Since 2010, Tomas Berdych has been a steady presence near the top of the rankings on the ATP World Tour, consistently posting solid results, without winning the big matches and making a major impact. 2016 was more of the same, which unfortunately wasn’t enough as the rest of the tour upped their game. Berdych was left behind a bit in what was, on the whole, a disappointing season.

Win-Loss:

Berdych went 39-20 in 2016, finishing the year at number ten in the rankings. Both his wins and ranking were here lowest by season’s end since 2009. His ranking was down four spots from 2015 after finishing last season at a career-high year-end ranking of number six (the third time he’d finished in that spot). While Berdych had a perfect record in finals in 2016, that was because he only reached one final, winning in Shenzen.

High Points:

Berdych started the season strongly, reaching the quarterfinals or better in his first four events, including the Australian Open. That run also saw him reach a pair of semifinals. After a round of sixteen loss in Indian Wells, be bounced back to reach another quarterfinal in Miami, making it five quarterfinals in six events through to start the season on the early hard courts.

Berdych serves at Wimbledon. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Berdych serves at Wimbledon. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

The most impressive result of the Czech’s season came at Wimbledon, where he blasted his way to the semifinals before running into Andy Murray. The run reminded the world of what the Czech was capable of. Unfortunately, an appendicitis derailed his summer, but he bounced back well in the fall, winning his second event after the illness, the Shenzen Open, in late September.

Low Points:

Obviously, the low point of Berdych’s year was the appendicitis. While he only missed the US Open, it played a big role in his missing the ATP World Tour Finals as it denied him a chance to pick up big points. He had also been at his best during the season at majors. The illness denied the Czech a chance to reach all four major quarterfinals in a single season for the first time in his career.

Whether it was because of the appendicitis or not, with the exception of Shenzen, Berdych really struggled after the illness. After reaching the semifinals in St. Petersburg and winning Shenzen, he went 2-4 down the stretch after claiming that title, including three straight first-round losses. Those poor results down the stretch also played a big role in his failing to qualify for London for the first time since 2009.

Best Results

Berdych hoists his Shenzen trophy. Photo: ATP World Tour
Berdych hoists his Shenzen trophy. Photo: ATP World Tour

In many ways, 2016 still managed to be Berdych’s most consistent year. For the first time in his career, he reached the quarterfinals or better at all four majors he played. It was also the first time that he reached the quarterfinals or better at the first three majors of the year. The best of those results was his run to the semifinals at the All-England Club, losing to eventual champion Murray. In total, he reached the quarterfinals at 11 of the events he played, a mark above 50 percent. He won his lone title in the lone final he played, that of course being Shenzen.

Worst Results

Of the other nine events Berdych played, he lost in the first round five times. First, it was to Damir Dzumhur, ranked 99th, in Monte Carlo. Next, he lost to Marcos Baghdatis in the opening round of Halle on grass. He completed his surface sweep of first round losses when he fell to Gilles Muller on hard courts in Tokyo. That loss kicked off a run of three straight first-round losses, culminating in his worst loss of the season to 107th ranked Nikoloz Basilashvili in Vienna.

While Berdych was generally fairly consistent throughout the year, he struggled in big matches, particularly in Masters 1000 events. 2016 was the first year since 2009 and only the third of the Czech’s career where he failed to reach the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event. He only had two top-ten wins in 2016, both against players who did not finish 2016 in the top ten.

Grade: C+

In a lot of ways, it was an average year for Berdych. He did the same thing he does most years, and usually that was enough to get him deep in some Masters 1000 events and book him a spot in London at year’s end. Unfortunately, the strength of youngsters like Dominic Thiem, ever-improving veterans like Gael Monfils and Marin Cilic, and finally-finding-their-game guys like Milos Raonic, average wasn’t enough for the big-hitting Czech and he was left in the dust. 

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About the author
Pete Borkowski
Tennis has always been my obsession. What better way to channel that obsession than writing about it? After 18 months of blogging with Sportsblog.com as the writer of A Fan Obsesseds blog, all the while completing my Bachelors in history and French, I joined VAVEL so that I can better share my love and knowledge of tennis with the world.