Tomas Berdych takes on veteran Ivan Ljubicic in the third round of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters on Thursday.
Ljubicic is a resident in Monaco and as such is a popular figure at this tournament and the big Croatian proved he's still capable of upsetting the best at the age of 32 with a 7-6, 6-4 second round win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. It was a tight match with several breaks but Ljubicic's experience crucially helped him stay relaxed and focused.
“It's really about staying patient and calm because I was really mad when I lost that first serve in the first set. I was just trying to keep calm, and then wait for my chance. Because on clay it comes, it always comes," he explained. "I practice on this course every day of my life when I'm not at a tournament. It feels special. It relaxes me actually more. I don't feel like it's a normal tournament. I don't feel the tension of the tournament."
Berdych made a resounding start to his clay court season, overpowering Belgium's Olivier Rochus 6-2, 6-3 on Tuesday. Berdych's weight of shot was ultimately too much, despite Rochus' speed.
Berdych and Ljubicic are 2-2 on head-to-heads but have played just once since 2005, Berdych winning indoors in Rotterdam three years ago so that does not tell us much.
The Czech star has yet to hit the heights of last summer again in 2011 and it will be interesting to see if he is more comfortable on the clay after a ragged spell on the North American hard courts.
Prediction: Berdych in two
