Curtain Call
Player: Tomas Berdych
Nation: Czech Republic
Age: 24
Current Ranking: 13
Notable Conquests: Roger Federer (1st seed, Switzerland) and Novak Djokovic (3rd, Serbia)
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Today's Results: loss to Rafael Nadal (2nd, Spain) in straight sets
Let's be honest. The fact that he took out Federer and Djokovic and made the final is not the big surprise with Berdych. The surprise is that it took him this long. Berdych's always been plenty good but has long been seen as a hot-headed underachiever. He's now where his talent dictates he should be: in the top 10. Some have said it's his racket strings that have brought him recent success but for my money, it's the improved footwork. Berdych has always hit big but I always thought he looked surprisingly awkward in his movement - no more. This was his first Slam final but it's difficult to imagine it will be his last.
Hats off to Nadal - what a regal champion he is! He is now tied for 7th place on the all-time Slams list with an esteemed group including Connors, Lendl and Agassi. And he's just turned 24. He barely broke a sweat today.
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