Hasta La Vista Andy!!!

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 30: Andy Roddick of the United States speaks to the media during a press conference announcing his retirement during Day Four of the 2012 US Open .

To many it came as a surprise, to some (Federer etc.) it was more of a shock but in the end, Andy Roddick  signed off from the tennis world in a style just like his famed serve: swift and short…In a short press conference yesterday, Roddick announced that the ongoing US open would be the last event of his professional career and with that fell the curtains on quite a remarkable career, which had its fair share of successes but also some heart-breaking near-misses…

Perhaps it is fitting that Roddick is retiring at the US open, a place where he always thrived on the crowd support and where he arguably enjoyed his best on-court moment when as a 19-year old precocious kid, he tore through the field to clinch the US open title in 2003; till date his one and only Grand Slam..

Blessed with a monster serve and a huge forehand, Roddick seemed primed for many more Grand Slams and a worthy successor to the Sampras-Agassi era of  tennis. However, like many other talented players of that time, Roddick had the misfortune of  playing in the same time when some guy named Federer was mesmerising people with his artistry and otherworldly skills. Any description of Roddick’s career is incomplete without the mention of Federer and rightly so. They were as opposite as they come: the sheer brutalness of Roddick versus the elegance of Federer but despite the lopsided nature of their rivalry (Federer leads the head-to-head by a whopping 22-3), they had their fair share of great matches.

Three of those losses came in Wimbledon finals on the centre court in ‘o4, ’05 and ’09 and none would have hurt Andy more than the last one in which he lost the final set 16-14. He knew it was his best chance of finally winning the trophy he coveted so much and he came that close but again like always Federer was there to deny him. Perhaps the only consolation for Andy is that he bookended his rivalry with Roger with wins.

With the passage of time and the emergence of guys like Nadal and Djokovic, as the game became more mechanical and all-round, Roddick fell behind. His backhand was always distinctly average  and no longer could he depend on his famous serve to win matches  like before. Not that he lacked commitment though. Roddick never stopped fighting, trained hard, changed his support staff ; his run to the Wimbledon final in ’09 when he was clearly in the 2nd phase of his career clearly bears testimony to that.

With injuries plaguing the twilight of his career, Roddick could not be the player he once was and ultimately after several comebacks he probably realised it was time.. Having been the flag bearer of American male tennis over the last decade and having inspired so many of the next generation American players like Querrey and Harrison, he simply commands respect and admiration for his passion and heart for the game. Always popular among fans and players, Roddick is a future hall of famer for his sustained excellence if nothing else. 32 tour titles(3rd highest among active players) and 9 consecutive years in the top ten are proof of that.

Wish him all the best as he hopes to conclude an incredible journey with a swansong…