By Jan Kodes
Jan Kodes of the Czech Republic, the 1973 Wimbledon champion and 1970-71 French Open champion, is the author of the new book JAN KODES: A JOURNEY TO GLORY FROM BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN, a one-of-a-kind coffee table book featuring incredible, never-been-published historic photos. The book, featuring many anecdotes and stories about Czech tennis including Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl and others, is available for $35.96 on amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/Jan-Kodes-Journey-Behind-Curtain/dp/0942257685/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280583452&sr=8-1
Tomas Berdych this week is playing in Washington, D.C. in his first summer hard court event in the United States in preparation for the U.S. Open. The last few months – with a final-round showing at Wimbledon and a semifinal showing at Roland Garros – have proved that that he has finally sold his powerful game at the Grand Slam tournament level.
Czech tennis has waited for several years for him to have success at Grand Slam tournaments. Two years ago, Tomas reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, losing to Rafael Nadal. We thought that this showing would expedite him breaking into the top 10. However, his performances slowed down after that and he did not fulfill his immediate potential.
But 2010 is another year for him and his demeanor on court, his game and his thinking has shown much more confidence. He has finally started to believe in himself and his powerful strokes, especially his forehand. He is able to dictate points with power and hit more winners with reduced unforced errors. His first serve started to be more effective and his two-handed backhand down the line has become a “killing” shot. His win at Wimbledon over Roger Federer was not a big surprise for me since he beat him already two times before, earlier this year in Key Biscayne and at the Olympics in 2004.
I think reaching semifinals at the French Open was crucial for his future career as it was his first breakthrough into the final four and gave him great confidence. During his match with Federer at Wimbledon, he showed his confidence by ending the match with cool mind. Keeping his cool and remaining confident will be the key for his future success.
To win his first Grand Slam title on Wimbledon’s Centre Court proved to be too difficult for him due to the Nadal’s power and lefty topspin strokes, which did not give him much time. Rafa was more experienced in Grand Slam finals and he played smart, consistent and superbly on a windy day.
Tomas is now a very dangerous player and reminds us of Ivan Lendl and his “big start” in 1984 when he beat John McEnroe in the French Open finals from two sets down.
We will see what will happen to Tomas this summer, but I caution everyone to watch for him to make more noise at the U.S. Open in New York.