Berdych Hopes to Rekindle His Wimbledon Magic STOKE PARK, England - Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic may be among the select few to have experienced the thrill of walking onto Centre Court for a Wimbledon final, but he is taking nothing for granted after crashing out in the first round in straight sets last year to Ernests Gulbis. "After the last experience, I have to reschedule my goals," Berdych said. That means to win a set and then if I do so, a second and then a third one because that's what I didn't achieve in the last two times I played at the All England Club. Berdych also lost in straight sets to Mardy Fish in 2011. And after landing Gaël Monfils in the first round of the French Open last month, Berdych is hoping that the fates will be kinder when the official draw ceremony takes place Friday. Berdych is warming up for Wimbledon by competing at the Boodles Challenge, an exhibition that also includes Novak Djokovic, Marin Cilic, Richard Gasquet and Grigor Dimitrov, and after suffering a surprise defeat to Cilic at Queen's Club last week, he is slowly feeling more comfortable on the grass. "It's getting better and better each day," he said. But this is a difficult transition from clay to grass. We have it every year but especially for me it's tough because it's such a short time period. I find I just need more and more matches and to play more and more to get used to it so this week is proving a really valuable chance to do that. Like many, Berdych is pleased that the ATP has decided to extend this stretch of the season by a week in 2014, giving the players more time between the French Open and Wimbledon. He may be a former Wimbledon finalist but grass has always been a challenge for Berdych, who is 6-5. Like many of the taller players, he finds that the slippery surface, the low bounces and the quick changes of direction require plenty of adjustment. Berdych, however, can always draw on his memories of that run to the final three years ago. He enjoyed the best two weeks of his career, including stunning Roger Federer in four sets and outplaying Novak Djokovic. Although he ultimately came up short against Rafael Nadal, it gave him the belief that he could play with the very best. "The match with Roger was just a really amazing moment for me because it doesn't happen every time, beating him on that court and at that tournament," Berdych said. And then I beat Djokovic and got to the final, and the memories, even though I lost the final, are great, you know, because it's not every day that you can walk on Centre Court on the final Sunday and be part of it. I'm going to try to fight to hopefully get another chance and do a bit better, but so far that's been my best experience at Wimbledon. So, what is it like to stride out to Centre Court for a Wimbledon final? Berdych has been involved in big matches in towering stadiums from Rod Laver Arena to Court Philippe Chatrier, but for him, it was a great moment. "The final is really special," he said. You walk on court without your bags, you have a guy to take your bags and even that's special because it doesn't happen every match. So far it's the only Grand Slam final I've played so I don't have anything else to compare it with but I think it will help me in future. When I played the French Open semifinals in Paris that year, a few weeks before Wimbledon, everybody asked me: "How was it? How was the semifinal different to the quarters? I was like, "Yes, it's the first time I've experienced it and the next time I reach the semifinals, I'll be able to do better," and that's what I did at Wimbledon right after that. So I hope that having been in the final and lost, if I reach the final again, hopefully I can do better in that situation. Berdych places a big emphasis on the "if," but these days he is an established member of the top 10, having beaten Federer, Djokovic and Andy Murray this year. If he can get on a roll again, he may get to savor that Centre Court experience again.