Since 2005, Tomas Berdych has established himself as one of the most consistent players on the ATP Tour. He has been placed inside the world's top 32 for the past decade and occupied a position in the top 10 since his appearance in the Wimbledon final in 2010. However, despite his frequent battles with the world's elite, Berdych remains the recipient of just one Masters Series title, which he won on this day 10 years ago.
Back then, a 20-year-old Berdych had spent the year battling to remain inside the top 50 after enduring an indifferent year that had seen him win as many matches as he had lost. The highlight of the year had been extending Rafael Nadal to three sets in the final in Bastad, but up until his appearance at the final Masters event of the year in Paris, the big-hitting Czech remained without a trophy for 2005 and he went into the tournament in the French capital having won just once in his last five outings, which was a three-set victory over world number 124 George Bastl.
While Berdych would have hoped to have ended the season on a positive note, he would had gone into the indoor competition with little expectation of a deep run in the tournament, and after progressing through to a second-round match with world number seven Guillermo Coria - an opponent who allowed Berdych just six games at the Australian Open at the start of the year - he may have feared the worst. However, Berdych dominated the Argentine's serve during a routine win and he could look forward to a place in the last 16.
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Further notable scalps in the form of Juan Carlos Ferrero and Gaston Gaudio followed to take Berdych into a last-four shootout with compatriot Radek Stepanek, the Czech number one. After the opening two sets were shared, Berdych prevailed to earn a shock place in the final to put himself on the brink of a place inside the top 30 in the ATP standings, his best achievement to date.
Standing in his way in the final was Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic, the form player heading into Paris. Ljubicic had won 20 of 22 matches during the indoor campaign and had pushed Nadal to five sets in the final of the Madrid Masters. The 26-year-old had also defeated top seed Andy Roddick in the semi-finals, ensuring that Berdych was very much the underdog heading into the final.
That status probably favoured Berdych, who was still relatively inexperienced on the big stage, in front of a partisan French crowd. A single break of serve was enough for Berdych to edge into a one-set advantage, before at 4-4 in the second, Berdych broke for a second time to put himself within touching distance of glory. However, Ljubicic responded in sets three and four to force a decider, which could only begin after Berdych had received treatment on a thigh injury.
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The opening nine games would go with serve, leaving Ljubicic to try to stay in the match behind his own delivery. Berdych sensed his moment, though, and quickly brought up three match points, all of which went begging. A fourth opportunity would not, however, and after a final that lasted in excess of three hours, Berdych was able to celebrate after firing a shot from inside the court out of the reach of his opponent.
After the match, Berdych said: "It's a great feeling to end the season like this, and to see your name on the list next to people like Boris Becker and Marat [Safin]. This absolutely changes my goals for next season. I expect to get into the top 20 and more."
The following year, Berdych would reach as high as world number 10 before eventually ending 2006 in 13th position.
In a tournament which also saw current world number one Novak Djokovic win his first match in a Masters Series tournament before eventually losing in the last 32, Berdych was perhaps fortunate to benefit from the absence of Roger Federer and Nadal, who were both carrying injuries ahead of the Masters Cup. However, this event would act as the springboard for Berdych to elevate himself to the next level of the game, despite failing to add a second Masters crown to his trophy cabinet to this day.
Darren Plant
