Andy Roddick is Raring to Go in London

Written by: Staff on 25th July 2012

Andy Roddick is Raring to Go in London

epa03289612 Andy Roddick of the US celebrates a point against David Ferrer of Spain during their third round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 30 June 2012. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

Fresh from picking up his second trophy of the year and 32nd of his career at Atlanta, Andy Roddick is back at one of his favorite venues and insistent that fatigue will not be a problem as he represents the United States in the Olympic Games tennis event at Wimbledon.

Four years ago Roddick opted against traveling to Beijing, insisting it was not conducive to doing well at the US Open. Clearly playing on grass at Wimbledon’s All England Club, where he has reached the final three times, is another matter.

Roddick arrived in London on an overnight red-eye from New York and within a couple of hours was in the midst of the American team, talking in a positive manner far removed from the mood of a month ago prior to Wimbledon’s Championships when he lost in the third round to fifth seed David Ferrer.

And he maintained scheduling issues, heading back across the Atlantic in the midst of the US Open Series, was not a problem for him. “The schedule and everything is always a little weird in an Olympic year” said the 29 year-old. “But here in London, you get to play on the best venue in tennis. It’s not stressing me out that much because I’ve played a lot of grass court tennis. It doesn’t take me much time to switch between the two. I’m looking forward to it.

“As tennis players, we are accustomed to playing week after week and month after month. We play January through to the end of November a lot of years, so I think we are used to it.

“It’s certainly not a surprise, it’s not like it’s tough to predict when the Olympics are coming — you know when it is ahead of you. It’s a packed schedule but it’s also full of important events, ones that we are lucky to play.”

At this stage of his career, Roddick takes the view that the more tournaments he plays on grass, the better. “I certainly wasn’t disappointed when London won the Games and it looked like it would be played at Wimbledon on grass.

“Obviously there’s another couple of clay court venues in the mix for tennis which I probably wouldn’t have liked as much. I think our team generally likes playing on the grass, so it fits well.”

Despite being a veteran Roddick is clearly energized by the Olympic atmosphere and he intends to take in as many other sports as possible.

“Listen, I would go to any Olympic event,” he said. “You don’t need a vested interest or complete knowledge of a sport to get into it. You see the stars and stripes and want to cheer for it.

“I hope to get around and hopefully meet some of the athletes and get a feel for it. The Olympics are a lot different,” he said. “It took me three or four years of playing Davis Cup before I felt completely comfortable. It’s a totally different dynamic.

“Normally, it’s a pretty selfish existence: my ranking, my team, my tournament. Then you kind of flip the switch and it’s about your team and with the Olympics, it’s about the country.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: 10sballs.com, American tennis news, Andy Roddick, Atlanta Open 2012, Davis Cup 2012, London Olympics, Sports, Tennis News, US Open 2012

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Team USA’s Greatest Tennis Hopes for the London Games – NBC Chicago | Sports News says:

July 25, 2012 at 8:10 pm

[…] at Olympic press conferenceHerald SunWimbledon calls as Roddick ignores fatigue factorYahoo! SportsAndy Roddick is Raring to Go in London10sBallsSportsPageMagazine.com -Bleacher Reportall 38 news […]
Sports Facts » Team USA’s Greatest Tennis Hopes for the London Games – NBC Chicago says:

July 25, 2012 at 8:11 pm

[…] at Olympic press conferenceHerald SunWimbledon calls as Roddick ignores fatigue factorYahoo! SportsAndy Roddick is Raring to Go in London10sBallsSportsPageMagazine.com -Bleacher Reportall 38 news […]