Young star aims to Czech Fed’s progress

TOMAS BERDYCH belongs to an exclusive club of players to have beaten Roger Federer in the last two years.

But the 20-year-old Czech star knows it will take “something special” to beat the defending Wimbledon champion when the pair meet in this afternoon’s fourth round.

Berdych was just 18 when he beat Federer 4-6 7-5 7-5 in the second round of the Athens Olympics. Federer did not lose another match in 2004 and has since been beaten by only four players.

In 2005, the world number one lost to Marat Safin in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal in the semis of the French Open and David Nalbandian in the final of the Masters Cup in Shanghai.

In 2006, Federer’s win/loss record is 49-4, with all four losses coming at the hands of Nadal.

Federer has won all three of his matches against Berdych since Athens, including their clash at the same stage of this year’s French Open and the final of the recent grass court event in Halle.

“To have already beaten him is certainly a small advantage for me over the rest of the challengers,” admitted Berdych.

“Many players have lost before they even take to the court because they don’t believe they can win.

“It is going to take something special to beat him on grass.”

That could be the understatement of the year given Federer’s form so far. The 24-year-old has not dropped a set in beating Gasquet, Tim Henman and Nicolas Mahut, and has lost his serve just once.

His win over Mahut was his 44th consecutive victory on grass and he remains odds-on to claim a fourth straight Wimbledon title on July 9.

“My draw is pretty tough, it has been from the early stages on,” said Federer. “The next match will be difficult against Berdych. If I come through that there’s other good players lying ahead but I actually don’t look that far down the draw.

“That would be the semis and we’re not there yet.”

Mario Ancic or Novak Djokovic await in the quarter-finals. Ancic is the last man to beat Federer on grass — in the first round here in 2002 — but was beaten in straight sets by Federer in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros last month.

All eight fourth-round matches are scheduled for Monday with Fernando Verdasco taking on Radek Stepanek and doubles partners Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi finding themselves on opposite sides of the net for a change.

In the bottom half of the draw, 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt takes on Spain’s David Ferrer, Britain’s Andy Murray plays Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis, Dmitry Tursunov is up against Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen and Georgia’s Irakli Labadze will take on second seed Rafael Nadal, who ended Andre Agassi’s Wimbledon career in impressive style in the previous round.