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wedneSDAY, march 9
Cynthia Lum/WireImage.com |
| Andy Roddick reacts during his loss to Ivan
Ljubicic in the Davis Cup at Carson, Calif. |
In strong
defense Roddick's Davis Cup performance
Three readers bomb
Cronin but he replies
First of all, who are you to deem
you is a good player and who is not. Have you ever played athletics
past high school, where you probably played football? Let me guess,
you play tennis at your country club and have never faced a serve
over 120 mph. I'd like to see you out there competing and see
how many points you make. Yes, Andy Roddick is slumping, but there
is no need to bash. Ivan Ljubicic is hot right now, so everyone
knew it was going to be a close match. You need to stop being
such a jerk and realize that winning is tough at the pro level.
Roger Federer will probably never have another year like last
year; so get over it. Lleyton Hewitt is very un sportsman-like
behavior, which I don't think the press should admire. Stop bashing
Roddick for every little thing he does wrong, and try to talk
about the things he does well. You idiots in the media never focus
on his charity work, or his wins over Marat Safin (who beat Federer
and Hewitt). At least Roddick got a win at the Davis Cup, unlike
Agassi and the Bryan Twins.
Jenny Judd
Criticize Federer for ditching Swiss team
I'm a big fan of your pieces for
TennisReporters.net, and also Reuters and other
pieces you write for, but I could not help but be absolutely disgusted
by your comment "McEnroe still doesn't have a No. 2 singles
player he can count on and really, if you look at Roddick's play
over the last two ties and last four months in general, he doesn't
have a Roger Federer- or Lleyton Hewitt-type No. 1 on the team either."
I mean really, are you serious? Roger Federer just ditched
his team, and they lost in the first round without him. Roddick
comes up huge Friday just to keep the US out of an 0-2 hole, he's
the only member of the team to give the US a live point. But, so
quickly how that's forgotten when he finally succumbs to the pressure.
Agassi was supposed to help the team; the Bryans weren't supposed
to waste huge opportunities to put away a match. Are you honestly
sitting there and do you truly believe that Roddick is not as worthy
a No. 1 singles player as Federer or Hewitt? I recall a couple of
very big matches that Federer has lost in Davis Cup. Sure, Hewitt
is a fabulous Davis Cup player, but he's not perfect either, and
he's also had help along the way, from other solid players like
Pat Rafter and Mark Philippoussis to take some of the pressure off.
Yes, there is no denying that Roddick has hit a bad patch lately
in big matches going back to early 2004 – but last December
he went over to Spain and played his heart out against two players
that were far superior to him on the chosen surface.
He probably played the two best matches on clay that he ever has;
if only he could play like that in the early rounds of Roland Garros,
he might even make it to the second week because, against lesser
players, he would have won those matches playing the way he did
on his least favorite surface in horribly antagonistic conditions.
If the situation had been reversed and Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal
had come to the US and we had 27,000 fans cheering in a converted
grass soccer stadium that was made into a tennis court and, if they
came over and tried their hardest and lost valiantly, would you
say that Moya and/or Nadal were not players Team Spain could count
on? I'd hope not, anyway.
Yes, Roddick has come up short in a lot of big tiebreaks lately.
It's certainly disconcerting as an American tennis fan and as a
fan of Roddick … I believe he is a better big-match player
than what he has shown in the past six months or so. I am optimistic
and hopeful that he and new coach Dean Goldfine will find a way
to work through this rough time – as his game is improving
(and it certainly is improving), his mentality
is not progressing at the same speed. But to make the aforementioned
comment after what this 22-year-old kid has done for US tennis and
the Davis Cup team in particular, and with the pressure he has put
on him by all of you in the press, your comment is a slap in the
face to his dedication, hard work, not to mention that he sacrifices
his own singles career by putting so much energy into Davis Cup.
It's not like the US lost this tie because of Roddick. Agassi had
chances, and so did the Bryans. In fact, the Bryans have come up
short in a lot of big matches themselves, lately. But I don't see
you questioning whether PMac should be counting on them in doubles.
Roddick has been dedicated, selfless, and generous, not to mention
the fact that he makes himself amazingly available to people like
you in the press who make demands from a popular and charismatic
young man like him. He has an astute awareness of his duties as
a famous tennis player and what he has done to try to help the fledgling
tennis in this country is nothing short of admirable. While you
laud Federer's Davis Cup play, he chose to foster his own career
and let his team lose while Roddick first picked his team up after
Agassi's awful disappointment. Then, two days later, he poured his
heart out in a match where he simply came up short. Then, just 24
hours later, when he's sure to still be devastated, he agrees to
go on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno – not to push himself,
but to push his charity work. As an American tennis
and Davis Cup fan, I cannot think of anyone I'd rather have represent
US tennis to the rest of the world. In my opinion, Roddick is the
most dedicated US Davis Cup player since John McEnroe. Maybe Andy
has lost a few matches that he could have or should have won, but
if I were PMac, I'd rather have someone on my team like Roddick
who leads his team and fosters a fantastic team atmosphere than
someone like Federer who might leave the team high and dry whenever
he thinks his singles career is more important.
Whether it's a good idea for Roddick
to sacrifice his own career, perhaps some tournament wins, perhaps
a couple spots in the rankings, etc., in favor Davis Cup is another
matter, but I would bet if you asked PMac, he would tell you he
wouldn't want anyone on his team instead of Roddick. I was at
this weekend's tie, I saw how Roddick got the crowd pumped up,
even when he was losing against Ancic, right after Agassi could
not get us behind him. Do you really honestly believe that PMac
is worried that Roddick is his No. 1 guy?
I hope you give comments like this more consideration in the future.
Debra Black
Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA |
| Patrick McEnroe didn't get a victory, even after convincing Andre Agassi to join the US Davis Cup team. |
Bryans, Agassi, PMac let down US
With
so much focus on Andy Roddick's mental lapses in his loss to Ivan
Ljubicic, it seems we forgot what happened in the other two matches.
The Bryan brothers: What's up with them? They
had a set point to go up two sets to love in the doubles and,
when they didn't convert that, they played uninspired tennis for
the rest of the match on their back feet. The Croatians were only
too happy to pick up their play and capitalize.
Agassi: Experienced veteran and one of the best players ever can't
close out a set when up 5-2 and serving at 5-3?
Roddick has to come out on day one and clean up Agassi's mess,
which he does, and on day three, he's in the precarious position
of having to keep the US in the tie because none
of his teammates could step up and do their part. Yes, Ljubicic
played sound, tactical tennis, blocked back Roddick's big serve,
and played well. But he's surely not unbeatable. But, as his captain
said, with your team behind you, you can achieve 150% of your
potential.
And, speaking of captains, what about Patrick McEnroe? I know
we don't get to see how he interacts with the players or hear
what he says to them during the commercial breaks, but that look
on his face would be enough to discourage me if I'm feeling the
pressure. Did anyone watching the match on ESPN notice how Luke
Jensen and Brad Gilbert couldn't ever tell Cliff Drysdale and
John McEnroe up in the booth what advice Patrick McEnroe was giving
the players court side, but they both seemed to know what adjustments
the Croatian captain was telling his team to make throughout their
matches? During Agassi's match, his personal coach was being warned
for coaching Agassi directly. What the heck was McEnroe doing?
I have the feeling that Patrick McEnroe is not as effective a
Davis Cup captain as is needed to bring the cup back to the USA.
I also get the sense that Roddick doesn't like him very much.
But PMac's the USTA hire to lead the team through next year, so
A-Rod has to put up with him for at least another year. But I've
been more then puzzled by some of Patrick McEnroe's decisions
as captain in the two years I've followed Davis Cup closely. Yes,
we got to the finals last year, but I didn't and I still don't
understand him choosing Mardy Fish, an indecisive and unfocused
player under pressure against other elite players. And as for
Andre Agassi, guess he missed the boat. He might have considered
playing in that final in Spain instead of being nothing short
of embarrassed in front of a home crowd.
I imagine someone like Todd Martin would
be a much better Davis Cup captain. His demeanor seems more positive,
he's a very smart tactician, and I'm sure he wouldn't wear that
perpetual scowl on his face when things weren't going our way.
Roddick's inability over the past year to win the big matches
like he did in 2003 is discouraging; something is gone from his
eyes. But, let's be fair: In this tie against Croatia, both times
he played, he had no momentum to work with as
all of his teammates simply played sub par tennis
and didn't put their best efforts forward.
At least Roddick won a match. The same can't be said for Agassi
or the Bryan twins.
All due credit to Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic and their captain.
Perhaps we can learn something from their cohesiveness, their
big hearts, and their ability to pump each other up when things
aren't going their way instead of holding their heads down in
defeat.
And as for Roddick, bring back the A-Rod who won that 2003 quarterfinal
epic against Younes El Aynaoui at the Australian Open. Now there's
a big heart.
ABCfarmbrooks@aol.com
Cronin replies
to 'Steel Curtain'
When
I see Roddick on Thursday, I'll make sure to tell him that he
has Steel Curtain version of a fan club defending him.
All of you made good points, but
like many fans, you forgot to note a couple crucial points: Andy
himself admitted he had good chances to beat Ljubicic and failed
to do so and has also has said that he's not playing up Federer
and Hewitt's level right now. He knows he's America's top player
and they need him to win matches. He's more accomplished than
the Bryans and is playing way better than Agassi right now. Yes,
it would have been better for Andy had either Agassi or the Bryans
won, but they didn't. When you are your team's top guy, you have
to put W's on the board when called upon, especially when you
are playing at home and are 5-1 against the man entering the match.
Roddick admits that and his fan base should, too.
In his relatively short Davis Cup career, Roddick has been nails
on every surface except clay and was undefeated at home coming
into the Ljubicic match. He may not be playing better than the
Croat at the moment, but when both of them end their careers,
I can guarantee that Roddick ends up with more titles. He knows
he's better than Ljubicic and needed to find a way to win that
match to give Agassi a chance to redeem himself.
Roddick is big enough to stand up to criticism and will find a
way through this funk. He's improving daily and in five months
or so should be a better closer than he is now. But the fact is
that his big match record since Wimbledon has been atrocious.
He's still the US No. 1, but has lost a bit of the fear factor.
As to PMac: Everyone took a loss at the tie, including the captain.
Should he blamed? Yes, as much as everyone else. It's a team loss.
But unlike some other observers who felt he made the court too
slow, I can't see that at all. Agassi has made a living on slow
hard courts, the Bryans wouldn't have returned any better had
the court been faster and Andy likes the court speed. The only
times you can legitimately criticize the captain is when the team
isn't prepared, he didn't motivate them enough or he suggested
the wrong strategy. I saw no evidence of any of that in Carson.
Agassi was tight and flat out terrible and there was nothing McEnroe
could do to change that. The Bryans played strategically correct,
but couldn't deliver on the big points. The same goes for Andy
for the most part; had he put away his first set point in the
third-set breaker with the easy forehand he muffed, he would have
won the match. PMac can't hit the ball for him.
As to my junior tennis career, did I ever mention that Barbara
Potter and her wicked lefty slice serve once brought me head-on
into a fence? As to playing football in high school: only in the
sandlots in my Borg sweatband.
As to Roddick's charity work and appearance on The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno Monday night (why can't anyone shut up Robin Williams?),
major props to the 22-year-old for being a stand-up guy. I'm waiting
for my blue bracelet.
Related
story: The American Assassin: Ljubicic
lives!
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