Australian Open 2017: 8 Patchy Players Who Could Surprise You

#2. Tomas Berdych

When he is at the top of his game, Berdych can bea nightmare for any player

There’s no doubt about the fact that Tomas Berdych is one of the finest tennis players of recent times as he has gotten the better of even the Big Four on several occasions. Berdych has reached at least the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams and had it not been for the presence of the Big Four, then Berdych would have definitely won a Grand Slam by now.Even though Berdych’s ranking fell from 6^th to 10^th last year, he had a pretty decent ATP World Tour where he reached at least the quarter-final of every Grand Slam he played. Berdych began 2017 by reaching the semi-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open where he was beaten by Andy Murray in straight sets.The Australian Open has been Berdych’s most consistent Grand Slams as he has reached at least the quarter-finals in the last six editions of the tournament. However, there is a possibility that Berdych’s streak might come to an end as he has been handed a difficult draw.Berdych will have a cakewalk till the third round where he will face a fully fit Roger Federer who will be eager to make a comeback in his first Grand Slam since last year’s Wimbledon. Berdych last beat Federer back in 2013 and would be facing him for the first time in almost a year when Federer beat him in the quarter-finals here. Even if Berdych manages to scrape past Federer, he would be up against an in-form Kei Nishikori in the fourth round. Nonetheless, the kind of player Berdych is, we can always expect him to spring up a couple of surprises.