Twelve months after enjoying the best run of his career by reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open, Kyle Edmund went out on the opening day today when he was beaten 6-3, 6-0 7-5 by Tomas Berdych.
Clearly below his best as a result of the knee problem that forced him to withdraw from last week’s tournament in Sydney, the 24-year-old Briton was swept aside by an opponent who was always likely to be one of the most dangerous floaters in the draw.
Berdych, a former world No 4, is unseeded after missing the last six months of last year with a back problem and dropping to No 57 in the world rankings.
However, the 33-year-old Czech reached the final in Doha in his comeback tournament in the first week of this year and has a splendid record here. He has reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne seven times in the last eight years and says this is his favourite Grand Slam tournament.
On a day of sweltering heat, Edmund struggled from the start against his big-hitting opponent and was two sets down within an hour. He played much better in the third set but failed to convert a set point when Berdych served at 4-5. Edmund dropped serve in the following game before Berdych served out for victory with his 12th ace of the match. Berdych hit 37 winners to Edmund’s 25 and made just 14 unforced errors to his opponent’s 36.
“It’s tough to really know what I could have done differently,” Edmund said afterwards. “In the third set I made more balls.”
Asked about his fitness, Edmund said he was “not 100 per cent” but “a lot better than where I was”. He added: “These things take time. The body’s not so simple, as you can see with other people. It’s frustrating. But it’s my choice to walk out there.”
He added: “It wasn’t nice losing. It was a one-sided defeat as well, clearly not what I wanted. Not a lot of fun. But for me it just shows where I am at the minute and how much and where I have to improve. I’ve got to let the defeat settle and get back to work.”
The world No 14, who could drop out of the top 30 after this tournament, said he was confident he could get back to his best.
“I’ve still got lots of years to play, so obviously I’m confident I’ll be playing at a good standard again,” he said. “But you’re always itching, competitive, want things done immediately. You just have to have patience and give stuff time to get better, including my game.”
