U.S. Hope Rests on Roddick
If Andy Roddick is going to live up to the lofty expectations, now is the time. The stage is set in New York for Roddick to reclaim the U.S. Open title.
Roddick needs to win for a number of reasons. First, and foremost, the U.S. needs its next tennis American hero. What better time for Roddick to win a Grand Slam than on the heels of Andre Agassi's retirement? The U.S. is looking at a severe men's tennis drought in the years to come should Roddick go back into a slump. Nothing against James Blake, but Roddick remains the best bet to give top-ranked Roger Federer a run.
The next reason for Roddick to succeed is Jimmy Connors. The 5-time U.S. Open champion has been absent from the game for a number of years, but has re-surfaced as Roddick's coach. So far it's been a perfect match of fiery legend, and struggling prodigy. Maybe two U.S. Open champion minds together can figure out how to take out two-time chamion Federer. More importantly, seeing Connors in the stands isn't good just for Roddick, it's good for tennis.
Roddick needs to succeed because he has star power. Pete Sampras was boring. Agassi cried too much, and was boring under his own admission. But Roddick is a throw back. He gets mad. He yells at the chair. He's sarcastic with the media. He has profanity laced tirades with himself when he crumbles under the pressure of mental errors. Roddick can even act. After winning his first U.S. Open in 2003 he carried an episode of Saturday Night Live better than most athletes (even Michael Jordan IMO).
Roddick is 25 years old, meaning in tennis years, it's not too late but he better make a move soon. His biggest problem isn't so much overcoming his own mental hurdles...it's Roger Federer. Even if Roddick were to become the second best tennis player of all time, his Grand Slam total would barely make a bump on the tennis time line. Roddick and Federer are the same age, and Federer is already being heralded as possibly the greatest player of all time. So calling the match-up a rivalry would be a stretch. Roddick's career record against Federer is 1-9. The key is for Federer to have a rival, and for it to be an American shouldn't be too much to ask, or hope for.
