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| 28 Jun 2003 | |
| Day Five: Roddick Looking the Goods |
His nickname is the A-Rod and it is more than appropriate for Andy Roddick. He packs more than a punch with his serve, in fact he holds the all-time record for the fastest serve at 149mph, and, now more than ever in his young career, he is backing that weapon up with other aspects of a game. Roddick is no longer a one stroke wonder.
The fifth seeded American more than put his flashy style of tennis on
display when he dissected Tommy Robredo on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, winning 76(5) 64 63. It was his fifth win in a row for Roddick over the Spaniard and the fact that he is yet to drop a set in the tournament shows that maybe the Floridian is ready to win his first Grand Slam title.
However, with Roddick not only has his game developed other aspects, but there also seems to be a slight toning down of his cockiness.
"I don’t think Centre Court can be natural at any time. It’s a very special place," he said in muted tones.
"I don’t think it’s ever going to lose it’s aura [but] obviously I’m getting more and more used to it, but there are always some jitters early on in a match, for sure."
He is so right for this is a place that is rare in all of sport. The tennis sounds different. When the ball makes contact with the gut strings of a racquet there is a fullness to the sounds that are heard. There is no echo but more of a richness. The quietness during points, which is in most cases, is almost deafening and that helps a player read how and where a ball is being hit.
Roddick says you need to "hear the ball pretty clearly to play at your
highest level" because it is very much "part of the reaction process" for a player. Because Wimbledon is so different it often takes a player several attempts to do well there and Roddick is looking more and more familiar with the surroundings.
"I’m starting to have a little bit more confidence in my abilities on a
day-to-day basis," he said.
"The biggest thing I think is that the first Grand Slam is always the hardest to get. The biggest fear is the fear of the unknown. If you haven’t done it before you don’t know yet.
"But, I’m starting to believe in myself and I’m definitely here to win this tournament and not just go round by round. I mean, you have to go round by round, but the ultimate goal is to try to get a win."
For Roddick, dreaming to win is fine but the fact that he realises that he is now playing good tennis at a Grand Slam could spell danger for the others.
He will now come up against Paradorn Srichaphan who like the American is in the round of 16 for the first time. The Thai player came to world tennis’ attention at Wimbledon when he stunned Andre Agassi in a huge upset. So far he has played two five setters including saving match points in the second one, and one three setter having stopped the 17 year old Spanish sensational Rafael Nadal 64 64 62.
Srichaphan was relieved to have won in straight sets because his body was getting very sore after the marathons he had played. He is quiet about his chances against Roddick but suggests the fifth seed will definitely be favourite on the grass with his serve. He says he will see a monk at the Buddhist temple which is in Wimbledon to seek some more calmness, but as for divine intervention to quell the Roddick serve, Srichaphan smiles an "I don’t think so" smile.
"I just try to get the ball back and play in the point," he says.
For Venus Williams reaching the fourth round and a meeting with Vera
Zvonareva is an opportunity to even a score. At the French Open, in the
same round, the young Russian scored a huge upset by beating Williams in three sets. This time the surroundings should suit Williams just that bit better.
Williams put the cleaners through another Russian, Nadia Petrova, 61 62
while Zvonareva defeated Iroda Tulyaganova 63 75. Williams admits that she is much better prepared this time and is fully fit compared to the
abdominal problems she had in Paris. She said she wasn’t that upset with herself following the loss in Paris because she made so many errors due to her physical situation.
"It was really hard for me in Paris - it was just a real fight against
myself," said Williams.
"Definitely the circumstances are a lot different. It’s nice for her to have the win at the French Open. Obviously it wasn’t nice for me.
“Even if I had won that match, I don’t see where I would have
been able to do very much at the French, to be honest. I tried to do what I could do, but I just wasn’t ready."
Kim Clijsters continued to be impressive with the tennis she is playing. The second seed beat Samantha Reeves 61 62 and has dropped a total of seven games in the three matches she has played, the least of any player in the last 16.
She says she is improving with every match and felt her serve worked
particularly well this time. Now she will face her friend and doubles
partner Ai Sugiyama, who scored her most comfortable win so far beating
Nathalie Dechy 64 64, and to whom Clijsters has already lost this year. The second seeded Belgian explained that Sugiyama is capable of playing "some unbelievable tennis" and does not give away free points with silly mistakes and makes her opponents work for every point.
"She likes to attack and get into the point," said Clijsters.
"Obviously she is a great doubles player so she is not scared of coming in. It will be a matter of being very aggressive, let her move a lot and not let her dominate the points."
And as dark clouds hung overhead, Roger Federer managed to close out his match, which had already been interrupted twice by light drizzle, with Mardy Fish 63 61 46 61.
In other results, the run of Croatian qualifier, the man who conquered
Lleyton Hewitt, was brought to an end by Max Mirnyi who could match him in the serving department, while Lindsay Davenport beat Cara Black 62 62.
If you want to follow the action as it happens, with live scores and results, then please visit the Official Website at www.wimbledon.org.
The Junior Tournament gets underway today. Please visit www.itfjuniors.com for daily wrap-ups and the latest pictures.
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