Wimbledon Tennis 2010 : Can Andy Roddick defeat Roger Federer
With the onset of Wimbledon, there will be many players who would be looking to regain lost glory. Then there will also be some who would be searching for a title, for some saving grace. One such contender is American Andy Roddick, who has been trying to find form and trying to prevent himself from being labelled as a one hit wonder. Roddick hoped he could rekindle that magic last year in the Wimbledon final but Federer came in his way. To his credit, Roddick fought till the last breath, he went down fighting 16-14 in the final set. There were cheers in the crowd, it seemed as if they were applauding the fighting spirit of Andy Roddick.
Roddick will want to change things around this year. His record in major finals and Wimbledon is dwindling with each passing year. It seems that the thorn in his side is Roger Federer. Roddick has lost to Federer in four major finals with one win and three straight losses in Wimbledon. It is not just for him that Roddick would want to win the crown at SW19 but also to bring glory to his country that has not seen a major win in a while. The American dominance on grass was last witnessed during the era of Peter Sampras, but no other American has even come close to emulating Sampras’s career and legacy.
Roddick would be going into this year’s champsionship at Wimbledon to end the American title drought, which he was very close to doing in 2009. On the first Sunday of July last year, Roddick entered the lawns of the centre court of SW19 in impeccable form. His serve was bang on target and his shots were painting the lines. The accuracy of his serve could be measured by the fact that it was broken only once and that too in the crucial seventy seventh game of the match. Roddick went down fighting with a score line that has gone down in the history of the game; 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14. In the history of the game, this was the longest set ever played and longest match ever played in terms of games. Another feather in Roddick’s cap was the fact that he played the crucial final set nursing a hip injury that he sustained after a fall in the fourth set. There was no giving up though, Roddick played on trying to get his hands on the prestigious trophy.
Larry Stefanki, Andy Roddick’s coach calls the grass surface Roddick’s bread and butter. However, as much as Roddick loves to play on grass he does not like to go into Wimbledon with too many expectations on his shoulders. Like every year, he seems anxious yet excited going into the tournament but very strongly believes that he can impose his game even more this time around.
The grass surface on Wimbledon aids Roddick’s strong serve. The slipperiness of the surface propels the speed of his serve making it difficult for his opponents to read and return. His serving strategy is somewhat similar to the Williams sisters, who have won eight titles in the last decade. He would be looking to use this to his advantage and finally have his name etched on the trophy, it is not as if a grand slam title has eluded Roddick, he has won the US Open in 2003, but it is Wimbledon that he has his eyes set on. What eggs him on even more is the appearances he has made in closely fought final matches at Wimbledon.
The loss last year in the final has just made Roddick stronger and more resolute. He does not consider it an opportunity lost but one of the many opportunities that will knock on his door. The finish line seems in sight, but Andy Roddick needs to cross it.
Tags: