An interview with:

MARIN CILIC

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congratulations. Into the final in China Open second time. In the past two meeting you lost, and today you also lost seven break points and break your opponent three games. How do you do that? And can you talk about the final?

MARIN CILIC: What was that again? Oh, final. Yeah, today was really tough match, especially that first set. A lot of games were very close. He saved few break points in the beginning, and most of the games were on deuce, advantages, and you could feel little bit of tension in the air.

I would say that Ivan was mixing up his second serve today in the first set really well, and that enabled me to play better on his second serve. But definitely when that first break came I started to serve better. The last game of the first set was best so far in the game.

And beginning of the second set was really crucial. He had few break points and I started to serve maybe the best that I ever served.

To be second time in the final, you know, it’s great feeling coming after this summer. I played some great tournaments, and I mentioned that I was in pretty good form. That pleases me a lot, that I know when I play well that I can beat those guys and that my tennis is on a good level, and on a level that’s high enough to be able to play against those guys and be able to beat them.

Q. Could you talk about the atmosphere, maybe the challenge of playing in front of maybe less people than you would in other tournaments?

MARIN CILIC: Well, I mean, it’s not really ‑‑ when we play, we are focused only on the ball and trying to focus what are we going to do on the court. It’s of course better feeling when you are playing in front of a full stadium or in front of a lot of people.

But over here today, I think both of us, Ivan and me, are not the players that are changing our feelings or pushing so much with pumping the fists and things like that. So we are ‑ I guess especially me ‑ I’m just more focused on what I have to do on the court.

But anyway, I was feeling good on the court and the stadium is good to play on. It’s a little more indoor atmosphere and the ball is cleaner, comes cleaner, and is, you know, a good feeling.

Q. Perhaps you could talk about your experience in China so far and what it’s been like playing here.

MARIN CILIC: Okay. Well, the experience was extremely well, as I arrived a lot of days before just to prepare and to be ready for the tournament. I felt great welcome from the organization and all the people who are around the tournament.

So far, I don’t have any complaints to make. Everything was working perfectly. Couple things also when I was doing some PR things there was a lot people there. So I think all in all it was pretty good.

Q. First of all, congratulations to be back in the final again. How much like a confidence boost that you acquired at this China Open for next year? As we all know, after the 2009 China Open, you enjoyed a very good start to the 2010 season. Talk about that.

MARIN CILIC: As I said, I think it was really important for me to use this form that I had when I came to the tournament. I felt that I was playing pretty good. In those few matches that I played three sets ‑ yesterday also ‑ it was crucial to go through them and get another chance to play. As you saw today, I think I played much better.

Just thinking about the next season, I think it’s really important to have my form all the time pretty consistent and to have it on the rise and try to play a lot of tournaments and a lot of the matches. It gives you confidence definitely.

I hope I’m going to play until the end of the year a lot of matches and that I’m going to play well. And then to enter the new season like that it’s a great relief, and gives you the better chance to win.

Q. Sounds like you’re feeling pretty good. Tell us how you’re looking forward to tomorrow’s match, how you’ll prepare for that? What sort of a match are you looking for? What sort of a plan are you going to bring?

MARIN CILIC: Yeah, I’m feeling pretty good and confident about my game. I think playing also a lot of tennis this week ‑ played few matches three sets; I played some doubles ‑ gave me a little more time to feel the ball better. And today, especially in the end of the match, I was playing really well.

Looking forward for tomorrow’s match depending on the opponent. But both guys are big hitters, and they are very dangerous when they are on their day, especially Tsonga. He is maybe one of the best servers on the tour.

But I have my chances, and I’m pretty confident in my baseline game and the things I did this week. Just going to take it step by step.

Q. Hi, I’m a representative from the Beijing Student Press Association. Seeing as last time you played against Ivan you lost the match at Wimbledon, I believe, however this match you won relatively easily. Did you make my adjustments or go through any special training for this match?

MARIN CILIC: Yeah, I lost my last two meetings to Ivan. That one in Wimbledon was also close one, but today’s match I came with I think better preparation than that time. I was expecting few more things, and in my tactical approach I was prepared a little bit better and that gave me a little more confidence on the court.

But I think I executed things pretty well, especially in this second set, which I think was extremely good.

————————————————————————————————————————

T. BERDYCH/J. Tsonga

6‑4, 4‑6, 6‑1

An interview with:

TOMAS BERDYCH

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. (Through translation.) Tomorrow in the final, what is your tactic against your opponent?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, it’s a strange question, but we go really quick for the next day. All right. Well, tomorrow, I mean, I just came from the court from the semifinal, so let me enjoy that a little bit. But, okay.

So tomorrow, yeah, playing Marin Cilic, it’s another tough opponent. We played couple matches against each other. I remember few years ago in Shanghai very close one; then from semifinal of Davis Cup, again five sets both for my side.

So I’m expecting really tough one tomorrow. He’s playing well. He get to the final as me. So about the tactics, actually I’m not going to say anything here because he could get it and he could be prepared for it.

Only thing I can say is that I will try to do my best on court as I did in those previous matches. That’s it. You know, bring my best game because it’s the last game of the tournament. That’s what I want to do tomorrow.

Q. (Through translation.) In today’s match, what do I think is the toughest for you?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Which match?

Q. Today’s match. What do you think is the toughest for you?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Between which matches? In this tournament or…

Q. This match. What’s the most difficult part in today’s match against Tsonga?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Thank you. Well, the most difficult part, I would say that was the end of second set. I think I was in pretty good chance. I had a break point to break his serve. I, you know, made a close shot to the baseline; unfortunately it was out. The linesman called it good.

With the call of the linesman it would be break for me and then I would be serving to the end of the match. But, you know, with the option of the Hawk‑Eye, just the ball was slightly in the out, which, you know, makes I would say my concentration a bit not that sharp for the rest of the game. Then it just makes that I lost the game, lost the set. That was quite a tough moment for me.

But the other hand, I started really well in the third set and then break him twice and won 6‑1, which I’m really happy for it.

Q. As a top player, you just enter your first final in seven tries this season. Talk about in your mind what’s the reason to make the players so difficult to play final with today’s competition in the men’s tennis?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Will, if I knew the recipe what to do and how to do it more often in the tournaments, I would wish to know that and wish to do it almost every time that I can do it.

First of all, I’m happy that I can have really good consistency of my results, which means, as you said, quite a lot of quarterfinals, semifinals, and then finally I have some final for this season. Still one match to go, so I’m really looking forward to that one.

This match could really change my season from good season to really good season. So, you know, that’s just the one thing what I’m looking forward for tomorrow. That’s it.

I mean, these days competition is really, really tough one. We have four guys that dominating our sport. This year there’s just the only one that is winning slams, winning all the tournaments. Pretty much every week that he came he win.

You know, that’s a tough situation. But, you know, we are here waiting for our chances; the chance was here. None of them was coming for this week, and I’m happy that I can take this chance to be in the final.

Q. Czech will be one of the eight teams to compete in Hopman Cup in Perth next year. Can you talk about that?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, I mean, that’s going to be the start of my season for the next year. I’m going to start with Petra Kvitova to play as Czech team for Hopman Cup. It’s going to be my third time I think to play in Perth.

I think it’s just a great start of the season. For me, it’s a really nice situation and opportunity to play with the last Wimbledon champion, which it’s not happening every day. I think we can make a strong team. You know, I’m really looking forward to that week. I always like the team competitions, even if was in juniors, Davis Cup.

Anything I played for the Czech Republic was always a pleasure to play. So would be nice to have a title from that event.

Q. Are you going to play the Olympics with Petra?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, I mean, that’s kind of a possible option for a Czech mixed doubles team. It’s still too far to go. I still need to decide what I would liked to, because there is still a big expectation, especially for my singles side.

Then there is a big chance to play me and Radek Stepanek for the doubles, and then to play the third competition in one week, I mean, I don’t know if I can handle it.

Q. Jo seemed to take issue with the ball or balls. He approached the umpire and seemed to be saying something. Did you catch what he was saying? Is that the reason why his shots seemed to be going awry and going off? The second point is your ankle, you had some treatment on that in the third set. Is that all okay for tomorrow and stuff?

TOMAS BERDYCH: Yeah, so the first issue about the balls, no, I don’t think so. That just makes some shots flies, as you mentioned, that he didn’t hit the court right. That could happen even if you feel the ball just perfectly on the racquet.

No, the issue with the balls could be just ‑‑ it’s just, you know, you open the can and the balls could be slightly you know out of the pressure or something. When you take six balls, you have three and three in the cans, so one can is good and the other one not so.

That’s just the thing of just make sure that the balls are all the same. It always just happens with the new balls. So, no, this is just a basic thing what’s happening almost every week. Just if I would be one who starts with the new balls I would just check the balls. If I don’t like it, I just change it again.

The other thing with the ankle, no, everything is fine. I mean, I’m used to tape my ankles for every single match. As I start, as you run, the tape just feels a little bit loose; I felt that on my left ankle it’s getting a little bit loose so I need more support. So that’s why I just call physio to get some more tape on my ankle. That’s it basically. Nothing serious. Nothing major.