Roddick loses it
He’s been called an endearing brat and a problem child. Ninth seed and 2003 American champion Andy Roddick exits the US Open today after a second round loss to the 44th ranked Serbian Janko Tipsarevic. This was Roddick's worst performance at a Grand Slam tennis tournament since 2008, but it was his attitude which really caught people’s attention.
The match finished one minute after midnight at the National Tennis Centre in New York. It was during the third set of the match that Roddick lost his cool when the lineswoman called him on a foot fault. Roddick confronted the lineswoman about which foot had faulted; when she called the wrong foot, Roddick lost it. He then proceeded to yell at the chair umpire and imitate Tipsarevic’s grunt. The lineswoman was unavailable for comment.
The match’s final score was 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6, (7-4). The last time Roddick lost in a second round tennis majors match was in 2008 at Wimbledon and his opponent then was none other than Tipsarevic. Evidently the Serbian knows how to get under Roddick's skin.
The first set belonged to Roddick but it was Tipsarevic that owned the following three. It was in the third set while Roddick was trailing 5-2 that the lineswoman called his double fault on a serve. Roddick berated her, complaining about her officiating skills. He then shouted for someone to call 1-800-RENT-A-REF, hoping that this mock 1-800 number might provide him with a more accurate official.
The fourth set went all the way to a tie breaker before 26-year-old Tipsarevic ended Roddick's advances with a backhand winner.
Tipsarevic dominated this game, breaking Roddick's serve three times. Roddick is quoted as saying: “He played very high risk and executed for four sets, I kept telling myself this had an expiration date on it, but I think I needed another set for that.”
Most believe that the tennis star just needed something to yell about as he was losing to the man who had, just two years ago, humiliated him at Wimbledon. Roddick was neither cautioned nor fined by officials. And this may be the source of his not so favourable attitude. Sure he refuses to grow up, but the man has never been given proper incentive. Last year Williams argued with an official for a call she felt was wrong and she was fined and docked one point. She lost the semi-final match due to that point, and she was put on probation.
Roddick's performance was bad and his attitude was deplorable. It caught the peoples attention, but what should be catching people’s attention is the underlying double standard in the society of tennis.
Tags: