US Open 2012 – They Said It

Written by: Staff on 6th September 2012

US Open 2012 - They Said It

epa03385260 Andy Roddick of the US hits a return to Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina during their fourth round match on the tenth day of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 05 September 2012. The US Open runs through Sunday 09 September 2012. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

THEY SAID IT!!! (ANDY RODDICK RETIREMENT EDITION)

(Courtesy of the US Open)

“For the first time in my career I don’t know what to say. Since I was a kid, I’ve been coming to this tournament. I felt lucky just to sit where all of you are sitting here today, to watch this game and to see the champions who have come and gone. I’ve loved every minute of it.”

— Andy Roddick, addressing the crowd after his final match

“This was all new for me. I had seen most things that this game had to offer, and this was entirely new. It was emotional, but not emotional like we normally have it. It’s normally a very selfish emotion for us. It’s if we do badly, then it costs us something; if we do well, we get great things. This was about something bigger. It wasn’t about ranking points or paychecks or anything else. It was fun. This week I felt like I was 12 years old playing in a park. It was extremely innocent. That was fun. I enjoyed it.”

— Andy Roddick, on the emotions of playing in his final professional match

“It was really high intensity during all the match, and Andy played really well. I don’t know if he [is] pretty sure to stop to play because in this way he’s going to be dangerous in the next tournaments for us. But also he retired in fantastic shape. It’s amazing.”

— Juan Martin Del Potro, after defeating Andy Roddick in Roddick’s final professional match

“It’s the end of a great player, a legendary player. Definitely was upstairs thinking, ‘Gosh, last time this happened was Andre Agassi. How many more of these do I have to sit through?’”

— Serena Williams, on watching Andy Roddick’s final match before her quarterfinal victory

“Andy has been an outstanding ambassador for our sport and our country, always carrying himself with the character and class that define a champion. In addition to representing the U.S. on the world stage, he was a Davis Cup stalwart and standout. We could not be more proud of Andy and all that he has accomplished in his brilliant career, and we wish him every success and happiness in his retirement from the pro game.”

— Jon Vegosen, USTA President, on Andy Roddick

Topics: Andy Roddick, Jon Vegosen, Juan Martin Del Potro, Serena Williams, Sports, US Open 2012