02.06.2009 19:18:14 | In the first round Tomas Berdych, a seeded player number 2, clashed with an unpleasant Belgian player Olivier Rochus.
“I can’t say it was an easy match, Rochus is a very good player, and despite he is in the world top hundred no more, he still plays excellently. When I look back I must admit we never played unequivocal matches. If I did not miss the beginning I could have won in two sets and save some strengths for tomorrow,” said Berdych after the match.
Do you feel like taking over the role of a favourite after Stepanek and Andreyev are out of play?
“It is not good to think that the tournament is losing its quality because of the two players. There many excellent players here who keep the standard of the UniCredit Open Czech high.”
And what about the tomorrow’s match against Bellucci?
“I would like to return him the defeat he dealt me with last year. But it will be difficult, for me it is not very comfortable to play against left-handed players on clay. It will be a difficult and even match, Bellucci is an excellent clay player.”
