Analysis for Gonzalez-Berdych (ATP Cincinnati)

Head-to-head record 3:0

Fernando Gonzalez of Chile will play the Czech talent Tomas Berdych in the opening round at Cincy. Berdych has the talent to blow anyone off the court and if he keeps his nerves, he could be more than competitive against Gonzo today. Unfortunately, he is extremely inconsistent player and his biggest weakness is the mental condition and unwillingness to fight when he doesn´t feel good. He is far ahead of Gonzalez in terms of tennis talent but need to be well prepared and full of self-confidence to be able to defeat the Chilean. On the other hand, we don´t think he should be the underdog here and see his chances to be at least 50%. He needs to make a good result after the average season and we think that he feels the chance and will fight today. Gonzalez is an aggressive baseliner who likes this surface. His groundstrokes, especially on the forehand side, are extremely powerful. His speed and agility allow him to hit winners from practically anywhere in the court. He has something that Berdych lacks – Chilean tends to go after every shot even apparent winners from his opponents but he usually makes a huge number of unforced errors, especially when he plays under pressure. This makes him inconsistent and vulnerable. We expect a tight match again and think that odds should be equal on both sides.