McIntyre Tennis

Andy Roddick Press Conference

Always fun to read Andy's post match press conference, win or lose. Here are his thoughts after being defeated by Roger Federer 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 in the semi finals in Australia. I've included the following testy exchange below.

Q. When it was 5‑2 in the first set, the umpire or chair engaged you when you carried on, and he said neither you nor him were going to win here. That didn't affect you at all?

ANDY RODDICK: What?

Q. When it was 5‑2 in the first set.

ANDY RODDICK: I was already down two breaks in that set.

Q. I get that.

ANDY RODDICK: Then get it.

Q. It was an unusual stage for the chair to engage you and carry on a dialogue after two breakpoints went against you.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, what do you want from me? The guy made a judgment call. I didn't agree with the judgment call. I made it known. I asked pointed questions that when he answered them they completely contradicted what he said before. What do you want me to say?

Q. Well, I guess you didn't beat yourself here, you were beaten by a better player.

ANDY RODDICK: Have you been here for the entire press conference?

Q. Yes.

ANDY RODDICK: I feel like I've gotten that point across.

Q. You handled that quite well. I'm impressed.

ANDY RODDICK: Thank you. You make a lot of statements and don't ask any questions.

Keep the Roof Open or Closed?

An interesting debate here on the usage of the roof on Rod Laver Arena. To leave it open and make the players sweat it out in a battle of fitness or to close it up and allow the more talented player to achieve victory?

Personally I don't care, but I definitely do not agree with closing it part way through. Choose one or the other!

Australian Open Midterm Grades

Check out SI's Jon Wertheim's Aussie Open midterm grades.

My only disagreements are

A) lumping the Williams sisters together - I mean they do have separate identities, right?

and

B) Ethnic violence only gets a  'C'??? Come on Jon - fail those punks!

Amer Delic Fan Reaction

A growing story for all the wrong reasons, American Amer Delic is receiving some crowd support that some say crosses the line. While Delic plays for the United States, he was born in Bosnia. Extra security will no-doubt have to be on hand later this week to prevent things from getting out of hand when he faces Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

Below is an article that speaks of Delic's first round match against Taylor Dent. Dent's father Phil (a former ATP player) comments at length.

Phil Dent Comments

More on unruly crowd behavior at the Open can be found at the following link as well.

Roddick Moves On, Catches Break

By Mike McIntyre

Not only did American Andy Roddick defeat tough Belgian qualifier Xavier Malisse Wednesday in Australia, but he also caught a break with the defeats of both Philipp Kohlschreiber and David Nalbandian. Roddick's draw has now opened up considerably and he appears to have a fairly comfortable path to the quarter finals.

Against Malisse, Roddick served superbly and also played some impressive tennis with 45 winners compared to 27 errors. Despite losing the first set 4-6, he regrouped and waited for Malisse to come back down to earth. Malisse pulled out one of the most impressive trick shots I've ever seen to go up a break 4-3 in the first. As he approached the net he managed to do a 360 degree, half-volley drop shot that left Roddick without answer. The "X-man" has some talent you see?

A Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2002, Malisse has battled injuries and himself over the years. His mental and physical fragility were both on display on this day. In the second set he began fidgeting over a groin issue and also waived his hand in pain at one point. Multiple visits from the trainer were required and in the meantime his game headed south. In a third set tiebreaker, Malisse crumbled mentally by losing seven straight points to lose it 7-1. That marked the end of a potentially competitive match as Roddick went on to win 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(1), 6-2.

Roddick now has the enviable task of facing the 36 year old Santoro who survived a five set marathon against Kohlschreiber. Wasn’t this guy supposed to be retiring? At the conclusion of that match, after shaking hands, Santoro could barely walk from the net to his chair as he was suddenly hobbled by leg cramps. It was as if his body allowed him just enough power to win the match before giving out on him. Just how much the magician has left in the tank remains to be seen.

As for Roddick’s chances, he last defeated Santoro 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 at the U.S. Open in August, while he had lost 8-6 in the 5th set against Kohlschreiber at last year's Aussie Open. Think he's happy about who he’s facing? His fortunes improved even more when Nalbandian was beaten by Yen-Hsun Lu of Taipei. Roddick could face either Lu or Tommy Robredo in the round of 16. Any way you look at it and one has to be confident in the American's chances to progress through the draw - although likely not as confident as Brad Gilbert who at the conclusion of the match was calling for a Roddick appearance in the semi's. He sure jumped on that bandwagon quick!

After the match Roddick spoke of the fitness realization he came to during the off season where he apparently shed fifteen pounds off his frame. "Tennis has become more about legs and running," he concluded. He spoke of the fact it was necessary to improve in that area in order to compete with the "big four." Being respectful towards Santoro and his victory against Kohlschreiber he said, "credit to him - he's just a good tennis player." It is now up to Roddick to take advantage of this opportunity and show that he can be better than just 'good.' He needs to be great, especially if he does in fact make it to the later stages of the tournament

 

Saluting Kimiko Date Krumm

Link to SI's Jon Werhtheim's Tennis Mailbag.

Can Roddick Win Another Slam?

A short, but interesting article linked below on whether or not Andy Roddick can return to Grand Slam Glory. It has been over five years since his one and only Slam at Flushing Meadows. While he realizes he has not accomplished enough lately to be considered on par with the "big four" he is certainly eager to change that with a strong showing in Melbourne.

Can Roddick Rock It?

Safin wins in straight sets

Marat Safin advanced into the second round of play at the Aussie Open with a straight sets wins over Ivan Navarro on Monday. See below for a piece about his mental state.

The many moods of Marat

Dent Loses But Remains Upbeat

American Taylor Dent lost a close five set match in his return to the Grand Slam scene. See the link below for a nice summary of what he has endured the past three years. Also some details on Marat Safin's new outlook.

Dent Returns

Dokic Wins in Grand Slam Return

A nice story about Jelena Dokic's return to the Grand Slam scene after a three year absence.

Dokic Wins Opener