Retiring Andy Roddick Not Done Yet

Written by: Staff on 31st August 2012

Retiring Andy Roddick Not Done Yet

epa03378069 Andy Roddick of the US returns a ball against Bernard Tomic of Australia during their match on the fifth day of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 31 August 2012. The US Open runs through 09 September 2012. EPA/LARRY W. SMITH |

(Original Link: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2012/08/35/US-Open-Friday-Roddick-Not-Done-Yet.aspx)

This may be Andy Roddick’s last tournament, but the American isn’t ready to step into retirement just yet. Playing in front of his family and a partisan Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, he impressed Friday night with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 win over Australian teenager Bernard Tomic.

Roddick had announced his retirement one day earlier, on his 30th birthday, and admitted before the second-round match: “It’s been emotional. I’ve been through a lot, but no matter how many matches you play this is a first time for me. It’s going to be tough out there, but I’m going to try and enjoy every minute.”

He took a deep breath upon stepping on the court and quickly gained his composure. The 20th-seeded Roddick rolled out to a 3-0 lead to start the match and finished the match on a nine-game run. He limited his 19-year-old opponent to just five points total in the third set, closing the match with an ace after one hour and 27 minutes.

“It’s certainly nice to feel appreciated at the end of all of it,” said Roddick on being embraced by the capacity crowd on Ashe. “It’s a humbling feeling. You have twenty four and a half thousand people there to see something. It’s a good feeling. Kind of an outpouring of support from inside the tennis world and outside the tennis world in the last 24 hours is certainly not something that I expected to the lengths it’s come from.”

Tomic, who like Roddick is a former junior US Open champion, was attempting to reach the third round for the first time at Flushing Meadows.

“You always dream as a kid to play in this arena; it’s the biggest stage in the world,” he said. “To play one of the biggest players in America, I was thinking about it too much leading into the match. He was serving well, so I just couldn’t find my way to get out of that little zone.”

Roddick will face Fabio Fognini for a place in the fourth round. The Italian defeated Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 earlier Friday.

“I’m going to look forward to it,” said Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion. “I’m going to try and stick around a little longer.”

Topics: Andy Roddick, Bernard Tomic, Roddick, Sports, Tennis News, US Open 2012