Roddick Shocks - In a Good Way

By Blair Henley

(July 24, 2012) -- After winning his most recent title in Atlanta, Andy Roddick said this: "I've won [tournaments] 32 times, and in every one of them I've never assumed I was going to win again.” Well, Andy, that makes two of us.

The American’s two titles this year are a surprise akin to Roger Federer’s climb back to the No. 1 ranking, Serena’s first round loss at Roland Garros, or the breakup of Ana Ivanovic and Adam Scott. In fact, after an abysmal start to the year that included a second round exit at the Australian Open, some were calling for the 29-year-old to retire.

Unimpressive results in San Jose, Memphis, Delray Beach, and Indian Wells followed. He showed signs of life with a win over Federer in Miami, but proceeded to lose his next match and miss the next two months of play with a hamstring injury. He returned to competition only to exit in the first round of the French Open.

His conqueror in Paris, Nicolas Mahut, said afterward, “It was not the No. 1 Roddick, the No. 1 player in the world that we know."

And that was an understatement. Roddick’s ranking has dipped to No. 34 this season, reaching its lowest point since July of 2001. Things only got worse after he bowed out in the second round at the Queen’s Club – a tournament he’d won four times in the past.

The headlines were depressing. And I was perplexed.

On one hand, I wanted to defend the fact that Roddick has been the most consistent American performer over the past decade. His 74.4 winning percentage is almost as impressive as the fact that he’s won a tour event each year since his professional debut in 2000. In addition, the Nebraska native has spent time in the top 10 for nine years of his career. He may have struggled to get that second Grand Slam title after winning the U.S. Open in 2003, but on the injury-ridden pro tour, his consistency has been admirable.

Roddick’s achievements are even more noteworthy considering American fans and media have held him to a virtually unattainable standard. Roddick is no Sampras or Agassi, though he has shouldered comparable expectations. Few could have handled the pressure as he has. Donald Young couldn’t. Mardy Fish has never quite embraced it. And the jury is still out on John Isner.

But as a fan, it’s been difficult to handle Roddick’s seemingly abrupt shift from sharp and witty to whiny and bitter. Tennis desperately needs colorful, charismatic personalities, but Roddick’s superiority complex in his exchanges with the media and tennis officials quickly wore thin. So I became indifferent to his success and/or failure.

And, like the plotline of any good romance novel, that’s when the fireworks began. Roddick shocked us all by winning his 600th career match en route to capturing the title in Eastbourne. Though he lost to David Ferrer in the third round of Wimbledon the next week, he rebounded by winning in Atlanta, the site of his first title 11 years ago. Amazingly, he is third among active players for career titles behind only Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Tennis Magazine’s Peter Bodo suggested Roddick’s decision to play on hard court before the Olympics on grass has hurt his medal chances in London more than helped, but there is no replacement for the confidence he’s sure to be packing after taking out 11th-ranked Isner in Atlanta. Plus, the 32-time title holder isn’t concerned about the surface change.

“It’s not stressing me out too much because I played a lot of grass court tennis and I enjoy it,” he said. “Same for hard courts. Doesn't take me a lot of time to switch between the two. I'm looking forward to it.”

Roddick’s two titles this month have once again shown just how unpredictable the game of tennis can be. Though my opinion on the American stalwart has flip-flopped over the years, I can respect Roddick’s perseverance despite the constant chatter from his critics. I’m also willing to assume his moodiness is a direct result of being largely unappreciated throughout his career.

After his exit at Wimbledon, Roddick did not confirm he would be back. Though I hope he sticks around for years to come, Roddick may find that, in the absence of a clear replacement, he’ll be most appreciated after he’s gone. On the plus side, if he does decide to retire, he’ll make one heck of a commentator.

(Photo Credit: Curtis Compton)

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