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Australian Open Top Ten Men’s Contenders

By Christopher Weis

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Sep 7, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic returns a shot to Richard Gasquet of France on day eight of the 2015 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic returns a shot to Richard Gasquet of France on day eight of the 2015 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

Few players give off the air of being as solid and steady as the tall, powerful man from the Czech Republic, Tomas Berdych. He has only been to one major final in his career, the 2010 Wimbledon final, which he lost to Rafael Nadal by the score of 3-6, 5-7, 4-6. Despite only having been to one final at majors, Berdych has built an impressive resume throughout his carrer at majors, especially at the Australian Open.  He has to been at least the semifinals at every major tournament and has been to at least the quarterfinals at every Australian Open since 2011.  In 2014 and 2015, he made the semifinals.

Consequently, I put him on this list. He has shown the ability to go far at this tournament and even drubbed Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals at this event last year.

What does he need to win the title? First of all, he definitely requires some luck. He needs to hope for upsets of players who are seeded higher and that he has brought his best game to the tournament. Otherwise, I think another trip to the quarterfinals or semifinals is the best that Berdych could hope for from this tournament.

Next: 5. The King of Clay

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