Andy Roddick

The engine that could chalked up a big one on Friday on Centre Court in front of 15,000 unappreciative fans. Prior to the match Andy Roddick quipped that he would pretend every time he heard the crowd scream “Come on Andy,” he would pretend it was for him, not for Andy Murray. Andy Roddick stood alone on Centre Court surrounded by Brits pleading for an end to the 73-year drought that has plagued the nation.

Perhaps, it will happen next year, but for now, the Brits will have to wait one more time. Andy Murray is a wonderful tennis player. At 22 years young, there is little doubt that his day will come.

In an unexpected twist, Andy Murray out-aced the sultan of serve 25-21. However, Murray chose to play Roddick’s serve from 12 feet behind the baseline. Next time around, the Scotsman may re-think that strategy.

The match started as expected. When the twosome settled into points, Murray inevitably won. Roddick dominated the shorter points. Both players sported robust serves. The crowd was in the game and part of the contest and very much in Murray’s corner. It was a field day, the day the All England Club had awaited for 12 months.

In addition to the 15,000 fans around Centre Court, Henman’s Hill had thousands more passionate Murray fans. This was unsafe terrain for Roddick fans.

After a devastating setback in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2007,  Roddick began to question himself, his ability and his future. In that fateful quarter match, he jumped out to a 2 set lead over controversial Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Inexplicably, the play turned. Roddick could not execute. He was out of gas and soon out of the tournament.

More questions arose in 2008. He was ousted in the third round at Melbourne, did not enter Paris and out in the second round at Wimbledon before reaching the quarters at the U.S. Open. Andy Roddick’s career was headed the wrong way down a one-way street. Roddick stared at the “this way only” sign and made a bold commitment to a coaching change.

In November 2008, Roddick hired accomplished coach Larry Stefanki. Larry had some ideas. They all began with a more dedicated work ethic and recognition that the sultan of serve needed more diversity in his game. The twosome went to work in the off-season.

Roddick and Stefanki were rewarded at Melbourne with a semifinal appearance. They were pleasantly surprised in Paris reaching the fourth round on clay, a surface with which Roddick has struggled all his career. There were other signs of a comeback. His 2009 won lost record stood at a very respectable 33-8.

Andy Murray’s 2009 record is 40-6. He championed the Queen’s Cup. He is the best tennis player Britain has put forth in a very long time. He is a heavyweight contender. He is in need of a big win. Once he gets that win, the sky is the limit.

In the first set of the match that was to launch a weekend of celebration culminating with the home country’s first Wimbledon title in 74 years, Andy Murray was serving at 4-5, deuce.

Andy Roddick disguised a forehand and went with a show-stopping drop shot. Silence! Advantage Roddick, set point.

At set point, Roddick drove a deep forehand crosscourt. Murray nets the sideline drive. Set over.

Silence on Centre Court. A magnificent set of tennis was observed by a cheerless audience; just what Andy Roddick wanted.

Andy Roddick had silenced the crowd, temporarily taken them out of the match. The pressure was squarely on The Scotsman. Commentators reported that Murray stood to gain $100 million pounds in endorsements with a Wimbledon title. That is a fair amount of pressure, maybe more than anyone should bear.

Much like Elena Dementieva the day before, Andy Roddick took the first set, went to the service line and blinked. Murray jumped at the opportunity and broke, then held to go up 2-0. Murray served brilliantly through the set, winning 6-4. Match on! Crowd back.

This match had everything; spectacular shotmaking, an abundance of athleticism, courageous serving, daring net play and two highly gifted professionals.

Andy Murray leads the tour in games broken in 2009. He has broken more serves than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Roddick. He is the king of the break. He has speed, incredible touch and power, power and more power.

Andy Roddick is known as a server extraordinaire. That is the old Andy Roddick. The new Andy Roddick has dimension. He makes players play to his strength. He has patience, but he is not waiting. He is forcing, pressing. He comes up, cuts of shots, takes angles, hits deep crosscourt forehands and sharp down-the-line backhands.

Hey, this Andy Roddick is better than the old Andy Roddick, plus he knows more. He has been there; to the top of the mountain and to the bottom of the well.

There was no way Andy Roddick was caving in. If Andy Murray wanted this match, he was going to have to play better, play like someone who could challenge Roger Federer, not like someone who was ordained a title. Andy Murray was going to have to take this match away from Andy Roddick and it was not going to be easy.

Admit it or not, everyone around Centre Court could sense it. This was going to be a dogfight.

Roddick cast aside childish things. He did not dispute calls, he did not argue with the chair umpire. He stared Andy Murray down, then drew from the holster and shot from the hip.

He broke Murray to go up 3-1. He served a love game to go 4-1. At 5-3, Murray took charge, dominating the game. Roddick absorbed the loss. Murray pulled even and they held serve to get to 6-6.

Andy Murray may have the most breaks on the tour but Andy Roddick is a gunfighter. Roddick possesses the best tiebreaker record on the tour. Prior to today his tiebreaker record in 2009 stood at 25-4.

At 6-6, Roddick scored a break to go up 2-1. Murray answered to go 2-2. They went back and forth. At 4-5, Murray pitched two aces. Roddick would not go away.

He scored a 138 mph ace to go up 7-6. Murray hit a winner. 7-7. Roddick went crosscourt, Murray missed a forehand. Set point with Roddick up 8-7. Another crosscourt forehand by Roddick, another net ball from Murray. Set over!

The stunned crowd put their hand son their laps. Who is this new Roddick?

Set three had a similar feel. The spreading shadows foretold a dark day for the Brits. Murray served and played well. He appeared more athletic. Roddick was amazingly fit. He continued to press play, forcing shots, drop-shotting, slicing forehands, being annoying, totally uncompromising.

At 6-6, the tiebreaker began. The American jumped ahead when Murray missed a backhand at 1-2. Roddick followed with two big serves for 4-2. Murray barely caught the baseline to pull to 4-5. Roddick blistered a service winner.

At 6-4, Murray came up with a critical save passing Roddick at net. 5-6 Murray serving. Roddick thunders a return across the court. Roddick nets the retrieve. Match over.

Hail Andy Roddick, the sultan of serve, the master of pressure, the consummate underdog. Roger Federer will have to earn this championship. Andy Roddick does not go away easily.

The legions of Murray fans are packing their lunch baskets, sun blocking their shoulders, laying out their best outfits and preparing for Friday’s carnival, and then, of course, the finals.

The semifinal match with Andy Roddick is a mere formality, a tune-up before the main event. Despite the past and future heroic efforts of German Tommy Haas, All England knows who will be waiting in the wings. They are counting on it. Do we really need these semifinals? Why not play on? Destiny lies around the bend.

As wonderful as that Swiss gentleman is, this is not his tournament. He will have other chances. There is only one Wimbledon. There is only one Andy Murray. It has been 73 years. It will not be 74. The time is now, the place is here and the stars have aligned perfectly.

When all is said and done, Andy Roddick is not Rafa Nadal, bad knees and all. Murray fans could never have tolerated Nadal and then Federer. This is better. It has a sense of balance.

Murray-Roddick, Federer-Haas, two well-balanced preps for, excuse the basketball analogy, “the big dance.” So, 22 year young Scotsman, Andy Murray, is it to be or not to be? That is the question.

Andy Murray turned professional in 2005. Since his second place finish at the U.S. Open in 2008, he has been on the cusp. He was favored to win The Australian Open before inexplicably tapping out in the 4th round. He was heavily favored to reach the semis in Paris before stumbling in the quarters. Andy Murray has 195 career wins. His 2009 won-lost record is an amazing 40-6. Andy Murray is a championship-waiting-to-happen.

The time is now, the place is here!

Andy Murray is 22 years young. He is 4 years younger than his Friday opponent, Andy Roddick whom is 26 years-not-so-young. While his 195 career wins are admirable, Andy Murray does not possess half as many tour wins as Tommy Haas (445) or Andy Roddick (492). He possesses less than one third the number of wins as King Roger (best-to-ever-play-the-game) Federer (650). Where I come from, we see numbers like those and we want to know more before we slide our dough across the window.

Let’s make something clear. The time is now, the place is here and Andy Murray is Centre Court, center stage.

No Brit since Freddy Perry has ever been in a better place at Wimbledon. After Roddick, the Scot plays a man he has beaten four consecutive times, a man against who he holds a 6-2 lifetime record. That’s a finals? Sounds like a duck shoot!

Andy Murray has been carrying the flag since the end of round one. He has been on every front page, every back page and as one commentator aptly stated, “will never have to buy a pint again.”

The Wimbledon faithful were out in force for Hewitt – Roddick. It was a “carnival atmosphere” with Aussie Crazies and Hewitt’s links to the Commonwealth acting in bizarre tennis fashion. But Andy Roddick has played in New York. Heck, he won in New York. It does not get any crazier than that.

Andy Roddick knows how to play through this atmosphere. In his 9 year career, Andy Roddick has learned to beware of the player with nothing to lose. Andy Murray has not.

Murray’s inability to deal with those kinds of players has been his demise in Grand Slam events, and in the British press. Fernando Verdasco came at him in Melbourne, prevailing in five sets. In Paris, Murray was rudely ousted by Fernando Gonzalez in four sets. Verdasco? Gonzalez? Grand Slam?

Aberrations, perhaps? Cause for hope for Andy Roddick? Definitely! Look at it another way. 4th round in Melbourne, out. Quarterfinal in Paris, out. Semifinal in London? We shall see.

When I look at Murray’s 2009 Wimbledon, I see a few problems. Blessed with an easy draw, he struggled in the very first round against American serving ace Robert Kendrick, 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. Robert Kendrick is a nice player with a future. Robert Kendrick is not Andy Roddick.

Murray then blew past Ernests Gulbis and Viktor Troicki, but what would one expect? Against the only player that should have been where he was, Stanislaus Wawrinka, Murray put the fear of God into the crazed Wimbledon gallery. They even had to enclose the place to get this one done. They didn’t do that for Tommy Haas. But, it was an outdoor tournament then. Mr. Murray could not be stretched into a second day, could he?

Wawrinka’s five set man-test ended with Murray on top, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. While a wonderful win? This was a match that should have ended in three hours, not closer to five. If Andy Murray loses focus or blinks against Andy Roddick, he is in trouble. Stanislaus Wawrinka is not Andy Roddick.

So, while Murray should get to the finals, and frankly, do the unthinkable and deny the greatest player to ever play the game his 15th Grand Slam title, he had better keep his eye on the ball and his mind off the gallery. You will not see Andy Roddick, Tommy Haas or the King looking to their corners for help. No sir. You will see Andy Roddick, Tommy Haas and Roger focused on the moment, in the game, where they belong.

This is Andy Murray’s moment. This is Andy Murray’s destiny. He will never be 22 again. It will be a long time before Andy Murray plays another Grand Slam without Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in his path for successive matches. It will be a long time before the stars are so perfectly aligned and London so ready, so willing so eager.

This is it Andy. So, will it be, or not to be? You decide.

When Rafael Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon, Juan Martin del Potro moved from his fifth seed to fill the reigning champion’s spot at the top of the draw. The top quarter of the gentlemen’s draw is lightly regarded. Del Potro has never been a “clutch” performer. 6th seeded Andy Roddick has not won a Grand Slam since his 2003 US Open. The unseeded Hewitt is the only other player in the quarter with any major silverware having won the US Open way back in 2001 and having championed Wimbledon way back in 2002. While Roddick has resurrected his game, Hewitt has suffered one disappointment after another.

The bookmakers viewed this quarter with quiet reserve. It seemed that whoever the semi-finalist from this group would be, they just might win through attrition. On the other hand, Hewitt and Roddick are experienced. Opportunity was knocking and they were not about to blink.

Buoyed by a cluster of Aussie fans, the 10-year tour veteran and past-prime 28-year old, came from the locker room with the look and bounce of a winner. All barrels were firing from the start. With 505 career wins, Juan Martin del Potro had nothing Lleyton Hewitt had not seen before. And, Hewitt had salvos that caught the big Argentine flat footed and in dismay.

Hewitt was charged with energy, quick on the Center Court and charged with an all-out game plan. Lleyton Hewitt was going to do what he has done at every Major Championship. He was going to compete hard and with intent. Every shot would have a purpose. And, if he lost, Juan Martin del Potro would know he had been in a Grand Slam tennis match.

Unlike his previous 40 matches against the world’s greatest players, Mr. Hewitt would show his fans what they came to see; a throwback of sorts. There were no nerves. There were no inconsistencies. Hewitt started fast and never stopped. Del Potro was left to shake his head and wonder “who is that masked man?”

With 14 clean aces and just 3 double faults to go with a measly 14 unforced errors, this looked like the Lleyton Hewitt from a different era. This guy was good; dominant in fact. On this day, a fierce Lleyton Hewitt would not loose his serve until it was 5-4 in the third set.

As del Potro has never bounced back from a two set deficit, the French Open semi-finalist and star-waiting-to-happen had the dazed look of someone who had looked at the future and did not like his chances. The big Argentine was playing not to lose instead of playing to win. In Grand Slam tennis, that just does not get the job done. At Wimbledon, if you blink, you are done.

Juan Martin blinked against Hewitt and the savvy Aussie seized the momentum and never let go. Del Potro, known as an intimidating server registered just 10 aces but tallied four double faults and blasted 24 unforced errors. Those numbers do not measure up against a player of Hewitt’s caliber.

Hewitt was seeing the Argentine’s serve clearly. At times, it seemed like he was at the point of return before the ball landed. Generally characterized as a “feisty” Aussie contender, Lleyton Hewitt officially became a “defiant” contender on Thursday.

So defiant in fact that after losing his serve at 5-4 in the third, he broke right back and then provided the knockout blow by holding convincingly at 6-5, setting off a lively celebration in the Aussie Centre Court corner.

Like Hewitt, Roddick also moved ahead and set fans contemplating the intensity that will most likely accompany the quarterfinal pairing. Roddick bested Hewitt at Queen 7-6, 7-6. A rematch promises hard serving, hard hitting and quick resolution.

Congratulations Mr. Hewitt. A job well done!

The immensely powerful first serve was in full showing and Roddick proved that he has come a long way from previous Wimbledon events with an array of ground strokes and volleys there were quite admirable. The American just had too much power for Chardy to handle and the fitness in a warm heat was also a factor as Roddick progressed easily to the next round.

He said: “I felt like I was playing better than he was for the majority of the match. You know, sometimes you just got to stick those out. He was missing a lot of first serves early on. He really upped his percentages from that point forward, so it became a lot tighter.”

There were glimpses that were brief reminders of the kind of tennis that Roddick was playing when he won the US Open a few years ago and it was nice to see him back on form. If he plays this well again then he should not have a problem progressing to the later stages.

His critics will always say that his game is all about the big powerful serve and the powerful forehand from the baseline but he does have it in him to adapt and get better. He was clearly moving well and it would have been a good work out for him ahead of the later rounds. As he said himself after the game, there is no point in trying to pin point precise players and rounds in the mind because at this stage in his career he is just happy to still be competing against a lot of young players who are flying out of the traps in tournaments all over the world.






In all of the first round matches the top seeds have all looked solid and efficient. It is just a shame that Rafael Nadal is not there to line up along side them all as he would have been on a quest to become one of the very few players to have won back-to-back Wimbledon titles.

Roddick has a long way to go if he wants to hit title-winning form. He is not getting any younger which will not work to his advantage if he has to play again in the sweltering heat like he did yesterday. It will take a lot out of him and put a big strain on his body. It is important to remember that his ankle injury could rear its ugly head again at any point and turn the smiles we saw yesterday into frowns as Roddick fans feel disappointment all over again.

Good spirits and a positive nature will only get you so far in a grand slam event, Roddick will have to raise his level in the next round but it was quite obvious that he is only in second gear at the moment.

There are many players who benefit from Nadal’s departure. Remarkably, the second seed, 14-time Grand Slam Champion and five-time Wimbledon Champion, Roger Federer has the most difficult path to the semi-finals.

In the greatest player of all-time’s quarter are heavyweights Fernando Verdasco (7), Ivo Karlovic (22), Jo-Wilfreid Tsonga (9), Robin Soderling (13) and Feliciano Lopez (21). If form holds, Round Four will be a rematch of the French Open finals pitting Soderling against the five-time winner. In the quarters, Verdasco should be looming, but Tsonga does not go away quietly. Tennis experts are shaking their collective heads and wondering how it could be any more difficult for the focused Federer to claim his 15th title.

Meanwhile, Scotsman Andy Murray, winner of the Queen’s and now top seed in the top half of the draw, has a comparative cakewalk to the quarters. His chief combatants will be Stanislaus Wawrinka (19), aging Marat Safin (14), Fernando Gonzalez (10), Victor Hanescu (31) and 8 seed Gilles Simon, who is not at the top of his game. If form holds, Murray’s fourth round would pit the testy Scot against Wawrinka. The Scotsman would meet the Frenchman, Simon, in the quarters. For Murray the path is clear to the semis.

The fourth seed is Serb Novak Djokovic, who escaped a quarterfinal matchup against Juan Martin del Porto when Nadal withdrew. Djokovic’s quarter has Mardy Fish (28), Tommy Robredo (15), Rainer Schuettler (18), Marin Cilic (11), Tommy Haas (24) and the struggling James Blake (17) who was moved to fill del Porto’s slot. What a mess!

If form holds, Djokovic will meet the tough Robredo in the fourth round and Cilic in the quarters. Djokovic is unaccustomed to such a relaxed draw and this may be just the spark the moody Serb needs to make a big move.

Juan Martin del Porto (5) slides into Nadal’s place. He is far and away the biggest beneficiary of Nadal’s damaged knees. In his quarter are Radek Stepanek (23), David Ferrer (16), Nikolay Davydenko (12), Tomas Berdych (20) and probable quarterfinal matchup Andy Roddick (6).

Like del Porto, Roddick must be licking his chops. Roddick is two-time runner-up at Wimbledon and is enjoying a fine year. It has been a long time since the American has been positioned so well at a Grand Slam.

The Ladies Singles’ Draw

Wimbledon will be Dinara Safina’s most difficult Grand Slam Draw of the year. The number one seed will be challenged to get through the quarters where her decisive Roland Garros conquerer, Svetlana Kuznetsnova (5), will be waiting. The top of the draw looks to provide some other hefty challenges for the nervous Safina, who has a more difficult path than Svetlana to the probable quarterfinal pairing. Fiava Pennetta (15), Amelie Mauresmo (17) and Caroline Wozniacki (9) stand in the way of the French rematch.

Third seeded Venus Williams looks to have the most favorable quarter. The five-time winner at Wimbledon has not needed a lot of help in the past. She is an expert grass-court player. With her sister in the lower half of the draw, the possibility of a Williams-Williams final matchup looks very possible. However, there are stumbling blocks aplenty for both sisters. The main competition in Venus’s quarter will come from the well-conditioned Samantha Stosur (18), Ana Ivanovic (13), Agnes Radwanska (11) and French disappointment Jelena Jankovic (6). Stosur is in top form and poses a stern test for the three seed. Jankovic looks to have a clear path but seems to stumble in Grand Slam tournaments.

Number two seed, Serena Williams is chomping at the bit to regain her former number one ranking. The tough American is well suited for the Wimbledon grass and plays her best when the pressure is highest.

The younger Williams should have smooth sailing to the quarters. A likely fourth round pairing with Patty Schnyder (21) should not present much of a test. However, the quarter possibilities are intriguing. 24th seed and fast returning to form Maria Sharapova (24) is a strong candidate along with hard-hitting Victoria Azarenka (8), and Nadia Petrova (10). There are four potential champions in this quarter.

Elena Dementieva whose sub-par performance in Paris has raised previously unasked questions about her fitness and heart will need to play better to knock off Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round. Elena will probably face the always-ready Vera Zvonareva (7) or Marion Bartoli (12) in the quarters.

Our longest shot of the Wimbledon event is American 17 year old Melanie Oudin who arrived in the main draw via three qualifying wins. A month ago, the pretty Georgian was finishing her junior year in high school. Oudin plays 29th seed Sybille Bammer in the first round. Oudin could well surprise but will certainly be game.

Two surprising draws are bound to provide great play, loads of emotion and more than the usual number of upsets.