Is This The Year Tomas Berdych Finally Breaks Through?

For most of his career, Tomas Berdych has always seemed this close to a major breakthrough. A consistent presence in the top 10 for the better part of a decade, the 29 year old veteran has shown flashes of brilliance (making the finals at Wimbledon in 2010, winning the Paris Masters in 2005), but never quite enough to win a major or make a serious push to the very top of the game. As good as Berdych has been, his Big 4 rivals have been better. He’s like an NBA team that wins 50+ games every year and consistently makes the conference semifinals or finals, but never wins the title. He’s been good, maybe even great, but not elite.

Berdych has long had one of the premier power games in men’s tennis. An smooth athlete at 6’5″, he wields a huge serve and clean, powerful, mechanically perfect groundstrokes, especially his forehand. He’s a solid mover for his size and an able volleyer when he chooses. He can dictate from the baseline with authority, and when he’s on, he can fire off crosscourt winners with ruthless speed and efficiency; witness his 6-2, 6-0, 7-5 demolition of Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open quarterfinals. But it’s never been the physical side of the game that’s held Berdych back.

Sep 2, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Tomas Berdych (CZE) serves to Dominic Thiem (AUT) on day nine of the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Berdych has long been regarded as mentally fragile, a guy who has all the tools but lacks the mental fortitude and toughness to truly put it all together. He has a tendency to drop his level of play in big matches, and while he’s always capable of spectacular shotmaking, he can just as easily string together a series of puzzling errors.

He’s like an NBA team that wins 50+ games every year and consistently makes the conference semifinals or finals, but never wins the title. He’s been good, maybe even great, but not elite.

For all his considerable talents, he’s always lacked that mental edge; the robotic efficiency of Novak Djokovic, or the indomitable fighting spirit of Nadal, or the easy confidence of Roger Federer.

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But over the last few weeks in particular, Berdych looks more confident than ever. He never took his foot off the gas against Nadal and stayed focused and strong throughout the third set. This was the type of match that Berdych would have found a way to blow in the past, especially against a guy like Nadal, but he managed to stay the course and finished the match off with some brilliant power tennis. And even though he came up a bit short against Andy Murray in the semifinals, he wasn’t the one who appeared mentally fragile.

Berdych is on a remarkable run lately, playing as well as anybody not named Djokovic or Murray (or maybe Nishikori). He ended 2014 by reaching the quarters of the U.S Open, the finals of the China Open, and the quarters of the Shanghai Rolex Masters before winning in Stockholm to close out the year. He’s 9-2 in 2015, the only other loss coming in the finals of Qatar to David Ferrer, and into the semis at Rotterdam, where he’s the defending champion.

Aug 29, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Tomas Berdych (CZE) returns a shot against Martin Klizan (SVK) on day five of the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

It’s now or never for Berdych. He looks sharp and full of confidence, and his coaching switch to Daniel Vallverdu looks to be paying dividends. His rivals look more vulnerable than ever; Djokovic is still Djokovic, but Nadal is struggling with his health, Federer is starting to show his age, and Murray is still a question mark. Berdych has proven that he can beat these guys, but the challenging part of winning a major has been beating two or three of them. With Federer, Nadal and Murray more vulnerable to upsets, it may come down to just one of the Big 4 standing in his way. If a draw opens up for him, Berdych looks fully capable of taking advantage.

Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic proved last year that a Major breakthrough is doable. If Berdych wants to erase the label of “best current player to never win a major” (apologies to David Ferrer), this may be his last, best shot.

Next: ATP Rotterdam Preview and Predictions

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