Brooklyn Decker (Larry Marano)
THAT’S ALL, FOLKS: Andy Roddick motions to the crowd, while his wife, actress/model Brooklyn Decker (inset) wipes away tears after the final match of Roddick’s career, a four-set loss to Juan Martin del Potro yesterday at the U.S. Open. (Gettiy Images; Larry Marano (inset))
It seems odd for a professional athlete to be retiring without obvious signs of deteriorating skills. In football, basketball, baseball and boxing, the athlete, especially a star athlete, doesn’t call it quits until they’re well past their prime or their bodies have broken down to the point where they’re no longer wanted. Andy Roddick hardly qualifies.
At age 30, Roddick said good-bye to competitive tennis yesterday after losing 6-7 (1), 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-4 to Juan Martin del Potro in the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open. While the seventh-seeded del Potro dominated after losing the opening set, it wasn’t like Roddick was outclassed.
“I don’t know if he [is] sure to stop to play because in this way he’s going to be dangerous in the next tournaments for us,” the Argentine said.
Roddick says he’s sure, though he knows the itch to compete will not go away anytime soon.
“I’m not ignorant to the fact that it’s a huge part of me and that I won’t miss it, of course I will,” he said. “I’m not pretending like there aren’t going to be hard days. But I feel pretty settled in the decision and I feel content and happy with it.”
The question becomes will tennis miss Roddick more than Roddick will miss tennis? In the U.S., it’s probably the former. His departure leaves a huge void in the American men’s game. Roddick was a great representative for U.S. tennis. From the ball cap on his head to the Stars and Stripes on the sneakers he has worn since the Olympics, he oozed red, white and blue. His Davis Cup legacy that spanned from 2001-2009, 2011, including a victory in 2007, might be just as notable as his 2003 U.S. Open victory or 32 singles titles.
“He’s a great team player. He loved his country. He played like an American,” John McEnroe told the television audience.
Roddick wasn’t about to be drawn into a discussion about the state of American tennis and who the next male superstar might be.
“Let’s just let them do their thing and let them grow,” he said. “I’d love to help any of them, but there’s no filling shoes. We’ve got to be looking for individuals, not clones.”
Another Roddick wouldn’t be so bad. It was a blessing and curse that his career bridged those of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Throw in Andre Agassi and Roddick’s lone Grand Slam win is as understandable as being a four-time runner-up in Slams.
“There were a lot of tough moments, but unbelievable moments,” Roddick said. “I mean, who gets to play in Wimbledon finals and who gets to play in an Open and who gets to be part of a winning [Davis Cup] team? Most people don’t get to experience that.”
There was a glimpse of hope that maybe Roddick, seeded 20th, could pull off the upset yesterday and reach the quarterfinals. He won the first set on a tiebreaker. But del Potro won the second set in a tiebreaker and then broke Roddick twice in the third set and controlled the match from there.
Down 5-3 in the fourth set, Roddick had to fight off match point. Somehow it wouldn’t have seemed right to end his career by having his service broken. It was his booming serve that had been the root to all of his success.
But Roddick had one more fight left in him. He held off the match point and then won the game, making it 5-4. Del Potro ended any hope of a comeback by serving out the match, ending it with a smashing cross court forehand that Roddick hit wide.
“I know the thing that is certain is I didn’t take any of it for granted,” Roddick said. “I think I went about things the right way. The umpires might disagree with me. But I was consistent and I don’t feel like I left a lot on the table on a daily basis. When I look back, that’s probably what I’m proud of.”
Game, set, match, career.