"I'm 26 years old, what the hell else am I going to do with myself" - When Andy Roddick spoke about motivation to win another Grand Slam
Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick once discussed his motivation to secure another Grand Slam title after triumphing over defending champion Novak Djokovic in the 2009 Australian Open quarterfinals.
Roddick aimed for his second Major win in Melbourne that year, having won the US Open in 2003. He had defeated opponents like Bjorn Rehnquist, Xavier Malisse, Fabrice Santoro and Tonny Robredo before beating Djokovic. However, his run was halted by Roger Federer in the semifinals.
Following his win over Djokovic, Andy Roddick attended a press conference. When asked about his motivation to continue on the ATP Tour, the American confirmed that his desire to end his Major drought over the years was the main driving force.
"Keeping going is a different thing. I'm 26 years old. What the hell else am I going to do with myself? Let's be honest. That's obviously the motivation behind it," Roddick said.
The then 27-year-old added:
"You know, I think the other thing is you just don't want to look back on the your career with regrets. As far as like an effort level or anything, I really haven't so far. I'd like to keep that intact."
Andy Roddick on his win over Novak Djokovic - "I was pretty happy with everything"
Andy Roddick also discussed his quarterfinal victory against Novak Djokovic. Djokovic withdrew from the match midway, citing physical discomfort caused by the heat in Melbourne. At the time of withdrawal, the Serb was trailing 7-6(3), 4-6, 2-6, 1-2.
Speaking of his own performance, the American mentioned being pleased with his ability to bounce back after losing a set and maintaining the momentum gained from that point throughout the entire match.
"I was pretty happy with everything," Roddick said. "You know, I was leaving returns a little bit short in the first set, and fixed that. You know, he played a great first set. I finished that set thinking that I hadn't really done much badly. I just kind of stayed the course. I felt pretty good."
Roddick also commented on Djokovic's withdrawal, noting that while the 24-time Grand Slam champion had faced tough challenges before, that day Down Under wasn't physically in his favor.
"I didn't. I was kind of just playing my side of the court and I didn't notice until the umpire said that they had someone coming out to see him. He's gotten through tough matches. Today just wasn't his day physically, I guess," the former World No. 1 said.