By S.U.

THE PEDIGREE: Unlike many of his major academy–trained peers, the 21-year-old Berdych is a small-town boy who started far from the tennis mainstream, in Valasske Mezirici, a town of 30,000 in the Czech Republic. As a pro, Berdych had beaten Rafael Nadal three straight times as of January, won the only times he’d faced Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt, and knocked Roger Federer out of the 2004 Olympics.

THE PERSONA: Berdych so far has distinguished himself as his generation’s on-court whiner. He often stalks around the court irritably and complains to umpires. In Madrid last year, after the crowd cheered for his mistakes in his third-straight victory over Nadal, he drew his finger to his lips and shushed the spectators, prompting Nadal to say to him at net, “You are very bad.” Berdych’s response? “When he says to you that you are very bad, for me it’s nice that a very bad player can beat him three times.” Off court, though, Berdych is an amiable guy. He’s dating Lucie Safarova, a Czech WTA player, and has close compatriots on the men’s tour as well. “In the Grand Slams, if we’re all together, there are like 10 or 14 guys,” Berdych says. “It’s like a big family. We’re all friends.”

THE GAME: At 6-foot-5, Berdych is one of the tallest baseliners in history, which has its pros and cons. He can generate power effortlessly, but his timing can also go completely awry—his straight-set loss to James Blake at the U.S. Open last year was an unsightly barrage of errors. As for touch and net skill, well, those aren’t really part of his repertoire. But if a match is close, his monster serve makes up for many of his sins.

THE PROGNOSIS: It’s safe to say Berdych can beat anyone on a given day. Thus far, he has been at his best in controlled indoor environments, but there’s no reason he can’t roll over all comers on the fast courts at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open.