AnOctorokForDinner
Talk Tennis Guru
Top 8 mainstay Tomas Berdych briefly reached his highest ranking of #4 prior to 2015 RG. Ranking-wise, that was also the start of his decline as he slid down the rankings with each successive season until retiring in 2019. His peak level that could trouble even Big 3/4 at times, however, had already evaporated in 2014. The following analysis of Berdych's 52-week performance at the time of 2015 RG offers some proper insight into it.
Top results:
Slams: 1 SF, 2 QF; Masters: 1 F, 3 SF, 3 QF; YEC: 1-2 RR; lesser: 2x 500 F, 250 W, 250 F
Very consistent, though not a great slam record for #4.
Now look at his record against fellow top 8 players in completed matches:
Matches: 1-11
The lone win was crushing Nadal in 2015 AO - we know how ungodly poor Rafaello was, getting destroyed by his ultimate pigeon. Didn't help Berdych's success against top players in other matches.
Set record: 7-23, but 4-23 without that ridiculous match, more specifically:
7-6: 1-1
7-5: 1-2
6-4: 2-5
6-3: 0-5
6-2: 0-3
6-1: 0-3
6-0: 0-4
Moreover, Berdych got one set in his four slam losses combined. Gulbis and Cilic twice dealt with Berdych in straight sets, only Murray lost the first set but then bagelled him anyway.
The specific scorelines were:
6-0 6-2;
6-2 6-2;
6-1 6-1;
6-2 6-0 7-6(5) - win;
6-7(6) 6-0 6-3 7-5;
4-6 6-3 6-4;
6-0 5-7 6-4;
6-4 6-0;
6-4 6-4;
5-2 ret. - win;
7-5 4-6 6-3;
7-6(3) 6-1;
6-3 6-3
Let's take a look at the first third of Berdych's 2015 specifically to highlight the particularly egregious differential between consistency and competitiveness:
Berdych played 9 tournaments until (not including) RG - Doha 250, AO, Rotterdam & Dubai 500, all five Masters - and lost to top 10 players only: Djokovic, Federer, Murray all x2, Wawrinka, Nadal, Ferrer all x1.
Set record in wins: 68-7 (90.7%)
Game record in wins: 435-263 (62.3%)
Set record in losses: 4-19 (17.4%)
Game record in losses: 86-136 (38.7%)
Dominated the rest of the field but got dominated almost as bad against his betters - only won 1% more games in losses than lost in wins. Peak cumpetishun, more like the most tiered field ever. Sad, wasn't it?
Top results:
Slams: 1 SF, 2 QF; Masters: 1 F, 3 SF, 3 QF; YEC: 1-2 RR; lesser: 2x 500 F, 250 W, 250 F
Very consistent, though not a great slam record for #4.
Now look at his record against fellow top 8 players in completed matches:
Matches: 1-11
The lone win was crushing Nadal in 2015 AO - we know how ungodly poor Rafaello was, getting destroyed by his ultimate pigeon. Didn't help Berdych's success against top players in other matches.
Set record: 7-23, but 4-23 without that ridiculous match, more specifically:
7-6: 1-1
7-5: 1-2
6-4: 2-5
6-3: 0-5
6-2: 0-3
6-1: 0-3
6-0: 0-4
Moreover, Berdych got one set in his four slam losses combined. Gulbis and Cilic twice dealt with Berdych in straight sets, only Murray lost the first set but then bagelled him anyway.
The specific scorelines were:
6-0 6-2;
6-2 6-2;
6-1 6-1;
6-2 6-0 7-6(5) - win;
6-7(6) 6-0 6-3 7-5;
4-6 6-3 6-4;
6-0 5-7 6-4;
6-4 6-0;
6-4 6-4;
5-2 ret. - win;
7-5 4-6 6-3;
7-6(3) 6-1;
6-3 6-3
Let's take a look at the first third of Berdych's 2015 specifically to highlight the particularly egregious differential between consistency and competitiveness:
Berdych played 9 tournaments until (not including) RG - Doha 250, AO, Rotterdam & Dubai 500, all five Masters - and lost to top 10 players only: Djokovic, Federer, Murray all x2, Wawrinka, Nadal, Ferrer all x1.
Set record in wins: 68-7 (90.7%)
Game record in wins: 435-263 (62.3%)
Set record in losses: 4-19 (17.4%)
Game record in losses: 86-136 (38.7%)
Dominated the rest of the field but got dominated almost as bad against his betters - only won 1% more games in losses than lost in wins. Peak cumpetishun, more like the most tiered field ever. Sad, wasn't it?
