Andy Roddick Rallies, Sam Querrey Quits In Paris

By Richard Pagliaro
Photo Credit: Tony Chang/Chang Photography

(May 25, 2010) Clay-court tennis can be a character cardiogram.

Digging out a victory on a day when your best tennis takes the day off is a test of your dedication and determination.

Top-ranked American Andy Roddick and his potential successor, Sam Querrey, both found themselves struggling in the face of French Open deficits today.

A resilient Roddick rallied.

A weary Querrey quit on himself.

Playing his first clay-court singles match since he fell to Frenchman Gael Monfils in the 2009 French Open fourth round, Roddick's return was sketchy and his shot selection shaky at times, but he battled through to a 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over Jarkko Nieminen.

The sixth-seeded Roddick spent the third-set squinting into the court as if trying to reconfigure the Court Chatrier landscape that turned gloomy for him as the left-handed Fin picked away at Roddick's two-handed backhand to draw short balls.

Conceding he wasn't at his best, Roddick navigated through the tie breaker then broke for a 3-2 fifth-set lead. Facing one final challenge, Roddick came back from a  0-30 hole to hold for 5-3.

"Obviously, I didn't play great today. I got through," said Roddick, who raised his five-set record to 13-15. "I guess at the end of the day it doesn't really matter. You have a goal to still have an opportunity to play. We'll try to get better the next one."

While Roddick recalled his competitive spirit to go the distance, a burned-out Querrey tapped out after falling behind compatriot Robby Ginepri.

The pair shared a car-ride from Düsseldorf to Paris last weekend and Querrey found himself mentally booking his flight home in the third set of his 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-2, loss to Ginepri, who had failed to survive the first round in six of his prior seven appearances in Paris.

Ginepri, who had not won a main-draw match since beating Robin Soderling in Chennai in January, fell behind 0-3 in the tie breaker but reeled off seven straight points to seize the second.

When Querrey was broken to start the third-set, he checked out of the match mentally and was already homeward bound.

"When I lost that second-set tiebreaker and got broken in the first game, I was done. I wanted to be off the court," Querrey said. "I started thinking about leaving and pulling out of the doubles and how much I wanted to go home, how much I wasn't enjoying. You're never gonna win a match if you're just being negative. I'm only hurting myself."

A singles match became a three-character drama as Querrey found he was fighting himself as much as Ginepri.

In a candid confession, Querrey conceded he quit on points.

"I just need to mentally get it together in my head. I need to enjoy myself out there," Querrey said. "I need to enjoy playing. You know, if a guy has a break point against me, I should know, Hey, I've got one of the biggest serves out there. Let's see you win this point off me. But like I said, I just tank some points."

Following the loss, Querrey withdrew from the doubles. He partnered John Isner to reach the Rome final earlier this month and the pair planned to play together in Paris.

The 22-year-old Querrey reached the final in two of his first three clay-court events this season — he was runner-up to Juan Ignacio Chela in Houston and beat Isner to win Belgrade — but his heavy footsteps in the fourth set today revealed a man who felt the fatigue of playing five clay-court events in the seven-week lead up to Roland Garros.

"Those (Houston and Belgrade) are 250s, and they're great," Querrey said. "A tournament win is a tournament win. A final is great. It builds my confidence, but I won Belgrade and my ranking didn't move. I'm kind of past that point right now. Those 250s do nothing for me ranking wise. It's all about the Masters Series and the Grand Slams."

If in fact that is Querrey's focus, then the 6-foot-6 Californian has to play big in the most important events. Today, he shrunk from the challenge in a major mis-step.

Querrey will not return to the States and try to clear his head in time for Wimbledon where he's won one match in three appearances.