Angry Berd: The Flick (and Boos) Heard 'Round the World

He had already built a reputation for vexing stadium crowds, but Tomas Berdych managed to top even himself this weekend at the Australian Open. Playing Nicolas Almagro, Berdych was sorely miffed when his foe flicked a stretch-forehand that tagged the 6-foot-5 Berdych in the upper right arm. Witness this drama here, from the non-handshake after the match to the replay of the incident:

In this one, the Aussie Open fans let the defensive offender have it. If Tomas was rendered an angry Berd by the hit, he escalated the situation by seeking to shame Almagro—and, in process, himself—on a global stage. The video went viral, Almagro was conciliatory via Twitter, and Berdych held his ground, both in the on-court interview and even later in his press conference.

Defiant to the end, that one, and stubborn as Hades. (Note: I don't have empirical data to measure just how stubborn that truly is.) The Spin wrestled with this story for a while, and saw points—if not virtues—to both sides of the net. No one likes being hit, even at net where it can be expected, and Berdych no doubt felt sheepish, especially after flopping afterward like an NBA baller/actor trying to feign that he took a hard foul. Almagro may have been able to send the ball down the line or flick it cross-court, but that also may have missed. He had Berdych's albatross wingspan to deal with and went for the sure shot: Into the body.

In brief, Berdych needs to be tougher than this—and he has been before, which makes this mystifying, how he caused an overblown scene over something that had happened 10 minutes earlier. Maybe he didn't see Almagro apologizing to him after the tag. But, really, I think he just didn't care.

We might ask, rhetorically, What was he thinking?—but in truth, in two words, he wasn't. He simply wasn't.

Message to Berdych: You'd better Czech yourself before you wreck yourself.

Next opponent: Rafael Nadal, a loyal friend to his compatriots, and a stalwart sportsman. He won't take kindly to this, and he surely knows. Without a doubt, the Spanish Armada has put a hit out on Berdych, and if Nadal wasn't pumped up enough for this bout, the incident has served to add fuel to the fire.

Not that he needed it. He's already written the dossier on one Berdych, Tomas.

Look, I really like the way the world No. 7 plays. He has such effortless firepower, a big serve, and a winning grin. It's just too bad that he had to win in the ugliest way possible.

Today I am doubting Tomas.

YOUR TURN: Did Tomas have a point in all this? And he's been playing well—do you think he will manage to topple Nadal?

—Jonathan Scott

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