October 20, 2006: Tomas Berdych's Shocking Madrid Masters Upset Over Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal: The King of Roland-Garros

Rafael Nadal, ranked world No. 2 since July 2005, was a dominant force on clay. He had secured his first Roland-Garros title at 19, amassing 12 clay-court titles, including two French Opens. Nadal consistently defeated Roger Federer on clay, stopping him in the 2005 and 2006 French Open finals. His signature topspin forehand and exceptional defense made him nearly unbeatable on the surface. Nadal was also improving on other courts, winning two hard-court ATP Masters Series titles in 2005 and reaching the Wimbledon final in 2006. However, he showed vulnerability on hard courts, losing to Mikhail Youzhny at the US Open and Joachim Johansson in Stockholm.

Tomas Berdych: The rising star from the Czech Republic

Born in 1985, Tomas Berdych was an emerging talent. He debuted at the Grand Slam stage in 2003 and reached the second round of the Australian Open in 2004. Berdych gained wider recognition by defeating world No. 1 Roger Federer at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He claimed his first title in Palermo that year and later won the Paris Masters 1000 in 2005, defeating Ivan Ljubicic in the final. Berdych finished 2005 as world No. 25 and by October 2006, after reaching the fourth round in three Grand Slams, he was ranked No. 11.

The place: The Madrid Masters

The ATP Madrid Masters 1000, established in 2002, was held indoors at the Madrid Arena. This venue, inaugurated in 2002, had hosted champions like Agassi, Ferrero, Safin, and Nadal himself.

The facts: Berdych had won his previous two meetings against Nadal

Rafael Nadal, the defending champion and local favorite at the Madrid Masters, faced Berdych in the quarterfinals. While Nadal had proven his game could be effective on hard courts, Berdych, ranked No. 11, had already demonstrated his ability to compete at the highest level. Despite losing their first encounter in 2004, Berdych had defeated Nadal twice consecutively in 2005 and 2006.

"I can understand they want him to win the match and the tournament, but this is not a Davis Cup where you can expect this."
Tomas Berdych

On that day, Berdych played with exceptional intensity from the outset, securing the first set 6-3. In the second, he was unfazed by the crowd's partisan support for Nadal, maintaining an aggressive strategy that put Nadal under constant pressure. Berdych clinched the match in a tiebreak after a fortunate point, then gestured for the crowd to be quiet. Nadal told him, "You are a bad person," during their handshake. Berdych commented on the partisan crowd, stating, "This is the kind of game I like, that he’s running behind the baseline and hitting balls just over the net so I could go in and volley or stay back and play from the baseline."

What next? Nadal beats Berdych the next 18 times they played

Berdych was eliminated in the next round by Fernando Gonzalez. While Nadal continued to dominate the rivalry, winning the next 18 consecutive matches, including the 2010 Wimbledon final, his performance on indoor hard courts remained an area of relative vulnerability. The 2005 Madrid Masters 1000 title remained Nadal's sole major tournament victory on this surface.