Masters: Djokovic is needed in extremis to Berdych

AFP -The N.1 World Novak Djokovic has hardly emerged to Czech Tomas Berdych in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), after saving a ball game, in his entry in the running to the Masters, Monday in London.

The Serb, who was returning from injury, is passed to a point from defeat at 5-6 in the third round before profiting from the collapse of his opponent in the tiebreaker.

With the shoulder, Djokovic had abandoned before Paris-Bercy tournament quarter-final and had again to use the maximum of its possibilities in training since a few days.

This relative lack of competition is felt in the first set, where the great season domineering appeared far from her best level. Committing many errors and very successfully winning shots shortly, he left the game initiative to a Berdych in full success, particularly in the service.

Djokovic appeared more in legs from the second round, where he immediately took the opposing service, but the great Czech continued to take all the risk, which resulted in some spectacular exchanges in a large number of errors (42 to Berdych, including 27 in forehand, and 33 for Djokovic).

The ex-finaliste of Wimbledon (2010) believed to make most by successfully completing the break to lead 4-2 in the ultimate channel of one of its dazzling rights blows, but the Belgradois was pasted from the following game.

BERDYCH failed his ball of match on a huge or forehand, his main weapon, which would betray it in the tiebreaker (five failures) and offer his 70th victory of the year to Djokovic (against 4 losses), one of the most difficult.

Czech is not excluded from the race for the semi-finals, as one of the protagonists of Group A, Andy Murray, is not safe to continue the tournament because of a problem to the adductors.

Murray injured

The British, which drags this injury since about a week, was beaten by the Spanish David Ferrer in two sets 6 - 4, 7-5 and is not shown very optimistic.

"We must see how it will evolve and then decide." "If it had not been the Masters or a Grand Slam tournament, I I would have not played", said the world N.3.

Insufficient service (46% first bullet), Scots has that too rarely overwhelmed the very swift Ferrer, always regular from the bottom of the short. "It is really very strong, it gives very little points", admitted Murray.

Despite the pain, the British still managed to detach in the two sleeves by the break, but he was not able to keep its advantage because too many direct errors (44 total).

Conscious of not faced the best Murray, Ferrer has still not shunned his pleasure the fight for the first time in the season after three failures, the last in October in the Shanghai final.

"I saw that he had a problem." But win against Andy, with or without injury, it is not easy, especially for him. "In important moments, I knew my chance take", said the world N.5.

The Valencian, 29 years old, is in its third participation in the tournament of the masters. In 2007 in Shanghai, he reached the final to Roger Federer, which remains the best result of a career marked by eleven minor titles.

Results of the Masters matches played Monday on the second day in London:

Simple gentlemen

Group A

Novak Djokovic (SRB/N.1) bat Tomas Berdych (CZE/N.7) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)

David Ferrer (ESP/N.5) beats Andy Murray (GBR/N.3) 6 - 4, 7-5

Double gentlemen

Group A

Robert Lindstedt/Horia Tecău (SWE/ROM/N.6) beat Mahesh Bhupathi/Leander Paes (IND/N.4) 7-6 (8/6), 6-1

Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA/N.1) beat Jurgen Melzer/Philipp Petzschner (AUT/GER/N.7) 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 10-7