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THE TennisReporters.net NEWSLETTER:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, NO. 116
Victorious Roddick recovering from the pressure of '04
Goldfine: 'None of these other young
guys have even made it to the quarters of a Slam. So we're looking
at it coming down to Andy and Andre if he's healthy'
By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net
|
 Photos:
© Mark Lyons |
| Andy Roddick won his first title
in eight months by downing Cyril Saulnier at the SAP Open. |
FROM THE SAP OPEN IN SAN JOSE – Andy
Roddick has a tough exterior that would make Pete Sampras and Jim
Courier proud. But last year, the pressure of being America's No.
1 became a little too much for him to carry, which partly explains
his six month title-less drought. Moreover, the intense spotlight
that he was put under also took away some of his joy for the game,
which may have adversely affected his play.
Now the tide has at least briefly turned for Roddick, who won his
first title since last July on Sunday, crushing France's Cyril Saulnier
6-0, 6-4 in the final of the SAP Open The victory will at least
temporarily silence those who believe he is about to skid out the
Top 5 and who were rattled by his four-set loss to Lleyton Hewitt
in the Aussie Open semis.
"There was perception I was totally off track," Roddick
said. "I didn't feel that way. I guess I was one of the few.
But it's a great stepping stone. I lose here and I'd have to answer
a lot of nonsense. It's a great springboard."
After he lost two matches in the Davis Cup final against Spain,
Roddick canned his coach, Brad Gilbert, and hired the more easy-going
Dean Goldfine to tutor him. Roddick is now 10-1 under Goldfine,
but that loss was the one everyone one points to, where Roddick
played two lousy tiebreaks against Hewitt Down Under. It reminded
folks of the three tiebreaks Roddick lost in the Davis Cup final,
where at times, he looked lost. Goldfine aims to change his mental
approach to those situations.
"Sometimes he's playing in heavy conditions like Seville or
someone gets a lot of balls back like Lleyton, and Andy tries to
hit his way out of the situation, instead of learning to construct
points and work himself out the situation," Goldfine told TennisReporters.net.
"Because of his serve he can do it sometimes, but the serve
isn't going to be there every time and it puts lot of pressure to
come up with serves every time. To realistically do it for three
out of five sets is tough. I'm trying to teach him to use the serve
more as a starting point to where he can control the point and get
the upper hand. The aces are still going to come."
Goldfine and Roddick both like what their relationship has wrought
in the improvement department. Goldfine wants Roddick to ease up
on himself, which he believes will lead to good things in the intense
powerballer's future. What he doesn't want to see is a repeat of
second half-last year, when Roddick was unhappy with his place in
the game.
"Maybe Andy was putting too much pressure on himself and the
media was putting too much pressure on him – being labeled
the future of American tennis, or now he is American tennis,'"
Goldfine told TR.net. "That's a lot of pressure.
He's only 22. You compare him to a lot of guys at 22 and he's accomplished
a lot. There's still room for improvement. The media expects a little
too much for him to win all the time. The year Roger Federer had
last year was unbelievable and you can put that up against a year
anyone else has ever had. Roger is one of those guys who could end
up being one of the best to ever play. To finish second to him and
accomplish what Andy did was okay. It was disappointing not to win
a Slam and lose in the Davis Cup final, but he got to the quarters
of the Aussie Open, the final of Wimbledon, quarters of the US Open
and Davis Cup final -– that's pretty impressive."
AMERICANS REMEMBER THE GLORY DECADE
The fact is, Roddick hails from a nation that is coming off the
greatest generation in history – a bar that was set by Sampras,
Andre Agassi, Courier and Michael Chang, who combined for 27 Grand
Slam titles and at least two of whom where in the elite mix for
13 years running. The bar is set very high, but that it where it
was set by Roddick's immediate fore bearers. Until it drips a few
notches lower, a Slam-less year and a six-month title drought won't
be looked at through rose-colored glasses, especially when it concerns
a guy who already has a Slam title in his pocket and finished 2003
at No. 1.
"The thing you have to remember is that those guys all came
around at the same time and it made it a little easier because the
focus wasn't just on one of those guys," Goldfine said. "If
one didn't do that well, one of the others would, and then there
was Todd Martin as well who could sneak in. They all had each backing
each other up. None of these other young guys have even made it
to the quarters of a Grand Slam. So we're looking at it coming down
to Andy and Andre if he's healthy, it's a lot of pressure."
Roddick said that he doesn't view Agassi having come back to the
Davis Cup team as an immediate relief to the pressure that was put
on him last year to be the man at every tie, but the fact is, in
singles, he was that guy, (The Bryans were nails
in doubles.)
"Andy doesn't think of it that he can lose a match, but I do
think he thinks of it as at least 'I don't have to win every match,'
" said Goldfine, who assisted US captain Patrick McEnroe in
Seville. " 'At least Andre is someone I have confidence in.'
" I'm sure he has confidence in Mardy, but not the same confidence
that he has in Andre. It does help him breath a little easier, that
if he has a little hiccup there is someone else there to pick up
the slack. He had to be feeling some pressure."
Goldfine said that Roddick hasn't confided his reason why he parted
with Gilbert, and the two have been focusing on improving Roddick
fitness and multiple facets of his game. Roddick's transition game
is being addressed, as his being more aggressive with his return,
the types of volleys he hits, his court coverage and his confidence
in his backhand down the line. Goldfine believes that if Roddick
focuses on the process, the results will come. Plus, he needs to
be having fun.
"He wanted to get back to basics in terms of working hard,"
Goldfine said. "Last year during the second half, he didn't
look like he was enjoying himself on court. I told he had to realize
that it's his job and he's needs to put in the work just like everyone
else, but he's in the fortunate position of playing tennis for a
living and should be enjoying it. He likes to get out there and
work his butt off, but he needs to feel good about it."
© Mark Lyons |
| Thomas Enqvist almost defeated Roddick in
three sets. |
SKIES CAN OPEN UP ON ANDY
Roddick is pretty positive person
for the most part and rarely walks around with dark clouds hanging
over his head. When he does, it's a thunderstorm, which breaks quickly,
crashes down loudly and dissipates like a cracked frame after a
lousy overhead.
"Just like anyone, there are days when your feeling it and
you feel great, and then are days that I'm grinding through it and
I don't have my best stuff," Roddick said. "I play better
when I'm having fun, but I think anyone would. When you find a way
to win and your not playing your best, in some weird way it's more
satisfying. I enjoy the process of working through it."
After he squeaked past the tough
Thomas Enqvist in three sets in the San Jose quarters, Roddick put
his anger and frustration aside and began to put all the elements
of his game together against Tommy Haas in the semis and then Saulnier
in the final. He did have success stepping in on his returns and
volleyed quite well in the final, converting 10 of 13 net approaches.
He's a work in progress, but he's not stuck in place.
"I'm going to be a lot more comfortable if I force myself to
stand in on my returns," Roddick said. "Even if I don't
hit it that well, it's bound to go deeper. There are going to times
when I go back further again, but I'll continue to move up until
I don't feel comfortable. … My transition game was one of
the best I've had. … It comes and goes on the first volleys.
It went against Lleyton when I was horrible. It's something I'm
doing more consciously and can only improve in long run."
Roddick is quite close to regaining the No. 2 ranking from Hewitt.
But the only way he's going to stay neck-and-neck with Hewitt and
hope to have a prayer of catching No. 1 Federer this year is to
make a huge impression during the US winter-spring indoor/outdoor
hard season. That means going very deep in the upcoming tournaments
in Memphis, Indian Wells and Miami.
"That's the goal every time is to go deep," said Roddick,
who will play Memphis this week. "I have a pretty decent track
record on the home turf and probably need that momentum going into
the clay court season." |
