Roger was on the ropes throughout the first set but his iron clad mental toughness shone during critical points late. From the opening serve of the first set breaker, the wilting effect had hit Tomas perceptibly.
It’s rare that you see Roger make a poor shot selection. In particular, on this day his backhand was exacting short hop topspin loops with concise accuracy during particular episodes of desperation which proved more than just defensive at times. He used a well disguised backhand drop shot also which definitely caught Berdych off guard.
There is never any inefficient energy expelled during the Roger Federer ground strokes. At 36, his court movement is still lizard like tracking shots with the benefit of an anticipatory sense matched by nobody. You may have to be a tennis player to appreciate the extensiveness and exquisiteness of the Roger Federer grab bag of tennis shots. It’s one thing to possess the arsenal but to know exactly when and how to deploy it with blazing reactionary instinct is another. He never seems to waver when down a break and you’ll never see him quiver at the very rare miss hit. He doesn’t short circuit stroke fundamentals in spite of his prowess and continues to glow in the glory of victory with a modest charisma destined to color the record books with distinction.