Tomas Berdych sees an opportunity against Federer in Wimbledon semis

LONDON—Tomas Berdych, who will face Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semis on Friday, says that the Swiss might be playing some of his best tennis at the moment, but the Czech has an opportunity to beat him.

This year, Federer crushed Berdych in straight sets at the Australian Open, but in Miami he narrowly escaped him, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (6).

“Well, I experience him in Australia. I thought that the match we played there, I probably never seen him playing better tennis, that's true. Then I played him in Miami. I almost beat him, had a match point. That was a very close match," said Berdych. "I think he's the greatest of them all. It's a great challenge to have, actually, the opportunity to play him."

In 2010 at Wimbledon, Berdych upset Federer and Novak Djokovic to reach the final, but he lost against Rafael Nadal. But Federer turned that around, beating him seven times in a row.

The 31-year-old Berdych hasn’t won a title this season, but he did reach the final in Lyon. On grass, he lost against Feliciano Lopez in Stuttgart and at Queen’s Club. He reached the semifinals of Wimbledon when Djokovic retired in the second set of their quarterfinal meeting.

Berdych says that his new coach, Martin Stepanek, has really helped him.

“It's actually very good. That's why I choose him, because I know him for very long time. It's also very important when the player and the coach know each other little bit more, because then it's easier to find the way how to work,” Berdych said. “I think on the chemistry in the team, that's working pretty well. We are on the beginning of the journey.”

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