first

roddick seems to me to be honest to himself and his game...

It's nice to see Roddick back in good form. He is no longer losing to players he shouldn't be losing to in early rounds and he's beating lower seeds in the top 15 to get into the quarters. Whether he can hang with Fed, Murray and Nadal is another question. He played Nadal close in Indian Wells and he probably can handle Murray in a close match. We shall see.

Pete, I strongly concur with the main thrust of this post - Roddick is a very good tennis player, who gets (sadly) less acclaim than he deserves. His work ethic is immense, and he's maintained a very high level of player for the better part of seven years.

Still, one of the most exciting matches I've ever seen was that 2004 Wimbledon F vs Federer, where the two men looked like titans hurling thunderbolts at each other. Roddick has become such a defensively minded player in recent years that you sometimes look back at the player he was in 2004 and wonder "what if?" What if Andy Roddick had decided to keep bringing the FH heater?

But no question, he's a worker, and a good one. Blue collar tennis player.

Great post. Roddick seems content to remain humble and let others get the limelight this season, though he has been consistently among the top performers. As a longtime fan, it has been encouraging to seem his form improving as he gains confidence. Let's hope he has found the gear needed to defeat TMF.

Hey Pete...

You noticed how both prepare to serve the same way -- that's because Gael Monfils was coached some time ago by Tarik Benhabilès, the former french pro (and he had a beautiful game, by the way) that coached Andy Roddick from his junior years to the pro tour.

Gael Monfils used to prepere to serve differently, but because of Tark Benhabilès he adopted the Roddick stance and kept it even after parting ways with Benhabilès.

Btw, Vika Azarenka is playing great -- you should look out for António Van Grichen, her young coach... he's a portuguese mate of mine who left for the States a few years ago and was briefly with Jennifer Capriati before starting with Vika Azarenka when she was still a junior.

Take care and say hi to Manuel Perez! You should have been in Key Biscayne a few hours earlier to see Frederico Gil play Rafa Nadal!

Nice piece, Pete. You have done some of your best writing that I can remember recently about Roddick. I know you admire him and you do a great job of bringing him to life, realizing how easy, and hard, it has been to be Roddick on the tour.

I never would have thought to compare Roddick to Monfils, but on the base analysis of physical weapons it does make some sense. In Monfils I see a player whose overall development as a complete player may have actually been hampered by how athletic he is, and therefore how much nonsense (re shot selection, on court positioning etc.) he can usually get away with. Despite Roddick's first strike capability and athleticism, he has never had that luxury.

Pete - I loved every word of this - so succinctly summed up many of my own feelings about Roddick, though they aren't new feelings for me (and I don't think for you, either) - more like the current Roddick is the logical culmination of the work-in-progress we've all been witnessing for the past few years. This tournament was where he beat Fed for the only time since 2003 (not counting exhibitions), and that was just last year - he'll have some good memories in his pocket when he walks out on court for their quarterfinal ... can't wait to see what happens.

And, by the way, PERFECT photo for the piece!

Pete - Thank you for this post (not the least of which is for the style you wrote it in). I have long felt that while Roddick's game isn't the prettiest nor the most effective that you HAVE to respect him for the work he has done to make something of it. If anyone has ever listened to one of his pressers, they know he is quite self-aware. To know and go back to work and make the changes... THAT is something.

***tiptoes in**** This is a wonderful piece. On all levels. ****tiptoes out***

Simply great, Pete. Accurate in looking back, incisive at considering the present, honest in assessing it all. Thanks.

Great article! It's so good to see Roddick working hard and benefitting from it. Amazing as Fed and Nadal are, having an American player up there to really cheer for is great!

Love the Agassi analogy. It is starting to show up this year, the more thoughtful, focused player.

Although he says he is not "uber-conscious", his best part is that he is aware of who he is and what his game is capable of. More power to such players.

Roddick has a frat boy mentality. His potty mouth is what makes him an unpopular boy. He will never win another GS.

ahh pete i lurved this. this afternoon watching the match, we were commenting on how passive monfils was, and I at least, was impressed with how calm and focused andy was. this year he's stopped rushing, stopped the extraneous fluff and just is all business out there.

he's had a great year so far, he's in 2nd place on the race points and is playing the best i've seen him since wimby 2004. there were times where he WAS hitting with more power through his shots today, but when monfils seemed to feed off the pace, he dialed it right back down. but i wonder if that's the next piece he ads back in to his overall game, bringing that flatter forehand back?

There were a LOT of great volleys he hit today; just beautifully done after carefully constructing his points.

Pete, great post. Several people (including Andrew above) have noted that Roddick does not get the credit he deserves. So, how much credit does he deserve? I'd place him a few notches above Chang, and a few notches below Agassi and Courier. Other than that, of course, he's a good player, hard worker, and one of the best personalities in the game over the last few years. I also wish he still brought the heat on his fh, but Stefanki has given me hope that this is an issue that they are working on.

At this career stage, the dog can chase the fire truck, but it cannot afford to stop and urinate on hydrants, lest the truck turn the corner leaving only fumes and tire tracks. His late-career focus is admirable and keeps Roddick in the proverbial hunt, but even ridding himself of all the distractions--all the fire hydrants, if you will--i think his one-dimensional game still limits him tremendously and puts another major title pretty much out of reach. It would take a perfect storm of events, where all the top dogs are upset, for Roddick to come through. I doubt this happens.

Anyone currently looking for the latest Crisis Center overflow - today's second such post- please note that it's linked from the headline post in the Miami Crisis Center Day 7 Overflow, and will not be linked from the tennis.com front page.

Pspace-- I kind of agree that Roddick gets, if anything, at least as much credit as he deserves and a lot more attention.

Now don't get me wrong, I like him a lot. I think he's a smart, funny guy who works his rear off day in and day out to get the most that he can out of his game (though it's a game I don't particularly enjoy watching). But why would you put him as far ahead of Chang as you put him behind Agassi and Courier? Agassi, at least, has to be far ahead of Roddick by any meaningful measure. 8 slams and 7 finals versus 1 slam and 3 finals. Agassi finished the year in the top 10 for 16 years with one of those at #1 and 2 at #2. As for Chang, he has as many years finishing in the top ten as Roddick, more titles, and the same number of slam wins. He managed all of this without any weapon approaching the level of Roddick serve and at 5'9". Personally, I think Roddick is a better player, but the difference between Roddick and Chang is surely much smaller than than between Agassi and Roddick.

Nice try, nice sentiment, but many, many players deserve similar credit. The US media valorizes Roddick, and never calls him out on his entitled outbursts or meaness. Maybe a little balance would make the rest of the world respect Roddick and the US media more.

I've got tons of respect for Andy. I also believe Stafanki is one of the best coaches in the game. He has a chance aginst Federer in the next match, if he serves like a pitcher and can put some doubt in Federer's ground game, something that usually takes a lotta running and deep shots. His biggest problem vs Fed is that his serve is readable and his groundies don't have the weight of Nadal, who can rally safely with Fed. Here's hoping for a good match, one won not lost.

Totally agree! I love Roddick, but he certainly gets as much credit as he deserves. Actually, I would say he gets more than he deserves. At his best, he could've won 4 slams (a notch below Courier, right?) and maybe the actual scenario is his worst (Chang-like). But, everyone talks about him as if he were the greatest ever if it weren't for Federer. If Federer had not been around, Roddick wins more, but not a ton more. Again, I love
Roddick, but all things need to be kept in perspective.

"""
Personally, I think Roddick is a better player, but the difference between Roddick and Chang is surely much smaller than than between Agassi and Roddick.
"""

Christopher, yeah, I'd say that's a fair assessment.

I agree with everything Mr. Bodo has written, quite eloquently. I like how Roddick continues to turn the impossible into the improbable, and not settle for things as impossible - if something is only improbable, then it could happen - and then he works as hard as possible to give himself the sliver of opportunity and turn the improbable into "a chance".

To me Roddick is a lot like Nadal - with the exception that Nadal has more patience, more speed (way more speed - Nadal is the fastest player on tour), and much more - but their attitude towards improvement, to me, is refreshing.

Last item: I hope that Roddick has not practiced with Federer in Miami or played any practice sets against him. I would like Federer to contend with Roddick without pulling stunts like he had in Australia 2007 (pulling a practice session where they played two sets - Federer basically "collected" intelligence on him and didnt show any tricks and learned all of Roddick's and then obliterated Roddick in the semifinal).

So Mr. Roddick...if you ever consult tennisworld...please dont play any practice sets with Mr. Federer.

Ever notice what the hound dawg does when he catches up with the fire truck?

First of all, the dawg on'y catches up when dat truck stop. An' dat ol truck don' care nothin 'bout that ol hound dawg. Then dat dawg jes bark a lot, he make a few circles...then he jes sorta harrumphs, and eventually wanders off.

Now, we know 'dick ain't gon' do that - but I thought it'd be fun to extend the 'nalogy a bit.

Fun to be a-readin' your a-writin', hoss.

PS Ain't no such thing as "I don't have a dog in this hunt". It's "don't have a dawg in this FIGHT". Jes a side remark for the same people who say "could care less" and such.

Comparing Roddick to Agassi or Nadal is not fair to Roddick. So far, he is not in their league. Agassi is one of the greatest. I think Nadal will be ranked that way as well. Roddick is not. He is a good guy and a good player. I think it is like golf. People love the guy who drives it a mile, but they forget that putting is the most important thing.

Nice write-up Pete. First saw Andy play in Houston in 2001. Beat Young-tuk Lee(sic) on red clay imported from France by the imfamous Mattress Mac.
Hope everyone remembers his coach at the time, Tarik Benhabiles, Who seems to be the forgotten man in Andy's career.

"I would like Federer to contend with Roddick without pulling stunts like he had in Australia 2007 (pulling a practice session where they played two sets - Federer basically "collected" intelligence on him and didnt show any tricks and learned all of Roddick's and then obliterated Roddick in the semifinal)."

Andrew (Miller)-- Really? Are you talking about the Kooyong exhibition tournament in 2007 where Roddick beat Federer? That hardly counts as a "stunt." What exactly were the "tricks" Roddick revealed? That he planned to hit weak approach shots right into Federer's roundhouse? And Federer's trick was to hit easy passing shots again and again? More importantly, Roddick and Federer have played each other 18 times. I don't think either has any tricks left to pull out. In any case, that's not what tennis is about at their level.

Andrew Miller -

To the best of my knowledge, Roddick and Federer never practiced. Well, I don't know about never, but in the past two years I've been reading RF.com and reading their reports about Roger's practice sessions, I've never heard Roddick was one of the guys he trained with.

As far as the exho, I give Andy more credit than knowing Roger was testing stuff. He's seen him playing plenty of times, he knows he doesn't come to the net quite that often.

it amazes me how constantly a Fed Roddick match generates all this buzz and build up, over and over, with such an absurd head to head...

we've been hearing about the 'new and improved' andy roddick since 2006, its like this permanent storyline, Andy's bigger and better than ever! ... he's a hard working guy but three years of being 'resurgent' seems a bit overblown...

andrew when youre 15-2 with someone, u dont have to pull any 'stunts' to beat them, ok? lol

where's mrssanta when u need her?

Fed can take a year off and eat bon bons and play gin rummy and no one should have a word to say about it, he's earned it ...its got to be amazingly difficult to get up for these matches now, look how Sampras coasted through so many events like this and no one gave him grief about a loss to Wayne Ferreira or didnt he lose to like a 18 year old Roddick one year too? ...

Pete,

You have written an eloquent and beautiful piece here about Mr. Roddick. I have been a fan of his for many years and you truly have to admire the man for his consistency and willingness to work on his weaknesses. Andy is going through something of a renaissance this year under the tutelage of Larry Stefanki. While many out there say that Roddick will never win a grand slam, that strikes me as ridiculous. Federer and Nadal are geniuses of the game, but they are still human. And sometimes even a mortal can ascend the heights of Mt. Olympus, if only for a short time.
Even if Roddick never wins another slam his will have been an illustrious career.

Pete,

Just wanted to say I love the picture.

Personal recollection of semifinals of 2001 Houston semifinals - there was a rain delay after the first set and most people left as weather was very threartening. Went to a nearby bar... had a few and when I left it had cleared. Went back to the site to see if match continued, It did. I sat in the "Champagne seats" on the south baseline and drank free bubblely. After Andy finally won the match he was so happy, he told everyone that was still there (about 200 of us)) that he would buy tickets for all for the finals.
Been a big fan ever since, thru thick and thin.

I found this piece to be a little over the top in its praise for Roddick but he really does seem to be maturing as a tennis player and as a person. A year ago I would have agreed with alpha omega's assessment of Roddick as a frat boy jerk. His persona was always revolting and I didn't like his style of play. Part way through last season though, I started to soften toward Roddick a little bit. His comments in interviews have gotten far more insightful and far less abrasive and his game doesn't seem as one-dimensional as it used to.

Nadal and Murray each had an ugly match this week, so why can't Federer. He was dealing with alot of wind. Federer always has one of these matches leading up to playing Andy Roddick, then he comfortably plays vintage Federer. Remember, he was playing catch up at this time last year in Miami. I think that he will reach the finals, but I don't want to predict the winner if Murray is on the other side. I do hope that Federer does get a win over Murray before the clay-court season. Also, Federer will gain 1,000 points. Why was Boris Becker watching Federer's match. Was it for enjoyment or is he helping Federer this week?

hmmmmm - very interesting - Boris is Fed's new coach?

Everybody asleep now? Evening time at Australia.

I like Roddick very much. I'd rather see Roddick in Nadal's half.

Pete,
I've watched your passion for Roddick over the last year or so. It seems to me that something you really like about Andy Roddick is incredibly cultural: the hard-working type, blue collar down-to-earth with no such pomp ala Federer, now the guy with the right mindset.
I see how these are the qualities that an American would love in an American player. I do not see though (and you are not necessarily saying that either) that Andy has been any more hard working than his compatriots.. I am also not the biggest admirer of Andy's natural development the way you seem to be...why? it took him, in my humble opinion, too long to figure out how to behave on and off the court in order to bring the best out in him... too long. I think, unlike many out there, that Roddick is after all very talented and could have achieved more if he had figured things out earlier (especially on the mental and tactical part of his game). I remember Roddick behaving first like a totally spoiled brat when he was 19-22 years old, then like a somewhat neurotic and certainly incredibly impatient player who really didn't know how to handle his "guns" well (by comparison Nadal and Federer already looked like veterans at the same age). It's only now (when he's 26) when it seems that things are coming together (mentally and tennis-wise). Again players such as Nadal, Federer and even now Murray have ripened into maturity much earlier. That's the difference that I see between them (of course you could argue that Roddick has had the weaknesses that those more talented ones didn't have from the beginning...while there's something to be said about this you also need to consider Nadal's serve only 1 year ago, or even his net play (still very weak). Only a year ago Nadal was far from a complete player and yet he was already having an incredible success. Moreover, Roddick's serve and forehand could have substituted for a lot of the weakness on the backhand had he played smarter - i.e. in the way he's been playing recently. Thus I do not look admire Roddick's development the way you do. I actually think that has not lived up to his potential (luckily he's never been as bad as Marat Safin). For me, Andy Roddick's mental development has come too late. By this I am not saying that he would have beaten e.g. Federer on a consistent basis: but I certainly mean to say that had he matured as quickly as these guys he wants to compete with, his own "guns" would have given him more victories.

Beautiful. Very nice piece, although 3 paragraphs before the end, you finally let your prose get away from cold facts, and indulged a little bit in a lyrical flight. :) but that's always a danger when words take a life of their own. Let's keep things in perspective though. you learn much more about a player in defeat that you do in victory.

Hey, Pete and everyone.

Nice post on Roddick! It's important for my liking of him that he is always so regretful of some of his on-court behaviours. I can live with a little frustration/temper there - everyone gets a bit petulant at times on the court.

I admire the way he works and his intelligence in press conferences - it seems he's bringing that intelligence onto the court more, which is good to see. It's been nice to see his good start to the year too. Still - can't bet against Feddy today.

That said - I've always been a bit meh about watching him play; just not my style. And I love the flair and showmanship and nonsensical, frivolous trickery that Monfils brings to the court.

Gael is marking time till Clay Time? - I could see that. Be nice to see him build on last year's FO run. (but not too much; my boy Rafa has lots to defend...LOL)

Pete,
excessively poetic and sentimental about a player who, for all of his charisma and brash humor, is neither of the two.

Good post Pete.

I am a recent Roddick fan (since 2007 or so).

I do think it's time to put away the talk of his game being one-dimensional. No, he's not the greatest at the net, and his BH is hardly one of the best on tour. But this year he has clearly shown that they can be weapons (if less reliable than serve and FH) and that he's willing to use them as such.

I find that these days his game is as varied as anyone. And of course, the newfound athleticism is obvious even when he screws up the shot. At least he's getting there now.

And I realize that the ATP points race is no longer used, but he is second (behind nadal by a mile though) in unofficial reckonings. Granted, he will probably lose ground to Murray, Nadal, and likely Federer as well.

He's beaten Djokovic twice this year (if you include the iffy withdrawal in AO). And I wouldn't be surprised if he does it again.

Grand Slam this year? I wouldn't necessarily bet on it. But he's still finding his sea legs so to speak.

I do believe though, that he will be back in the 'Big Four' everyone keeps talking about. Heck, he's there now if you assess the situation honestly. I think he'll end the year number 3.

Btw, Pete - You ever wonder if there's a downside to Roddick's improved analytical skills? Late in his career, Agassi spoke of having a hard time "just letting it fly" on the court because he didn't know how many more chances he'd have at the big titles. One area where I worry for Roddick is that when crunch time comes in a big match, he'll be thinking TOO much, while an opponent like Rafa might just snatch victory by going for broke on a few key strokes- younger players seem to have an easier time doing that (no doubt because they don't perceive their chances for glory dwindling). For all the flaws in his earlier self, the Roddick of 2003 - a year-end number one - was able to pound that forehand with abandon even at crucial junctures - the signature moment to me was his AO quarterfinal against El Anaoui (sp?) when he was match point down and fired a crosscourt forehand winner from well behind the baseline. Andy Roddick, the 2009 version, won't attempt a shot like that at a moment like that - that's the wise approach, but for him I worry that it might not be the right one. We'll see...

I meant El Aynaoui... sorry Younes!

I can't see that he's matured so much when I still see him abuse umpires. However, I do agree with what Federer said to Courier at an AO on court interview, that Roddick doesn't get enough credit for playing at a consistently high top 10 level for so many years. But if he was from somewhere like Slovakia or Romania instead of the US he'd problably get a lot less attention and even less credit.

But he'll make a very entertaining commentator one day.

I'm with Corrie. I appreciate the work ethic, but have no respect for the abuse - of umpires, and in IW of at least one ball kid! Didn't like his snide remarks about Djokovic, either. Maybe he'll make a good commentator, who knows - Connors was terrible.

Bless you Miguel, for remembering good old Tarik Benhabiles!

Frankly, I hope he comes over here for Davis Cup and goes back to the States with his tail between his legs.

Pete-absolutely loved reading this piece! I have been a big fan of Andy's since he won his grand slam. I've been a reader (mostly lurking) of TW since 2005. There are many Andy haters on this site; therefore I've learned to scroll, scroll, scroll. It's really great to read some of the positive things posters are saying. Of course, there are the others.

I have nothing but respect of Andy's work ethic and the high level he's been able to sustain over time. But I will never warm up to his insistence on playing the role of "The Ugly American", screaming at umpires, abusing ballkids, and just generally acting like (at least how I perceive it) a bully towards others. At times it is embarrassing watching him on court. It's too bad that his behavior often times overshadows his tremendous work ethic.

Which, actually, might make him the perfect embodiment of all things American now that I think about it. The good and the bad all rolled into one sweaty trucker hat.

Andy deserves so much respect. He always gives 200 percent and he just never gives up. I respect him as a player so immensely. Say whatever you want about his game, but he's made the most of it, and he's doing more with his game than you ever will. He's a true competitor and a true champion.

I think Roddick gets enough credit for his accomplishments, and as many have pointed out, a lot more than he would were he not American. And if Pete Bodo praises Roddick for his effort, I hope it's symbolic of all the other players on tour who keep trying year after year. Although as in reading previous posts, I'm completely flummoxed by the idea that Roddick is more of a tryer than others like Federer. So winners with a beautiful game don't get credit for effort? What makes Roddick special?
Also, Roddick is still rude as ever to players beneath him in rank, and insulting to umpires, and abrasive in interviews. Check out his most recent interview transcript after beating Monfils, he's just not that witty. Not to mention, he speaks the language. Of course he comes across as funnier and more insightful than say, Nadal.

blahblahblah

I agree with Pspace, anon, christopher and ebh when they say that Roddick gets at least as much attention and credit as he deserves and probably a whole lot more. He'll never go down as one of the greats, nor should he, but he has shown a willingness to try and keep trying even though it's futile.

I have no doubt that he'll play hard against Federer, but I also feel he has like a 5% chance of beating even this version of Federer, which is a far cry from the 2006 version.

Someone said he stuck close with Nadal at IW, I disagree, that match never seemed winnable from Andy's perspective, despite Rafa losing concentration in the second set and allowing the TB.

I liked this post very much. I think sometimes Roddick still shows some immaturity on court, mostly when he starts being rude to umpires and ball kids whenever the match is not going well to him, but it's nice to see that he can switch back to this older and more mature guy, analyse the game, analyse how he's playing and improve. I'm enjoying watching Roddick's matches this year, I like how he seems to believe in himself, and also how eager he seems, like he feels he can win and he really wants it. If he says he's not scared by the 2-16 record against Federer and that he believes he has what it takes to win tonight, I'll believe him. I think he's done enough to deserve that kind of credit.

I really enjoyed that post Pedro.
I'ma have to respectfully disagree with Pspace, Christopher, sic et al, I don't feel like A-Rod gets all the respect he deserves, he's a former world #1 and grand slam champion, not to mention a tireless advocate for his charitable foundation, poster boy of USA tennis, and all-round nice guy. Lesser people, had they been put in his position, would have taken the so-called celebrity route, and hung up their rackets, and maybe done a few K-Swi.. I mean Lacoste adverts now and then. But not Andy, he, as Pedro pointed out, worked like a dog til he saw reasonable improvement, and hired Larry Stefanki, and lost a ton of weight. But that isn't what impresses me most about A-Rod, it's the fact that even though most people would be maligning the fact that they had two of the best players in history playing alongside them, and telling us to think about the what ifs, A-Rod has always been respectful of those who work hard and achieve great things.
Sorry for the long post, but what is it they say, the Lord loves a tryer, and well, so do I.

It's not such a great sacrifice for Roddick to keep competing. He still wins his fair share of matches and earns huge sums of money by playing tennis tournaments.

I also decline to call someone a "tireless" worker when for all intents and purposes every year he takes off a part of the season (clay). Tireless are Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray (and many more). The guys who, barring injury, play the whole season on every surface.

Oops, sorry I retract the quotes around "tireless" as you used that adjective for his charity work, not his tennis. Still leave the word tireless though, just without the quotes.

Also, just to clarify, I don't feel that Roddick deserves no credit for what he does and what he has accomplished, far from it. But I do think that Andy gets his fair share. Far more than non-US players of similar caliber (Davydenko, comes to mind).

Great Post

Pete,
This is a good article on Andy as we all had the chance to see him trying to adjust to today's game. This work ethic has kept him in the Top 10 for a lot of years. At the moment, he has the current longest streak of winning a tournament every year when he won Memphis(Roger has a chance to equalling this feat this year also). When he got with Larry and lost those 15 lbs, his movement has gotten better capped off by a rally in Davis Cup against Marco where he got to some shots that he would not have had a chance in 2008 and ended up winning the point and eventually, won the match in straight sets. Now, Andy has the chance to put his new found game against Roger once again tonight. Andy faced Roger earlier this year at the AO so he may make some significant adjustments tonight.

Posted by C Note (For Dina's sake, *please* make the final, Serena) 04/01/2009 @ 6:56 AM

I have nothing but respect of Andy's work ethic and the high level he's been able to sustain over time. But I will never warm up to his insistence on playing the role of "The Ugly American", screaming at umpires, abusing ballkids, and just generally acting like (at least how I perceive it) a bully towards others. At times it is embarrassing watching him on court. It's too bad that his behavior often times overshadows his tremendous work ethic.

Which, actually, might make him the perfect embodiment of all things American now that I think about it. The good and the bad all rolled into one sweaty trucker hat.
****************************************************

Amen to this post.

This is a good article; the one thing I question is how Roddick is any harder-working than any other player on tour.

He started out as a serve-and-forehand player; either the forehand lost something along the way, or it was no longer as effective against today’s players. But I can’t think of anything Roddick has actually improved about his game over the years. He may have been working harder than everyone else, but the productivity hasn’t been there. Or maybe he just makes it look like hard work.

I didn’t watch the match against Monfils, but I did watch the last match against Nadal, and it was like watching two players at different levels. The thing that really stood out for me was that Roddick’s backhand was not a weapon and also was extremely unreliable for keeping a rally going. Some players have unorthodox strokes that are effective, but in Roddick’s case the shot is unorthodox, awkward looking, and still ineffective.

But his serve has always been good, he gets a high percentage of first serves, and his second serve is great too. It was a good observation that Monfils starts with his feet together like Roddick. There are other aspects of Roddick’s serve, like his abbreviated takeback, that have been widely copied, especially among young kids who mimic his action all over North America. Someday he may be remembered as an originator of a very effective serve technique.

Emma "A-Rod has always been respectful of those who work hard and achieve great things."

He's respectful to the players and reporters who are 'greater' than him, but bullies the weaker ones. There's no consistency there.Players get carried away in the heat of the moment, but I've seen few who get so personal and entitled about their temper tantrums on court.

I agree with anon, Pspace, Christopher and sic- there are lots of players who put in as much effort on court and in charities without getting the credit and buzz Andy gets.
Also, good point about Roddick giving up on the clay court season. It's his right to prioritze, and it's probably wise. But he is ignoring a large part of tennis, which in addition to his rudeness, doesn't do much to reccommend him as the face of American tennis.

Has any American ever worked harder than Agassi? Or been a better ambassador for the US in the world of tennis? I was so proud, as an American, to cheer for Andre, who was adored by fans and respected by his opponents. Don't know much about Roddick's "tireless" charity work, I'll admit. Maybe he keeps it all quiet - though discretion isn't his style.

When Andre was young, he was marketed as this brash anti-Country Club brat - but then we all learned the guy actually uses the word "gosh". I silently think about Andre a lot whenever there's talk about sportsmanship in this game - and whenever there's talk about commitment and "heart". And with all four slams, he's my own choice for, well, you know, that acronym that's debated so often on here. Roddick embarrasses me, and he can keep on with all the hard work, but he'll never be Andre. "Former world number 1's and former grand-slam champions" are a dime a dozen. Maybe he'll earn my respect if he can manage to reach those heights again - but honestly, now, does anyone think Roddick can be number 1 again in the years he has left?

p.s. you need not remind me that Andre wasn't always a saint, I know every incident and faux pas. Thankfully most of those took place when the international cameras weren't rolling - tasteless quips in pressers come to mind. Not so much on the court.

I'm not sure why people get so riled with Roddick's "immature" behavior. I agree he should not abuse umpires or linespeople (although I have never seen him abuse a ballkid) who one has to assume are trying to do the best job they can. But I don't really see that misbehavior as any more immature than the player who bashes his racket on the ground, breaks his racket, hits balls out of the stadium, punishes the ball, etc. to vent his frustration. While I understand there's a difference between abusing a person and abusing an object, both are evidence of immaturity. Players who have the discipline not to abuse either the umpires/linespeople or their rackets and who control their emotions better on court, tend to be the ones who are/become champions (with only one or two notable exceptions).

I so like Andy's game these days. Grinding. Thinking. Executing. It's really fun to watch. When the cameras pan to Ms. Decker, it's also not so bad.

Nice piece of writing Pete. I go back and forth on Andy. His work ethic and game are respectable and the fact he has sustained top 10 ranking over the years is testament to this. I love some of his pressers (NOT the USO Nole one though). He can be witty and fresh in them...which makes me like him. But then he can be so nasty on court and my like of him fades. LOVE this by C Note:

"Which, actually, might make him the perfect embodiment of all things American now that I think about it. The good and the bad all rolled into one sweaty trucker hat."

Nice post, Pete.

Yes, Roddick oozes "professional tennis player" with every move he makes on the court and off. Not unlike the more gifted Federer and Nadal. In this one regard, I place him right next to those men, and above Djokovic, Murray, Simon, Ferrer, Blake, Tsonga, Nalbandian and all the others.

In the end, that, even more so than his multiple Masters wins, his incredible Davis Cup resume, and his lone Slam title may put him alongside those gentlemen in the Hall of Fame.

Mr. Bodo, nicest piece of writing I've seen from your keyboard (or should I say "TypePad") in some time. Mr. Tignor posted a great piece of writing about Rafa a few days ago, so nice to see you lifting your game too.

I used to view A-Rod as an underachiever, but my view has changed as his very real limitations became apparent. Nice to see that he's still working hard to improve at this late state of his career. He possibly has another 8-10 real shots at winning a major (not even considering RG), but it'll be tough. Fed will be there for at least another couple of years, Rafa for longer, and a lot of talented, eager young guns are on the prowl.

In a universe of infinite possibilities, Fed still beats Roddick. But, we can hope.

And BTW, as A-Rod has said, can't be a Frat boy if you ain't been to college.

^^^ You're making an April's Fool's gag, right? Nice one.

This match will depend on which Roger will come out. But a few words. Andy has improved his footwork, his backhand down the line, and his aggresive returns.
Roger is Roger and what may let him loose his match will be in his head and his level of patience on the day. Defeat at his hands last year, in the states, etc....you never know what to expect sometimes.
What Roger does have on his side is he is just so much better than Andy and he really hates loosing to Americans! He has said it as such. Something his American fans don't pick up on much.
With that said, it may be 50/50.

Ade,

Interesting comment about Federer and his distaste for losing to Americans. Can you link to an interview in which he said this?

I'm not claiming that he didn't, but I myself have never heard him say it.

Like most everyone else here, I have always felt ambivalent about Roddick... his on court demeanor has been troubling, but he reveals a degree of self awareness in his pressers that is refreshing. After seeing him play at Davis Cup, I have a much greater appreciation for his game and his dedication to the job at hand. He's not complicated...just giving it all he's got for as long as he can I guess...he will have no regrets at the end of the day.

Slice-n-Dice,

Man, hard thing to do but I can assure you he has said it. Past interview somewhere. I'll work on finding it.

I have also just read his interview transcript from yesterday and in my opinion, what Roger still needs to work on is his "humbleness" and admit some of these players who have been beating him are damn good instead of referring to his back problem. He doesn't get it. And I am one of his biggest fans too!

It is very interesting how people get labeled with a certain reputation, or “brand”, sometimes good and sometimes bad. In tennis and in real life too. For example, “the hardworking Andy Roddick.” Sometimes it is based on only a minor detail, like what kind of cap they wear. And then everyone keeps repeating it, “the work ethic of Andy Roddick.”

It can work the other way too, “the lazy Nalbandian,”, “the unprofessional Nalbandian,” “the primitive Nadal…” there are so many examples. I think when we start fixing these labels to individuals they become caricatures, and we lose appreciation of the real person.

Even the positive ones…”the gentlemanly Edberg…” don’t do justice to the person, because now we can’t understand or tolerate if he ever does anything that doesn’t fit with the brand.

Too much time on my hands…

Well said, Pierre @10:25am.

hi pete, nice read :)
glad roddick is still showing us he's hungry for victories over the big top guys.
he had to make adjustments in his game to keep competitive, he's doing it, and he will until he gets passed.
he's going to beat every once in "X" time players like rafa, or fed, and maybe djoko and murray, but i think he doesn't get down on himself because well he might lose more than he will win those.
i think the connors period his bringing down his fruits later after they slpit : experience, maturity coming toghether.
too bad he had to live in the monster era of fed and rafa, otherwise he would have a nice resume in slams... even like that, the guy has been more than consistant specially at the oz, and uso.
somewhere along the next 3 years, a small window will open for roddick again in a slam, and he's doing everything he can to be ready just in case, because even if fed rafa and all are hard to beat, andy with bringing his A+ game has a chance.
you can earn a chance by creating oportunities to get yourself in the best positions to get into semifinals, if fed had a bad day in the OZ, well you never know how it would have work out with him and rafa.

sometimes andy is not the best sportman on court berating at umpires, and more, but he loves to compete, and he's still very competitive against anyone not name fed or rafa.
credit to him, i think he deserves more respect for htat than he usualy gets.

I find it quite understandable that there should be some excitement about the forthcoming meeting of Roddick and Federer. After all, regardless of the H2H, it was at Miami last year that Roddick beat Roger after having beaten Nadal and Djokovic in Dubai. (And, please, spare me any mono talk, pleeeeease. It's embarrassing.)

We are talking about tennis -- about sport -- where the excitement derives from the fact that anything, even the supposedly impossible as well as the improbable, can happen on any given day.

Like Villanova winning on Saturday and winning the whole thing. Go, 'Cats! :)

Pete;

Tennis is such an international sport— too bad that Roddick cannot conduct himself on the court in a way that does his country proud instead of behaving like an ______. (fill in the pejorative.) Roddick's been berating umpires ever since he came on tour, and this past Indian Wells, simply put, he was disgusting to umpires and the linespeople. The fact that he doesn't get warned, or fined, as are other players, is a mystery to me. Anyway, can't stand watching him for the reasons stated.

Ade,

I agree with your 10:23 AM comment.

Then again, denial is an important tool in the aging athlete's locker.

Andy Murray behaves like a brat on court too. I remember when he had that spat w/ Del Potro when Murray's mom was being extra vociferous in the front row and Del Potro said something in response. I wouldn't step in to help if I saw Murray getting assaulted in a dark alley, I'd get some popcorn, pull up a chair...

Ruth:

Embarrassing to whom? Mono was a fact, like it or not, nothing embarrassing about it. Anyway, I think we've reached the point we're the match tonight could go either way. With Federer having the edge.

Ruth -

The excitment re: Roger/Andy has nothing to do with the fact that a year ago, Andy finally won one. After all, he had MP against him in 2006(!), when Roger was at the height of his powers.

In a best of three format, Andy always stood a chance.

Andy-Roger matchups are always attractive, and relatively tight, Andy's game often bring up the best in Roger, and Roger's presense on the other side of the net bring out the best of Andy (even if Andy's best is not as good as Roger's hence the one-sided h2h)

I too have always admired Roddick's work ethic and lack of complaint about sliding from the top of the heap. Say what you will about his on-court complaints, I don't think I've ever heard him once complain about no longer being #1, or whatever. All he says is that he's not going away, and he's going to work hard to get back.

This is not to say that there aren't valid criticisms to be made about his on-court presence or, for that matter, the limits of his game, but complain about past glory? Never.

Well, as long as Andy is not blond, blue-eyed European...it will work. We all know that Pete would not be writing anything good about blond, blue-eyed Europeans...

right, Pete?

Or: I was responding to a poster who seemed surprised that there was so much talk about the Fed-Roger match, something that seems too obvious to me. I think that Andy's having beaten Roger in Miami (where they are NOW) a year ago -- or that "he finally won one," as you put it -- creates or adds to the excitement for many fans. You think it "has nothing to do" with that. We disagree. OK with me.

In the end, that, even more so than his multiple Masters wins, his incredible Davis Cup resume, and his lone Slam title may put him alongside those gentlemen in the Hall of Fame.

------------

Slice-n-Dice, this was what I thought was an April Fool's gag. The Hall of Fame?! I can't see it. He's just an also-ran. I dunno, maybe I'm not blinded enough by the Stars-n-Stripes. I'm not even buying the "incredible Davis Cup resume"...is it really so impressive to be called "incredible"?

- and "he's not going away", Heidi? Praytell, what else would he do?

Does anyone know of a live feed for Serena's match?

FO: very poor quality visual feed for Serena match but interesting commentary from Davenport:

http://www.justin.tv/goabroad

Roddick deserves immense respect for having stayed on in the top ten for 7 to 8 yrs..he has not fallen out of the top 10 since he got there.

From his generation, there is only one other person who has achieved the same.

That says a lot. Period.

If Novak had so much help from some federation, coaches waiting in line to help him...he would be #1 for the next 5 years. Roddick is a great talent, but talks faster than he thinks. Stefanki is squeezing the maximum out of him, and he is still talking trash on the court. By no means is he an example of tennis player, as US nationalist Bodo is trying to present. Nadal behaves like a true tennis player, number of others too, but not by any means Roddick. Andy Roddick is an example of spoiled american celebrity, trying to sell low class humor as charm. He is often angry on and off the court...

But, he has a virtue in Pete Bodo's eyes...he is an american, no matter how bad he is, he is still better than the rest, and all non-american are suspicious of subversive activity against...whatever.

CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE

he needs to change his game - what does he have to loose
take a year off - switch to one handed back hand
no amount of training, nutrition will change any thing
I was surprised to find out that rafa tried himself to be a southpaw ?

like roger needs to change his game if he wants to beat rafa
sometimes strategy is not good enough
whats left is you either change the game or change to fit in
with all the skills tiger woods has, why does still feel he needs to keeps changing his swing ?
becuase as with all thing change is constant
the wise ones change before they are forced to

rafa will also need to change his game on fast surfaces
or his body will not hold up

No April Fool's joke from me, tina. When all is said and done, I'm betting that Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick will have had 10 years in the top 10 and a good portion of that in the top 5, a #1 world ranking, a Slam title, two (or more) Wimbledon finals, a Davis Cup trophy (or two) with 30+ singles wins and a perfect record in clinching rubbers, 30+ titles, and a reputation as a guy who could be counted on to deliver the goods to fans.

There are a lot of things we could pick apart in Andy's game and in his on-court disposition, which is somewhat prickly at times, but his work ethic and his consistency as one of the top players and spectator draws in the game is beyond dispute.

And all the great work his foundation does. How many other players have foundations?

Roddick
Federer
Agassi

Who else?

arbiter,

Please do us all and yourself a favor and take your vitriolic agenda elsewhere. Debate Roddick's behavior and attitude all you want, but don't try to turn Bodo's piece into some kind of xenophobic propanganda.

I do not know, and don't much care, what your heritage is or what our ethnic roots might be, but one cannot help but see the xenophobia in your own statements.