UAE: TENNIS - World number one Rafael Nadal sweeps aside Tomas Berdych to set up World Tennis Championships final against Roger Federer

Record ID: 751722

  • Title: UAE: TENNIS - World number one Rafael Nadal sweeps aside Tomas Berdych to set up World Tennis Championships final against Roger Federer
  • Date: 1st January 2011
  • Summary: ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (DECEMBER 31, 2010) (REUTERS) WORLD NUMBER ONE RAFAEL ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD NUMBER ONE RAFAEL NADAL SAYING: "Yeah I am very happy, very good start of the season for me and I played really well I think especially after the first six games, I started to play very well, forehand works very well and the movement is starting to be better and better so very happy with everything." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD NUMBER ONE, RAFAEL NADAL, SAYING: "I think in the beginning he started playing great tennis, good serves and very good returns so he had his chances but I hit few good serves." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD NUMBER ONE, RAFAEL NADAL, SAYING: "No, it will be a good match, it will be a nice match I think and a difficult match for me hopefully for him too but the match of tomorrow not going to change anything of the 2011 season, I am 100 percent sure of that." TOMAS BERDYCH ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD NUMBER SIX, TOMAS BERDYCH, SAYING: "First set I had two or three break points in one game and three of them he just served perfectly and made a straight point from the serve and the last one was kind of, maybe I was playing a little, a little bit too defensive against him and he just took over in the rally and took the game so." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD NUMBER SIX, TOMAS BERDYCH, SAYING: "Well I think that Rafa is the one that improve most in the last I don't know 3-4 years maybe, that he was playing well, he was a greta player but now I think he is even better and it's going to be tougher and tougher to get him and beat him, everything is possible we are just humans people so the chance is in every match but he is really strong." VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE / BERDYCH LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 16th January 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Arab Emirates
  • Country: United Arab Emirates
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAF31HEBMUGN24Y2BFYC2N4JEGC
  • Story Text: World number one Rafael Nadal beat Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-4 6-4 in the semi-finals of the World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi on Friday (December 31).
    The Spanish player, defending champion, now faces his old adversary Roger Federer in the final on January 1.
    "I am very happy, very good start of the season for me and I played really well I think especially after the first six games," Nadal told reporters. "I started to play very well, forehand works very well and the movement is starting to be better and better so very happy with everything."
    Federer, now world number two after Nadal hit the top in June, defeated Robin Soderling in three sets to reach the final.
    Nadal said he was looking forward to the game.
    "It will be a good match, it will be a nice match I think and a difficult match for me, hopefully for him too but the match of tomorrow not going to change anything of the 2011 season, I am 100 percent sure of that."
    Berdych said that Nadal took charge and he was unable to stop him.
    "First set I had two or three break points in one game and three of them he just served perfectly and made a straight point from the serve and the last one was kind of, maybe I was playing a little, a little bit too defensive against him and he just took over in the rally and took the game."
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