Berdych, big flaws in his game that he fails to address

Berdych is a very impressive tennis player in terms of fire power. But he seems to me have improved way too little in comparison to many of his contemporaries. Yes he has had good results, he has beaten big 4 guys at the slams and he has improved his volleying as well. But to me I think he has some serious technical flaws that have gone unaddressed. And these are not major things that are that difficult to improve.

1. Highly deficient up the line forehand. Berdych has a great forehand cross court and inside out, but he rarely if ever takes the ball up the line with that shot. He hits a flatter ball so it is more dangerous for him but the book on berdych is if you hit him cross court on he the forehand 98 percent of the time he is going to hit the ball back cross court. Against Djokovic I think Berdych went up the line with the forehand no more than a handful of times and he won almost all those points because it took Djoko completely by surprise. This is the principal reason I don't rate Berdych's forehand as one of the best, he does not have complete mastery of the shot

2. Lack of good direction on the serve: He gets aces and he has a big serve, but he doesn't hit his spots as well as he should. Pat Mac, was talking a lot about how this problem of his serve really takes away some of its efficacy. A player like federer with 10 miles an hour less pace has a much more effective serve than Berdy. In my own personal experience I have been aced by serves that can't be more than 70 miles an hour but placed perfectly with angle but I have played big servers as well guys who have played ball in college, if there serve isn't close to the corners most of the time I get it back and get back with interest. We saw how easily Djokovic broke berdych and was in virtually every single service game.

3. Lacks variety on his shots both from the baseline and the service line. Berdych basically gives you the same pace and same spin on almost every ball. Nothing grooves your opponent like that. The heavy forehand is crucial to both open up angles, to push your opponent back and to test his timing. Hitting the ball hard and if that doesn't work hitting it harder may work for a talent like berdych against most guys, but just isn't going to be enough to get him over the hump. For example even on his cross court forehand, his favorite shot he doesn't have enough spin to open up the angle.

These are the three big areas in my mind that have dogged his game and it is a shame because I think he can be a slam winning type of talent. But as I have stated on other threads power alone is not going to do much for you on the modern game. He lacks a plan B, he needs to hit his spots better on the serve, needs a better kick serve (frankly I don't even know if he has one), needs to go up the line with the forehand more so players don't sit on the cross court forehand. And he shouldn't hit every single ball flat and hard his opponent must feel that he is playing against a very good human ball machine that is capable of basically producing the same ball every time, the greats can and will dial in on that.

I agree with all of those socal, but even if he improved all of those things I think he'd still come up short. The match against Novak highlighted the vast difference between them in terms of movement and retrieving skills.

When you look at Novak, Murray, Rafa... Their court coverage is so good it's doubly difficult to hit winners against them. Berdy is likely to have to beat 2 or 3 of the top 4 to win a slam and I'm not sure i see him doing it because of how average his movement is in comparison.

Yes Danny, but a player must control what he can control. And to me he still looks like the same Berdych who broke in on tour with some mild improvements here and there. He actually moves pretty well for a man his size, and these weaknesses he has puts pressure on his movement. With his power if he was able to change the direction of the ball more effectively or use variety to open the full court he would find himself scrambling about less against a player like Djoko, Fed, or murray. The best way to insure that your defensive movement is not exposed is to make your opponent be the one who is running and chasing your shots. If your opponent has no idea where you are going to hit the ball and if you can hit all the spots with all your shots with great efficacy, with the power you have you will end up having to play much less defense. Why exactly is it that a guy like Djoko who doesn't hit as hard as Berdy can make Berdych run around like a chicken with his head cut off. Because Djokovic goes up the line and makes you run, and if you leave a spot open on the court he can hit any shot of either wing to find that spot.

It seems you have studied the Berdych game very well. A 5 star article for me.
I like the part about his forehand missing spin and thus unable to create angles. Del Potro has the same problem. He can hit as hard as he wants but he lacks the spin and the angles to really hit through the defences of the top players. This was very obvious in his US Open QF against Djokovic.

Also if Berdych possessed the DTL forehand he might have beaten Nadal last year at the Australian Open. At crucial times in the match, when he had chances to go two sets up, he really got Nadal pushed back in the defence hitting hard shot after hard shot. Unfortunately all crosscourts, and though they were hard, Nadal retrieved them all. If he had hit one down the line he might have won that match.

Berdych got quite good and especially smooth technique on the forehand, but indeed the inability to hit lots of spin is a major weakness. When he hits with more spin he has to sacrifice a lot of speed (much more than the top players do) and it becomes just too slow to hurt the top players. Again this is similar with Delpo. Although at least Delpo can hit down the line if he gets a higher ball.

Edit: Socal, now that you have studied the Berdych forehand, could you also do Federer's? It seems like he isn't hitting his forehand that well of late, really lacking more and more in the power department. You think a flaw has crept into his technique?

I don't know much about Berdych's off court training regime, but I'm not convinced he's as hard a worker as some of the other guys. Is he really willing to put in the work necessary to truly address and correct those issues?

I guess the alternative is that he tries, but is not capable of fixing them - maybe he's reached his full potential.

Chyremion, thank you for your kind comments I really enjoyed your analysis. I don't know about Fed's forehand as of late because to be honest with you haven't watched much of the AO matches he has had because they have been pretty one sided and unspectacular match ups. I wanted to watch the tomic match but I got to it late on the DVR and by then knew the result so I just didn't watch.

I will say this part of the reason federer does make a lot errors in the past with his forehand comes from the fact that the man asks a lot of that shot, and it has delivered in spades. But he plays very few safe shots with his forehand he is always looking to move in and flatten it, a high risk proposition even for one as great as fed. He has a sensational forehand, the best I have ever seen, yet if he is off it will create a flurry of errors. In the past, the main culpirit is his own expectations on that shot. He constantly is moving in on the shot and going for the point changing shot. He rarely selects the safe forehand in his shot selection. He is like the olympic diver who always tries for the most technically challenging but rewarding option, well sometimes you bull it off and then sometimes it turns into an aggrandized belly flop.

But since you asked so nicely I will pay close attention in the murray match, I just haven't seen him hit much in the last few months. In that past when it has broken down that has been my take.

JuliusHMarx wrote:I don't know much about Berdych's off court training regime, but I'm not convinced he's as hard a worker as some of the other guys. Is he really willing to put in the work necessary to truly address and correct those issues?

I guess the alternative is that he tries, but is not capable of fixing them - maybe he's reached his full potential.

For me he is a big headed guy, he already feels he is great and hence no hard work to correct his weakness, he is the exact opposite to Ferrer, I prefer to watch players like Ferrer than Berdych any day. I just dislike everything about his game from his passion, dedication, gamestyle , celebration to after speech celebration.

I will agree with you I also don't like his attitude IC. The man seems arrogant to me above and beyond his accomplishments. The almagro incident, the incident he had with Nadal many years ago at Madrid. When asked about how well czech players had been doing and Lukas Rosol was brought up right after the wimbeldon victory, instead of complimenting his countrymen his response was:" I hope you aren't comparing me to Lukas Rosol". I will say this though his girlfriend is unbelievable please broadcasters more crowd shots of her.

invisiblecoolers wrote:

JuliusHMarx wrote:I don't know much about Berdych's off court training regime, but I'm not convinced he's as hard a worker as some of the other guys. Is he really willing to put in the work necessary to truly address and correct those issues?

I guess the alternative is that he tries, but is not capable of fixing them - maybe he's reached his full potential.

For me he is a big headed guy, he already feels he is great and hence no hard work to correct his weakness, he is the exact opposite to Ferrer, I prefer to watch players like Ferrer than Berdych any day. I just dislike everything about his game from his passion, dedication, gamestyle , celebration to after speech celebration.

I agree, it's hard for me to see past his demeanour, he just comes across as a smug naughty naughty boy. A friend of mine asked him for an autograph once and he refused. What an arrogant naughty naughty boy. He's not worthy of achieving anything of distinction with an arrogance like his.

Berdych annoyed me after the US open semi final. In his press conference he completely blamed the wind for the result, and essentially exonerated himself from any blame.

No mention of the fact that he clearly was inferior skill wise to deal with the conditions, or any mention that it made it complicated for both players. He spoke as if the wind blew only on his side of the net. I suggest you find it on youtube, it really was a good indication of how he lacks the self awareness necessary to improve.

Now mention of needing to improve his variety, movement, consistency.... Just one long "it's not fair"...

Good thread. Despite the flaws in his game I would say that Berdych is *probably* the best player on the tour not to have won a slam - he's good on different surfaces, has a decent record against the top players, a v powerful forehand and a solid backhand.

I agree with Socal's analysis and would also back up what others say about the defensive skills of the top 4. The defensive side of the game is so important today - Berdych moves well for a big guy but isn't in the same class defensively as the top 4. I would also add a further point. Berdych is a pretty decent volleyer but I think he underuses that aspect of his game. There's too much predictability in some of his baseline rallies and he would do well to mix things up a bit more - he certainly has the ability to do so.

Sensational article, expert analysis.
Also mentally all over the place.

It Must Be Love wrote:Sensational article, expert analysis.
Also mentally all over the place.

Boom. That's exactly what I wanted to say but in fewer words

Edit: Good thread socal, well summed up. I think you got all but 1 of his weaknesses (the 1 being his head).

Good post Mr.Invisible, there really is't much he can do at 6'5 to get better change of direction or to become faster. Yet I do feel he leaves a lot on the table that he could improve and that he has control over. He is never going to move like Djoko or Murray that just isn't in his DNA. Welcome a very strong first offering.

Interesting the best player on tour to not win a slam, you are probably right on that one it is either Berdy or Tsonga, a case can be made for either.

@Danny, great post on the lack of self awareness, I think this is a big tool for a champion that often goes undiscussed. you have to be honest with yourself as the reason why you lost, and what you need to do to improve. Also you need to have the will to do it.

IMBL and JUan thanks again for your kind comments, Danny as well touched on the mental aspect. I think it is one of his biggest drawbacks, I wanted this to me a focus on the wholes I see in his game. The main one being that he can only play route 1 tennis and these are things he needs to change to be better than just a big masher. For example, the heavy spinning inside out forehand and cross court forehand are important set up shots that either get you the short ball that you can crush and flatten out or pull your opponent off the court opening space for the flat forehand. Berdych has got a good straight right hand but no jab, the jab is needed as the setup to the big shot.

Also what I don't like about Berdych are his celebrations after he beats Federer. And the way he acts and talks after beating him. Acting like he has Federer in his pocket, that Fed struggles with his game, as if Fed is no problem for him (really seems to have some ego)... then next match he plays like a loser against either Djokovic, Murray or Nadal.

Chydremion wrote:Also what I don't like about Berdych are his celebrations after he beats Federer. And the way he acts and talks after beating him. Acting like he has Federer in his pocket, that Fed struggles with his game, as if Fed is no problem for him (really seems to have some ego)... then next match he plays like a loser against either Djokovic, Murray or Nadal.

I know.

Maybe it's his innate arrogance that is the biggest barrier to greater success.

Definitely agree with all of the above. The thing that the top 5 (I am including Ferrer in this) all have in abundance is self awareness and the will to improve and maximise their potential. Federer did not just appear from nowhere as the GOAT, he started out with a lot of potential and worked hard to get there. Nadal started out great on clay, not so much on other surfaces, and worked hard to change that. Djokovic had a lot of issues early on that he more or less eradicated for 2011 and beyond. Murray was a very talented ball striker but not that fit and mentally a bit shaky, he is now one of the fittest on tour and mentally much stronger. Ferrer knew his best chance was in ensuring that his opponent never got any easy winners, at age 30 he is still phenomenally fit and a credit to tennis and work ethic. Berdych and quite a few others have a lot to learn...............

I think the Berdych FH is a lovely shot. I think for a big guy he doesn't solely rely on the long length like so many of his big hitting counterparts. I find his serve yes one dimensional. Unable to vary pace or direction and that is because his serve is very flat. If he had a kick serve, he could really compete with the best returners in the game. He has a weak up and down the wing BH and is unlikely to pass players up the line if trying to hit through does defending at the net.

His movement is quite deceptive given for a big guy I think he moves quite quick, just not quicker than others on the tour. I think his baseline movement is fine, however moving up and down the court and moving inside he is slow and quite reluctant to take on the short ball and dominate rallies.

His biggest problem is mentality. He seems to really lose it easily and is slow to reverse the momentum should he start to make errors. He doesn't strike me as someone who is full of confidence and his victories say over Federer at Wimbledon and US Open haven't struck me as victories where he has blown him from the court, much rather Federer's dips contributed a lot to the results. When he plays Murray, totally different animal. Aggressive, confident and sharp. If his coach could sit him through those encounters and say "Look what you can do to a Slam winner ranked 3rd in the world. You have the shots to hurt, but you don't back yourself against a Djokovic or Nadal who can offer up similar shorter lengths in rallies but not in the frequency of Murray."

Berdych can operate with small margins, however the limits in his game require the more inconsitent play of his opponents. I think if he can incorporate a kick second serve and varied length on his BH he could achieve a bit more in the game.

invisiblecoolers wrote:For me he is a big headed guy, he already feels he is great and hence no hard work to correct his weakness, he is the exact opposite to Ferrer, I prefer to watch players like Ferrer than Berdych any day. I just dislike everything about his game from his passion, dedication, gamestyle , celebration to after speech celebration.

I agree. I want to warm to him but can't. I actually think this dodgy personality affects Murray more than his game - hence the good record Berdy has, i.e. Andy allows all that to get under his skin

He reminds me of the young Lendl - the one who was getting abused by Connors at the US Opens of 1982/3 and we all (shamefully) cheered

legendkillarV2 wrote:When he plays Murray, totally different animal. Aggressive, confident and sharp. If his coach could sit him through those encounters and say.

But you'd have to go back to 2010/11 to find something to use. And therin lies the problem. He's now actually allowed Andy to move further ahead of him.

It's significant that Andy decided that he needed to 'up his game' after his most disappointing Slam (US 11') and has consequently beaten Berdy 3 out of the 4 times since

Berdy's stood still, when even the ageing Ferrer and inconsistent Tsonga have showed improvement

He needs to watch out, he's 28 this year - so can he actually make any more strides. If not, he 's going to be outside the Top 8 and soon

I think the biggest flaw in Berdych's game is that he thinks he is the new Ivan Lendl.

banbrotam wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:When he plays Murray, totally different animal. Aggressive, confident and sharp. If his coach could sit him through those encounters and say.

But you'd have to go back to 2010/11 to find something to use. And therin lies the problem. He's now actually allowed Andy to move further ahead of him.

It's significant that Andy decided that he needed to 'up his game' after his most disappointing Slam (US 11') and has consequently beaten Berdy 3 out of the 4 times since

Berdy's stood still, when even the ageing Ferrer and inconsistent Tsonga have showed improvement

He needs to watch out, he's 28 this year - so can he actually make any more strides. If not, he 's going to be outside the Top 8 and soon

It was November 2011 at Paris. Not that long ago. It is not like Murray has jumped the queue and that is not really what I was disputing.

If I was coaching Berdych I would argue that yes his current standard of tennis is good enough to beat most players in the top 20. However, at 28 I do not see him ageing like a fine wine. What we are asking really is whether the areas his weaknesses are in are too late to improve on? I would say yes they are. Maybe the serve could have some tweeking, but beyond that the others would take more time.

I think Berdych has made poor decisions in not addressing his weaknesses with a more experience coach in that field. Look at Tsonga. I think finally he is giving his career the attention it deserves. He has had a decent AO and even he is commented on how Rasheed has improved his attitude and commitment to practice and improvement. Rasheed and Tsonga are fortunate that Tsonga requires less work. Any weaknesses can be slightly papered over if the strength of other elements in his game are strong enough to win the bigger matches. I look at Berdych and there are far too many areas to improve on and have a reliance on one or two areas.

Berdych always susceptible to the quicker players. He's had a very good career off his serve and juggernaut forehand. I love his technique but his mindset and unwillingness to return good shots are sad to see. He is too eager to put everything into his forehand and not balance it with more accuracy.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Berdych always susceptible to the quicker players. He's had a very good career off his serve and juggernaut forehand. I love his technique but his mindset and unwillingness to return good shots are sad to see. He is too eager to put everything into his forehand and not balance it with more accuracy.

He doesn't have any mindset whatsoever other than to look to bash the ball hard with his forehand. He is nothing more than a brainless ballbasher.

I agree LK, he doesn't have a quality kick serve at all, which is bizarre at that height it can be one of your best weapons. Again these are not very difficult things that a player of his calibre should have problems with after years on tour and years with top coaching.

Of course it all comes back to the mental aspect at the end, as others have pointed out a more humble and realistic self awareness of his skills and deficiencies might allow him to learn from his mistakes and address his weaknesses.