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Andy Roddick announces his retirement. Not a huge surprise. Any thoughts? I know you guys have opinions...
Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton
Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton
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I never rooted for him, but I have to admit this is kind of sad. He was sort of the last American male superstar still playing. Feels like the end of an era. I bet Fed feels a little bit like Agassi did when Sampras retired. ("Not leaving the dance with the girl I brought" or something like that).Comment
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More than ten years In the top ten consistently, is a huge achievement in itself..Comment
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I told my wife he would quit at the us open during wimbledon. That babolat ruined his arm/shoulder extended version with hurricane tour/vs. Harsh string at 63lbs. Lasted way longer than most with the frame/string/tension.Last edited by GeoffWilliams; 09-04-2012, 07:44 AM.Comment
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I understand and agree with bman. I never really rooted for him either. Didn't really like his game or his attitude. With that said, he wasn't afraid to grind, gave 100%, and was an American. He won a grand slam, was #1 in the World, and won Davis Cup. Was Top 10 in the world for a decade is no small feat. He could have done much worse in his career.
I could go on a tirade about what he did wrong in his career and my opinions as to what he could have done better, but with that being said, he's worked harder and still accomplished more than what most tennis players ever will.
It will be interesting to see what his future holds and the impact he has in his post-tennis career. I wish him well.
Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca RatonComment
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What he did wrong: Spinny forehand. Approached cross court with a slice that layed up too much. Back hand that looked like a junior players with no coil and too small a kinetic pathway. Volleys that cost him a Wimbledon. Too big and heavy for a grinding game. Never got any better in any area while others did. Angry with media/fans/himself too much. Frame that was extended version, and stiff, which led to his demise.
What he did right: Spinny shots gave him consistency. Serve coil and quick uncoil was extremely fast and had a large kinetic pathway.
He was the beginning of the end of american dominance. The end of our era.Comment
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What he did wrong: Fire Brad Gilbert. Come of age in an era when the ATP slowed down the courts. Be roughly the same age as Federer. If not for Fed, I believe he would have won 6 slams.Comment
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Closer To 50lbs
Interesting article - stating his strings were at mid 60s past 10 years - but recently he dropped to mid 50sOriginally posted by geoffwilliams View Post
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Farewell Andy Roddick...Good luck in the future!
I have never been a fan or an admirer of Andy Roddick. I don't know him and to me he is another of the electronically generated images that one sees on television from time to time...if you happen to watch the game of tennis.
As far as his tennis game goes...let me just say this. He is big and strong and this is just how he played the game. Andy was not particularly thoughtful or graceful...a bit of a big lug if you will. He had loads of potential that will never be developed. I wonder who the coaches were when he was developing his game. If Andy Roddick had been a student of mine I would of taught him a perfect service motion out of the model of the Gonzalez mode and he would of been playing all court tennis which includes playing the forecourt and the net. He was one dimensional and that dimension just happened to be rather outstanding. But I wonder how good he could have been...if I could of mined the talent he had.
Never knowing the man, I never had any sentimental feeling when he announced his retirement. He was milking the crowd when he defeated the "Fabulous" Fognini (Fabulous in the sense of eye candy present in the friends box). But he couldn't approach the all time great crowd milker in Jimmy Connors...I will never forget how he worked the New York Thong against my little buddy Aaron Krickstein. It was unconscionable the way he influenced that match with his antics...totally out of the bounds of authentic tennis etiquette.
But anyways...I could see how emotional Andy was making his exit speech. He was choking back the tears and the lump in his throat was barely being contained. But he did it. He delivered his words with clarity in a difficult moment and remembered to thank the right people and say the right things. It was a very proud moment for his parents and they deserved it as well as he did. It was humble enough of him to share that with them...that is, if professional tennis players can ever truly be humble. It is the selfish nature of the sport that prevents them. Until the end...when it is all over and done with. It was a classy moment for him.
He wasn't particularly eloquent and his words were less than inspiring in the end. He showed us what he is in the end. He is a man, and therefore all things must pass. Nothing lasts forever. He will go on with his life and we will largely be unaware of what he is doing as he travels down the path to his destiny. As he journey's to the end of the night. We will quickly forget him as his exploits were not that memorable. It was hardly Elvis leaving the stadium. He looks to the future as do the rest of us mortals. One never knows what the future holds.
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