Video: Nadal on "Helping" Berdych Win

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Video: Nadal on "Helping" Berdych Win

Tomas Berdych wasn't slouching when he took the court for his Australian Open quarterfinal with Rafael Nadal, which was a victory of sorts in itself.

Berdych was not burdened lugging around a 17-match losing streak to Nadal. The Czech unloaded on his shots—and more than eight years of frustration—with a 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5) victory that sent him into his second straight Australian Open semifinal.

“I was definitely ready for it,” Berdych said of his first win over Nadal since the 2006 Madrid tournament. “I set up my plan and stuck with it all the way through for three sets. I started pretty well, but you’re playing Rafa – you have to keep playing until the last point. You’re playing with one of the greatest tennis players ever, so you have to expect he will bring something."

Nadal suggested he delivered an assist in snapping the streak by staking Berdych to early breaks.

"He played well, obviously, but I feel I helped a lot in the beginning," Nadal said. "It's easy to play well if you are one break up or two breaks up early in the score — that's a big deal, a big difference."

A surprisingly flat Nadal left his topspin shots dangling short. Berdych blasted mid-court balls, banging out 46 winners to 24 for Nadal, in joining Roger Federer and Andy Roddick as only the third man to dish out a bagel to the former No. 1 in a Grand Slam set.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion said he invited Berdych to step into the baseline and lacked the intensity to counter in the first two sets.

"It's obvious that before I didn't play with the right confidence, with the right intensity, losing court, playing very short," Nadal said. "I make him play very easy so you cannot to expect to win matches in quarterfinals of Grand Slam helping opponent to play well."

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