Between his first and second
matches of the 2012 US Open, Andy Roddick called a press conference. Impromptu press conferences are fairly rare
in the tennis world; some thought he may be dropping out of the tournament,
some thought he just wanted to get some more air-time next to his wife (the
ultimate “I don’t care what you say about my career, I married hotter than you
did/ever will” move), and some foresaw what actually happened: a retirement
announcement. This couldn’t be said to be
a major shock – everyone not named Andy Roddick believed he was past his prime,
attempting to compete in a game becoming ever more dominated by wildly
athletic, conditioned, punishing 20-somethings.
Some thought he had another year or two of quality competition in him if
he wanted it.
The truth is, Andy Roddick
has always trained extremely hard, and always competed even harder. When he first began training with the major
US players, Agassi was amazed at the power and commitment of the young teenager.
You could never watch an Andy Roddick
match, against anyone, and say at the end, “You know, it really looked like
Andy folded in that final set.” For a
man who went 2-19 against the greatest player history has seen (thus far), that
statement is perhaps a greater legacy than any set of numbers or
accomplishments he achieved on the court.
Yet despite his commitment,
enthusiasm, energy, athleticism, and love for the game, Andy Roddick retires
having only won a single major.
One.
