Tomas Berdych, via The Daily Forehand's Tomas Berdych Gallery

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As promised, here is the second part of the interview I did a little while back with Tomas Berdych.  Since making some waves with his comments about Nicole Vaidisova in the first part of the interview, Berdych has had a pretty decent run through the Asian swing and European indoor circuit, making the quarterfinals in Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo, then notching two big wins in Shanghai before crashing out to Gilles Simon, who would also take him out last week in Valencia.

Along with the rest of the upper echelon of the ATP  Paris Bercy Masters 1000 this week, a tournament he won in 2005. Berdych won his first round match on Monday over Vincent Millot, and faces #14-seed Tommy Robredo in the second round later today.  Should he win that match, it lines up a potentialthird-round match with Rafael Nadal, a player against whom Berdych has had a very decent amount of success in his career.

After the jump, the second (and final) part of my interview with the current ATP #20.

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Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer in the new Santiago Calatrava-designed tennis facility in Valencia. Photo via www.valenciaopen500.com

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While Federer's presence means that Basel gets the larger coverage of the two ATP 500 level tournaments this week, the more appealing one in a visual sense has to be Valencia, the first time this stop on the circuit has been played indoors.

The new Valencia tennis complex is in a stretch of incredible architecture called the City of Arts and Science, all designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.  I got the chance to visit the area last May, while the tennis stadium, The Agora, was still under construction.  The whole area feels like being on another planet.  Shallow water surrounds all the buildings, as does amazing amounts of bright white tile and flowers.

If you ever find yourself in the east of Spain, I'd highly recommend stopping by.

A quick video of the place, and after the jump, some more photos.

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Tomas Berdych--Photo via The Daily Forehand's Tomas Berdych Album

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Tomas Berdych has long been touted as a possible "next big thing" in men's tennis.  He defeated Roger Federer at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, won the 2005 Paris Masters, and has reached a career high ranking of #9.  The 6'5'' 24-year old from the Czech Republic has been a fixture in the upper echelons of tennis for several years now, and still remains in the top 20 (currently ranked #16).

Berdych has also finished the past three years as the top ranked Czech in the ATP, and has been instrumental this year in leading the Czechs to their first Davis Cup final in almost thirty years.

I got the chance to talk to Tomas at length during the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, DC, where he made the quarterfinals.  We covered a lot of stuff, so I'm breaking the interview up into two parts, the first of which can be found after the jump.

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Olivia Rogowska prepares to hit a forehand at the Bronx Open (Photo by Ben Rothenberg)

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While the cameras and the focus of many fans will be set on world #1 Dinara Safina during her first round match at the US Open in the enormous Arthur Ashe Stadium, the eyes of many Australians (and hopefully those of you who read this) will often shift to her opponent, Australia's Olivia Rogowska.

Rogowska started the year at #367 in the rankings, but has risen an incredible 200 spots in eight months to her current ranking of #167, highlighted by a run to the second round of the French Open, beating Maria Kirilenko.  Rogowska made it into the main draw of the US Open through being awarded the wild card the USTA gives Tennis Australia, and later randomly drew the current world #1 in the first round. 

While few give Rogowska any chance of upsetting Safina, it will undoubtedly be an unforgettable experience for her, and a chance for her to show a worldwide audience what kind of tennis she can produce.

At the warm-up challenger she played last week in The Bronx, I asked the eighteen-year old Aussie about receiving the Australian wild card into the US Open, differences between the pro circuit and juniors, and her rabid internet following.

TDF: You were awarded the Australian wild card for the US Open—how did that make you feel to be given that opportunity?

Olivia Rogowska:  Oh, It was great news!  I’m so excited to be playing at Flushing Meadows.  It’s my first time here in New York, and I’m really enjoying myself.

TDF: Were you surprised to be picked for the wild card?

Olivia Rogowska: Yeah! I was actually, because there are lots of other great girls from Australia.  But I’ve been working really hard and had some great results, so I feel like I deserve this wild card, and I’m really looking forward to it.

TDF: You lost in the first round here in both the singles and the doubles—what are you going to try to do in the time you have to prepare for the US Open?

Olivia Rogowska: Well, I’ve got a week until my match, so I’m going to be working really hard.  I played here, and I’m going to try to take as much positive out of the matches that I can.  So yeah, I’m just going to practice hard until then, and try to stay relaxed.

TDF: What are the biggest differences for you between playing in juniors and playing on the pro tour?

Olivia Rogowska: Well, definitely the players are way more experienced than the juniors.  They’re smarter, and they’re obviously stronger.  It’s just a completely different game, you know.  I just work hard, and enjoy it.

TDF: I don’t know if you know, but you have a very large internet following, especially on one site, Tennis Forum.  Have you seen or read any of it?

Olivia Rogowska: Yeah! Well, I’ve heard a lot about it. I’ve seen some things, and I really appreciate all the support I get from there.  But I try to stay away from it as much as possible, because there are some negative things written there.  But I really enjoy reading all the positive things written.

Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. Photo by Ben Rothenberg, via The Daily Forehand's Picasa Page

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Juan Carlos Ferrero, former #1 and 2003 French Open champion is still a force to be reckoned with for the top levels of the ATP Tour.  He made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in July,  and has now made his way back into the top 25.  Ferrero was the hero for Spain in their Davis Cup quarterfinal vs. Germany, winning the decisive fifth rubber in straight sets over Andreas Beck.

I talked to JCF briefly at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington a few weeks ago, where he made the third round, thrashing countryman Tommy Robredo before falling to Tommy Haas.  It was an impressive showing for Ferrero, who had just days before had played a clay court event in Croatia, where he lost in the final to Nikolay Davydenko.

TDF: When you decide to play clay events after Wimbledon, do you think that hurts your chances at the US Open?

Juan Carlos Ferrero: No, no.  Of course not.  It’s been a long time that we’ve been playing two or three clay tournaments after Wimbledon, and then hard after that.  We’re all used to it.

TDF: You’ve won a lot of tournaments in your career, but you’ve never won a tournament in the United States.  Why do you think that is?

Juan Carlos Ferrero:  Well, I’ve made a couple finals.  I’ve been playing in finals, so I’ve had the chance to win.  I’m trying, I keep trying.

TDF: Do you think you can still win another grand slam?

Juan Carlos Ferrero: I think so.  Yeah, sure.

TDF: Do you think if Nadal is still out for the next Davis Cup tie, you should be one of the singles players for Spain? You were big for helping them win over Germany, you and Verdasco.

Juan Carlos Ferrero: I would love to.  But I know it will be very difficult to be on the team again, with Rafa and David Ferrer will be there.  I think it’s going to be challenging.

And Feliciano [Lopez] is going, so they have three players already.  And Verdasco, potentially.  There are a few times that you have a chance to make a great personal attempt to play for Spain.  I would love to play every single Davis Cup match.  With how I’ve been playing the last couple weeks, I would love to play against Israel.

Photo by Ben Rothenberg, via The Daily Forehand's Picasa Page

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Frank Dancevic is the top ranked Canadian on the ATP Tour, and has been for some time.  The 24-year old i's an energetic big server with go-for-broke, flashy groundstrokes that quickly win him a lot of fast points and fans.

With his ranking just outside making it into the main draw at the time rankings were frozen for the US Open entry list, Dancevic was the sixth-seed in US Open qualifying this weekm and looked to have a fairly easy road to the main draw .  He lost in the first round, however, to Dominik Meffert of Germany, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.  More on  that match later.  It was a tough break for Dancevic, who would be in the main draw of the Open had his current ranking of #104 been used.

I interviewed Dancevic  just after he won his first round match at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington over Santiago Giraldo, 6-4, 6-3.  Dancevic would lose his next match to Tommy Haas in a close 6-4 final set, a match in which Haas' gamesmanship (though he denied such) likely made the difference.

Click the link below to read the full interview:

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John McEnroe (Photo by Ben Rothenberg)

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John McEnroe needs little introduction.  I should point out, however, that the fiery seven-time grand slam singles champion is working for ESPN for the first time this US Open.

I got to throw some questions John's way before his World Team Tennis appearance in Washington (which wound up including this throwdown). 

TDF: At this point in your career do you see yourself more as an athlete or an entertainer?

John McEnroe: Um…a combination.  There are obviously people who come to see me get pissed off, or whatever. But also I obviously hope I can show them that I can still play.  But the idea is to have people leave here thinking that they’ve gotten their money’s worth.

So I think it’s entertainment, certainly, when I’m playing senior events, exhibitions.  But I mean [in World Team Tennis] I’m playing with a group of other people that are playing for bonuses, standings, and all that.  From that standpoint, you want to play hard.  But also I don’t want to feel like I’m just having a miserable time if it’s not clicking.  This is the fourth day in a row I’ve played now, so it doesn’t get any easier.

TDF: I’ve heard talk that you may enter the U.S. Open doubles with Fabrice Santoro this year.  Is there any truth to that?

John McEnroe:  It’s true that there have been discussions.  It’s probably not going to happen because physically—well first and

foremost, I’m going to be commentating.  I’m working with ESPN for the first time, and I’ve been working with CBS for quite a few years.

I can’t promise you it won’t happen.  I’ve been having some issues with my body that, depending on how I feel…

You want to be able to go hard, from a physical standpoint. Obviously it’s a business.  We could lose first round, but I think we could also win the tournament.  It’s not impossible, as far as I’m concerned. 

But you have to be ready, and I don’t know if I am. I don’t feel like it’s probably going to happen.  It’s best to have guys who still really want to play.

TDF: Have you talked to your brother [US Davis Cup team captain Patrick McEnroe] about the Davis Cup loss to Croatia?

John McEnroe: Very, very briefly.  Obviously, where I was in Long Island over the weekend, I didn’t get Tennis Channel.  Not quite sure why that is yet.

So I missed seeing them, but I kept track of them, checking to see what happened.  The first day was the killer, obviously, with two matches that could have been won.

That’s another thing that has to be dealt with, Davis Cup.   And doubles.  To me they’re like on life support as it is.  Davis Cup and doubles were a big part of my life, and I don’t know where they’re going in the future.

They need to change the schedule, at least, among other things.  There’s a lot of things I’ve suggested that have been very well chronicled—none of which have been listened to.  And by the way I’m not the only person who’s been saying it for the past thirty years.  So this isn’t anything new.

TDF: Do you have any thoughts on Roger Federer donning that number "15" jacket after he won Wimbledon, since there was some controversy about that afterwards?

John McEnroe: What was the controversy?

TDF: People saying it was arrogant, not respectful to Andy Roddick…

John McEnroe: Do you think he would have put it on had lost?

TDF: Probably not. 

John McEnroe:  Probably not…I don’t know, I don’t make a big deal out of things. 

I would actually say that it was a gutsy move.  Because, me personally, I would say that it would be bad luck, or whatever.  It would put this sort of this "man, I’m actually thinking I’m going to do this." 

So that just shows you that he’s confident, and also that he’s not very superstitious.  Because superstitious people wouldn’t do that.

Vania King enters a World Team Tennis match. (All photos by Ben Rothenberg for The Daily Forehand)

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American Vania King has already accomplished more by age 20 than most players achieve in their entire careers. She has won a WTA singles title (Bangkok 2005, when she was only 16), and has a career high ranking inside the top fifty.  

Vania's resume is even more impressive in doubles, in which she has already won seven WTA titles.  She is  currently ranked #23 in doubles, which matches her career high.

Already in 2009 she has made her first grand slam final, making the finals of mixed doubles of the French Open with partner Marcelo Melo.  She also made the quarterfinals of women's doubles at Wimbledon with partner Anna-Lena Groenefeld, losing to eventual champions Venus and Serena Williams in two close sets.  

As a cherry on top of an already strong 2009, Vania was also named the female MVP of World Team Tennis in her debut season, leading her team the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers to a 12-0 start and the Western Conference Championship.

Vania was kind enough to agree to answer some questions The Daily Forehand sent her way a few days ago.  The questions and her answers are after the jump.

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