Andy Roddick (USA)

Other than Roger Federer, there is no more an immovable object in men’s tennis than America’s Andy Roddick. Since bursting onto the ATP scene in late 2000, Roddick has accumulated 15 singles titles, with many a grand slam run into the offing. His last two Wimbledon campaigns alone show his potential, with 2004’s run to the final improving on his previous effort of an enthralling semi final defeat to Switzerland’s Federer. His impact on the scene has left critics astounded as to how one man can have such potential, with all the weapons required to equal anything that Pete Sampras previously achieved, including his record breaking serve which currently holds at 155mph. A true American, Roddick carries the hallmarks of all that have come before, Sampras, Agassi and McEnroe included. Temperament aside, he is one of the most gifted individuals in the men’s game, running through the ATP field time and time again with Federer the only player seemingly strong enough to keep him at bay. A former world number one, his achievements at the age of 22 pale in comparison to what he could achieve over the next 10 years, and with a talent that is by no means realised, he is more than likely to become one of the all time great grand slam champions.

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www.andyroddick.com

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Born 30th August 1982, there was always something about him, something that gave you the instant impression that he was to go on to be something special in time, something that would drive him on to bigger and better things than his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska could offer him. His realisation of being a professional tennis player came when he found himself fascinated with the play of one Pete Sampras and immediately found himself idolising the former world number one, watching his every move and dreaming of the day he’d find himself walking out on centre court at Wimbledon. To date, he has amassed a mere $7,060,931.00 in career prize money on the ATP circuit, an astonishing feat for a guy that’s served as little as three years on the professional scene, winning title after title, beating player upon player with minimal ease. His faults, as with any other great American, lie in his temperament. His fiery demeanour, ala John McEnroe, can cause him to let his concentration slip and ultimately cause his downfall against any capable opponent, but when kept in check, he is generally unbeatable on most surfaces. His only slam title to date is the particularly coveted US Open title, won in a gruelling final with Juan Carlos Fererro, yet his recent runs in such tournaments indicate that it is likely to be the first of many more.

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Despite the strengths that his serve and forehand hold for him, his one sticking point is seemingly his backhand, something that he has attempted to rectify over the last year or so, with evident improvement in his matches that I’ve seen. His endorsement with Reebok has seen him sign a multi million dollar contract to ‘model’ their merchandise both on court and off, finding himself one of the big ‘must haves’ amongst US firms (he also wears Rolex watches for such amounts of money). Currently residing in Boca Raton, Florida, he prefers to live away from the hustle and bustle of the tennis scene and relax whenever he gets the chance, a rare occurrence considering his late runs in seemingly every tournament he plays in, but an absolutely must when you get the chance. His ungodly power gives him the advantage over the majority of players on the circuit, generally able to sweep them from the court with minimal ease, yet certain players, as Roger Federer has previously shown, are able to counter his strengths with their very own, resulting in some epic confrontations between the pair in the last few years. The pair are seemingly the new breed of pro tennis players, one the unstoppable force, the other the immovable object, making for a rivalry which is more than likely to go down in the ATP history books.

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Career Review (2001 - 2004)

singles record 234-74
singles titles 15
doubles titles 2
prize money $7,060,931.00

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His main career highlight, other than his superb capture of the US Open title at Flushing Meadow, was his run to the Wimbledon Final in 2004, a run only ended by the sublime touch of world number one Roger Federer. Player upon player fell at Roddick’s feet, resulting in the final that everyone expected from the off, the world number one against the world number two. The previous years meeting between the two at the semi final stage added extra spice to a clash that was already bubbling under it’s own expectation. On the day Federer was simply the better man, although Roddick laid down a marker for future campaigns, showing what he can do on his day, with only the Swiss’s exceptional talent able to stand in his way of another grand slam title. As a representative of the American Davis Cup team, Roddick has found that form of the game slightly harder to adjust to, seemingly not as ‘up’ for such confrontations as it is when he plays for his own gain, resulting in his recent defeat to Spain’s Rafael Nadal, ultimately costing the US the Final of the prestigious world tournament. As a keen follower of tennis, and in particular Roddick, the difference that the ’new’ breed of players (Roddick, Federer, Safin and Nalbandian) have made to the ATP scene has been startling and in particular the way that matches are played have changed rather dramatically.

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Relationships play a key role in any professional sportsperson’s career, which makes it surprising that, if anything, his former relationship with US actor/singer Mandy Moore didn’t hinder his progress in any way, rather it strengthened his resolve when things became tough and used it as an influence to spur him on to complete victory. Although since ending, Roddick has found equal strength in himself to pull himself forward, you get the slight feeling that such a positive influence would have been of great gain to Andy had it remained, yet the hectic lives of the two seemed to pull in opposite directions to one another, resulting in it‘s ultimate demise last year. Roddick, along with so many others, is far from reaching his full potential yet, but with his talent, his drive and determination and his ungodly will to win, it’s only a matter of time before the name Andy Roddick is spoke of in the same vain as Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi, a legendary line up of American pro tennis players.

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