When
I first saw Roddick I was not impressed - young, brash. Here we go again. He
had that punk attitude. Maybe the resemblance to the American Pie character
“Stiffler” was the tipping point. Whatever it was, I was not looking forward to
having this brat lead tennis for the next 10 years. Now in hindsight I didn’t
need to worry as well, it turns out it wouldn’t have been a bad thing.
I
remember watching him lose to Sampras in the 2002 Open while clinching my fist
together shouting “YES” to his dismissal. Never a fan of fiery, hot-heads in
any sport, I already grew sick of his bickering, smart ass, snarky comments and
cockiness on the court.
This
was going to be a long span in Tennis where I’d have to somehow find a way to watch
and take in all the splendor of the sport while ignoring the best player in the
world.
Then
my worst nightmare, 2003 Andy Roddick wins the US Open championship and all I
remember hearing was “the future of American tennis has arrived”. All I
remember thinking was “wake me up when he departs.” Truth was, I liked his
game, I didn’t like the guy or at least the persona that was being put forth to
the public.
Then
came Wimbledon 2004. I was on vacation in Florida and I remember leaving my
beautiful other half alone on the beach while I went back to the hotel room to
watch the finals between Andy Roddick and Roger Federer. Andy’s best match,
ended in a loss for the American. My love for this Federer guy along with my
distain for this American made this a favorable result in my eyes. Then the mic
was handed over to Andy and he shouts out the now famous "I threw the kitchen sink at him but he
went to the bathroom and got his tub.” It made me laugh. It made me feel for
the guy. To quote the Winter Warlock “My icy heart…it’s melting” how could this
be? NOOOOO!
That
same summer I saw Andy play the Rogers Cup in Toronto. It would end up being my
only time seeing him play live. I couldn’t help be impressed. The speed of his
shots, his intensity… he was winning me over. Still he’d open his mouth from
time to time and do what he does best, speak his mind. Sometimes he made me
laugh and sometimes I wanted to forget my ears ever took in his mumbo jumbo.
Point is… the hate was gone.
My
impressions of Andy in the prime of his career were softer than before. Still
not appreciative yet of his color and comedy, I was definitely not hating him
being around. And while yes, he was on the wrong end of his matches with
Federer, which I loved, he was showing something. Andy was clearly number 2 in
the world by a long shot but there was not one ball struck or one game played
or one match contested where he looked content with that. He played every match
like he was born to play this sport. Never backing down or making any excuses…
umm well, excluding the clay season and French Open. The other thing that was
becoming clear is that I was WRONG! Maybe a bit bratty, definitely brash but
this was no spoiled punk. Andy was coming out on the wrong end of slams far
more than he should have and yet the class and dignity he showed in his losses
was huge. I like sportsmanship. Idolizing Gretzky as a child taught me how an
athlete should act and carry himself. That childhood impression has stuck with
me all my life. Call me sappy but that’s how I like my sports. Andy had a way,
unlike many before or after, to express his anger yet show respect to his
opponent, sport and in turn, to himself. It is not easy to have a microphone
thrown in front of your mush after a heart breaking loss…again and again.
Sometimes he was a bit crass but most time he was 100% honest and factual. He
had every reason in the world to hate Federer yet he stood in front of the
media after crushing losses and praised the Swiss as a player and person. Not
sure how many of us realize how incredibly hard that is to do. Even though behind
closed doors some racquets probably met their harsh and painful demise and late
at night a tear or two was shed, the bottom line was my first impressions of
Andy, maybe at the time were somewhat accurate, but by this point in his
career, were out right wrong and I was happy about that.
Once
the Roger/Rafa era was in full effect, Andy accepted his place as a top 5 or
top 10 player rather than a top 2. For me this was hard to accept. In my mind
he was more than capable of winning slams still and even taking chunks out of
the big two. As time passed however, Andy was slipping. Always capable of
beating anyone any day, but just not breaking through anymore with the
regularity we were accustomed to.
2009…Wimbledon…
the rivalry renewed. Andy vs Roger. Federer going for his record breaking 15th
slam, Andy trying for his first and long overdue Wimbledon Title. The match was
brilliant. How could any match possibly follow up the ‘08 final which saw Nadal
win his 1st ever Wimbledon? Andy played a near flawless match. That
has been said before in tennis but I’m not sure it’s ever been quite so
accurate. Andy Roddick failed in his last Wimbledon finals in a match where he
was broken just once. JUST ONCE! Andy Roddick was broken on serve once in the
whole match and it cost him a grand slam title! That is excruciatingly hard to
digest as a fan let alone as Andy. Yet once again, even though and I’m guessing
here, he wanted to kill Roger Federer in front of all the world while he gave
his acceptance speech, Andy found it within himself to show class and poise and
lose like a man. If you ask me, like a champion.
Andy’s
legacy was dealt a tough blow with Federer constantly taking the glory but Andy
said it best when he claimed that all his losses made him the man he is today.
I think back at a time in tennis when a brilliant player, such as Andy, was so
short changed with grand slam victories and the sad truth is, there has never
been such a travesty. Andy’s one grand slam title came at a time when the world
thought he was the new face of tennis and that slams would be pouring in. In my
opinion, I give Andy 6 slams if Federer wasn’t around. 3 Wimbledon’s, 2 US
Opens and 1 Aussie. That is just my modest opinion. It would have put him on
pace with the Edbergs and Beckers of the tennis world. That’s a great spot for
him.
So
while that isn’t going to happen I think it’s important that we look past the
slams. Slams are a huge part of tennis but an even bigger part is being an
ambassador for the game. Andy was that. Not just to Americans but worldwide.
His movie star looks, his larger than life persona, Andy drew you in. He was
the most entertaining player at every expo and charity event. He even played
tennis with a frying pan for crying out loud. He did wonders for his country in
Davis Cup and just being a leader. He carried his nation on his back during
some lean years in American tennis and did it with tremendous class. While most
could see the end coming it was still crushing to hear the words. “I’ll be
retiring” But when Andy stepped out on Ashe Stadium for his, possible last
match, with Tomic, it seemed all was well. With the crowed, his box and even
Andy on court. It was hard to think that this could be it cause you think back
about all the great memories with him especially at night on Ashe. So what
happens next? Andy crushes his opponent and sends everyone home happy for just
one more night.
Andy’s
last bow came. Fittingly, on Ashe when he was dismissed by the ever gracious
Del Potro.
In
the end my lasting memories of Andy are many. The most quotable tennis star
ever. A hard working dedicated leader, a smart and entertaining player. A man
who won too little given his talent and potential but most of all I’ll always
look back and fondly recall the Roddick days as some of the greatest in the
spots history for all the reasons mentioned above. A presence that will be
missed. All the greats retire, it’s the nature of sport, heck, it’s the way of
life. In the end though, only a select few on this planet get to leave legacies
as great as Andy’s, for that I’m sure he is grateful, and for that I know us
tennis fans sure are.
Andy
may have only won one slam but tennis won an all time great.
I
bet this guy knows how to retire!
No comments:
Post a Comment