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Tomas Berdych believes Roger Federer’s jaw-dropping third-round Australian Open performance compares favourably with his all-conquering era at the top of the men’s game.
On Friday night, Berdych was flailed by the Swiss maestro, who put together the best performance since his return from knee surgery.
The Czech world No.10 said he knew he didn’t have a shot from early in the match.
“I would rather be sitting in the stands and watching that than experiencing it on the court,” Berdych said.
Federer had one of those nights, rolling back the years with an irrepressible display on Rod Laver Arena.
The scoreline of 6-2 6-4 6-4 was impressive enough, but didn’t tell the whole story.
Berdych said Federer’s all-round display reminded him of his most dominant days.
“I’ve played him so many times and experienced him in the era when he was winning and beating everybody and it was very similar,” the 31-year-old said.
“Definitely it was very impressive.
“This was an absolute lesson in how to play … and being absolutely aggressive on the court.”
The loss handed Berdych his earliest exit at Melbourne Park since 2010 but he decided against a fierce reaction.
“Somebody was the unlucky one. It was me for this one. It’s alright. I take it. The season is long. I just have to deal with that.”
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