Mardy Fish may not have had much recent time for tennis as he dealt with a heartbeat health issue, but the American made time to go to the ballpark prior to starting play at the Cincinnati Masters. The Minnesota-born player feels right at home in the middle of America and was quick to take up the offer to throw out the first pitch at a weekend Cincinnati Reds-San Diego Padres game.
“I played a lot of sports growing up. I played a little baseball until I was 14 or so. I was born in Minnesota so I’m a huge Twins fan. I know a couple of guys on the team, so I root for them,” said Fish.
While his playing schedule can best be descried as erratic over the past 18 months since he first suffered with his health issue, – he’s played only four events this season, including a Challenger – the 31-year-old seems to be making an attempt to re-install himself on the tour. His scheduling is hampered by the self-confessed fact of not wanting to leave the US, a big problem in the world’s most international sport. Like his healthy compatriots in including John Isner and Sam Querrey, his US-centric outlooks just doesn’t travel very well out in the big broad world.
Fish has a decent history at Cincinnati, finishing runner-up to Andy Roddick in 2003 and Roger Federer three years ago. “I’m excited to be back, I have a lot of good memories here. It’s one of my favorite tournaments and one of my most successful events.”