Berdych books London berth

 

Originally published on: 24/10/13 00:00

The world No.7 fell to a 4-6 7-6(4) 7-6(2) defeat on Tuesday but had already secured enough points to qualify for the season finale for a fourth successive year.

The 28-year-old joins Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer and Juan Martin Del Potro in the eight-man field, leaving three spaces remaining following Andy Murray’s withdrawal as he recovers from back surgery.

“For me, it’s always one of my goals at the beginning of each season and it’s an honour to qualify,” said Berdych, who reached the semi-finals in 2011.

“It’s just great to be a part of it. It really is the celebration of tennis, only for the top eight guys. It’s a huge show which I suppose tennis should be, and for us tennis players I would say it’s the best tournament.”

Although he is one of one four players to reach 50 victories for the season, Berdych has not lifted a trophy in 2013, finishing runner up in Marseille, Duba and Thailand.

With three places up for grabs, Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet are currently leading the race to qualify, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Milos Raonic hot on their heels.

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