Chennai: World number six and top seed Tomas Berdych Wednesday gave Somdev Devvarman due respect and said he is "careful" ahead of his second-round match against the Indian in the Chennai Open here Thursday.
"He is playing at home but I will try to stick to my plan and try my best. I am meeting him for the first time so I will be careful from the first point and stay focused through the match," Berdych said ahead of the match against Devvarman, a finalist in 2009.
"These days players do not bother whether you have won Davis Cup or not. It is going to be the same tomorrow. I always strive to win till the last point of match," he added. A finalist in 2010 Wimbledon, Berdych, whose phenomenal performance helped Czec Republic win the Hopman Cup, Fed Cup and Davis Cup last year, said that his goal for this season is to do well in the Grand Slams.
"At the beginning of a new season, I always work on my fitness and try to keep my body injury free. My performances last year were good. For this season, I will try to get some good results in Grand Slams." The hard-hitting Berdych, who is stuck on the number six ranking for a couple of years now, said: "Players ahead of me are extremely tough. David Ferrer, who is ranked just above me, is also playing extremely well.
"But during the off season there was time for some rest. So I have done everything in terms of keeping myself fit and I was busy with workouts. I would try to move higher in rankings in the new season. I am well prepared for the season both mentally and physically."
The Czech stressed that there were some areas in his game which needed improvements. "It is basically working on small things, mental preparation and a bit of luck. Small changes lead to big wins."
On shortening the number of tournaments by ATP, Berdych said: "It is tough to say. The higher seeds will be under pressure as players ranked low want to stay with the current format. The pressure is on the big players. They are forced to play in more tournaments.
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