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The "...wow" thread

15K views 98 replies 20 participants last post by  partygirl 
#1 · (Edited)
Andy is already in London according to stt.com :D

After recovering from the shoulder injury that forced him out of Roland Garros, Andy Roddick has arrived in London to prepare for the grass-court season, which begins next week with the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club.

The American has already had one hit on the mowed lawns at The Queen’s Club and will have more opportunity for practice over the coming days before the ATP World Tour 250 tournament begins on Monday.


:bounce: :bigclap: :yippee:
:rocker2: :banana: :smoke: :aparty: :cheerleader: :armed: LET THE FUN BEGIN! :armed: :cheerleader: :aparty: :smoke: :banana: :rocker2:
:bounce: :bigclap: :yippee:​
(*knocks on wood*)​
 
#56 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

Yeah and andy's last tomorrow so he'll be lucky to finish it sounds like
 
#57 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

'blogging' for USA Today this time :haha:

Roddick flies under the radar, except with British media

Andy Roddick, the No. 8 seed, is a three-time Wimbledon runner-up. He opens play against qualifier Andreas Beck on Monday. He'll check in with USA TODAY's Douglas Robson throughout the fortnight.

I arrived at Wimbledon about a week ago after playing the grass-court tuneup at Queens. I always get a kick out of staying in the village. You bump into everyone all the time. Going to a restaurant is basically like an extension of the players' lounge. You say hi to four to five before you sit down at your table.

We have a healthy entourage in our flat this year: My wife, Brooklyn Decker; my coach, Larry Stefanki; my physiotherapist, Doug Spreen; and Stephen Little, a cabbie I befriended a few years ago. It's a full house.

I always have a fun rapport with the reporters and tabloids here in England. A couple years ago they were on me for liking singer Rick Astley. Last year it was my criticism of World Cup officiating. Another year it was my appearance on a British game show. Really, I don't plan anything.

This year they asked me what I do during a rain delay at Queens. I said I was playing the mobile app Angry Birds, and they thought that was hilarious. Next thing I know it was trending on Twitter here. I thought it was a pretty straightforward answer. It's only like the most downloaded app ever!

Of course the talk of the last couple days has been the rematch of Isner-Mahut. I heard about it from an attendant in the locker room on Friday during the draw ceremony. My reaction was no different than anyone else. C'mon, really? Another American, Sam Querrey, had to pull out of Wimbledon and just had surgery on his elbow. From all reports it went as well as it could have considering what was going on. You just feel bad for him. I guess it's something he had to take care of before it got worse.

Heading into Monday's first round, I'm feeling great about my game even though I haven't played a lot the last couple of months. The last 3-4 weeks have been the most positive I've had in a while. I played pretty well at Queens, where I lost to Andy Murray in the semifinals.

I don't know much about my first-round opponent, Andreas Beck of Germany. We have never played. I've had to do some research, and YouTube is my friend when I'm not totally familiar with guys. I was able to find some slow-mo of his strokes, some different things and clips from matches. Larry and I were watching some of that (Sunday) morning, and I'll probably try to ask a couple of guys later in the afternoon what he's all about.

There's talk that I'm flying under the radar this year, but I don't care. I don't mean that in a way where you're trying to be cool for not caring. I'm just not that concerned with it. I've done it both ways — on the radar and off — and at this point it's not going to affect me either way.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2011-06-19-wimbledon-andy-roddick-diary_n.htm
 
#63 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

third on Centre Court tomorrow :haha:
while Murray is on court1 :haha:
 
#64 · (Edited)
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

Murray already played on Centre Court. :shrug:

I'll be surprised if Wimbledon ever moves a Federer match OFF of Centre Court. :rolleyes:


Here's video of Andy's ESPN studio interview today:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6687322


Q: "Are you going to stay and watch Isner and Mahut?"

Andy Roddick: "No, I have to play tomorrow, I can't be here for three days."

:superlol:
 
#65 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

Great to see Andy Gilbert get along well. Although it is in studio, I hope it is honest.

I'm very thankfull about what Brad did with Andy. They spent together maybe the best moments in Andy's career. I'm sorry they did not stay together longer.
 
#66 ·

Attachments

#67 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

I'm liking Andy's new return of serve positioning. His famous bum is much more prominent now, partygirl will be happy to know. :devil:

These were the only photos I could find that shows the difference, you can see Andy's knee bend is much deeper whereas before he was just kind of stooped over waiting to receive. PMac says this will give him more "pop" on the return, so we'll see.

Old stance



New stance
 
#69 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

Interview :haha: :bowdown:

A. Roddick - first round
Tuesday, 21 June 2011

A. Roddick bt A. Beck 6 4, 7 6, 6 3

Q. Things better than usual here?

ANDY RODDICK: They're usually pretty good. I like it here.

Q. Serena just talked about how it was such a relief to get out of the first round, that she was thinking to herself, Please don't let me lose in the first round.

ANDY RODDICK: Sure.

Q. Can you address maybe how much more difficult the first round is than maybe the quarterfinals.

ANDY RODDICK: I mean, yeah, as far as I think it's impossible not to be anxious for the first round of a slam. There's so much build up. I can only imagine for her. I mean, she's been looking at it for a year now, so...

I know we normally feel it. There's always a little bit of, you know, anxiety before you play your first round. You kind of got to work it out. You saw last night with Murray, and then he found his groove. It's kind of just a matter of getting through.

By the time you're in the quarters, your game is there, you've played matches, it's just a matter of executing at that point. I can certainly relate to her sentiment, yeah.

Q. How good did that tiebreak in the second feel?

ANDY RODDICK: It was a big difference between two sets to love and one set all. Yeah, I felt like I was serving well. I felt like I was playing better than him. Last thing I wanted was to feel that way and be even, you know.

That was a big breaker for me.

Q. He came up with a pretty special backhand volley on the first set point. Did that make you think, Oops, I have to play well here?

ANDY RODDICK: You know what? For the last probably four or five games of that set, he was coming out of his shoes. He had a pretty smart game plan. He wasn't going to rally much. He was just going to take his shots and go really aggressive.

It worked most of the day. Normally when you have that mindset, you can count on someone making errors in bunches. Luckily he made two when he was up in that breaker.

He certainly, you know, had an obvious game plan and executed it for most of the day.

Q. Talk about your friend Serena and what her fighting spirit, what makes her special in this comeback.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I think one thing we've never really questioned with Serena is her competitive spirit. I think especially when she gets out there, I think she just hates losing.

You know, I don't count her out of any situation. I don't think it surprised anybody in this room if she went on and won this tournament. I don't know how many people you can say that about after a year.

And a lot of that she's proven she can even not play well early and then almost play her way into shape. You know, she goes from spring training to mid season in like three days.

Q. Is there something a little other worldly about her fire, competitiveness?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. I mean, you can insert whatever superlative you want. She's a fighter. She always has been since I've known her. Since she was eight years old, she's been that way.

Q. Do you think it would be possible on the men's circuit? Serena, Clijsters, they come back after one, two, three years, and they're still competitive.

ANDY RODDICK: It hasn't. You know, we've had a lot of great champions, you know, try to come back after a couple years. We're not talking months; we're talking a year and a half, two years.

Q. Now you have Del Potro.

ANDY RODDICK: Still, not even a year. I think it's more difficult. It's proven that it can be done in the women's game. I don't know that it's been proven that it can be done in the men's game. For whatever reason that is, I'm not sure. We don't have to worry about having babies, so...

Q. For sports fans back home, how would you explain or describe the level of attention or scrutiny Andy Murray is under here these two weeks, and Tim Henman before him?

ANDY RODDICK: Sure. You know, I've been front and center as far as tennis in my own country for a long time. I don't think it compares to what those guys go through here. I don't feel like I can relate.

You know, he gets the full rundown of he practiced for 36 minutes, then he ate a Snickers bar and then continued for another 14 minutes, and then it's like and that's on page four. We already read the first three pages of the day. You know, it's a little tough (laughter).

Q. You've been here a long time now. At one point you were the bad guy upsetting Tim Henman.

ANDY RODDICK: Actually, I never played Tim Henman here. But I'm still the bad guy. Point taken, but... (Laughter.)

Q. Do you feel you're a popular guy with the locals now?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. You know, I think a lot changes over the course of 10 or 11 years. You almost look and say nothing's really the same, as it was.

There's a lot of stuff that changes. It's tough for me to kind of look at my relationship with the fans here objectively.

I know from my end I certainly enjoy it. I'm not going to speak for them, for sure.

Q. You got good support today.

ANDY RODDICK: It felt great. They've always been great to me, even when I was fake beating Tim Henman (smiling).

Q. Do you ever think about your past or you always think about the present and future? I mean, 16 14 in the fifth set is still something that sticks out in your mind or you try to forget?

ANDY RODDICK: No, I don't think I've ever said that I'm going to try to forget it. I get asked about it a lot. But that was one of the most enjoyable tournaments I ever had. I'm not trying to forget it.

If there was a major event in your life, you probably wouldn't forget it. It's no different for me. It's just that I play tennis and you guys watched it.

Q. It still gives you confidence two years after?

ANDY RODDICK: Listen, I didn't need to play that match to know that I could play on grass. It's something that I feel like I can do pretty well. I understand a lot of the nuances of it. I made runs in the slams before.

I'm healthy for the first time in a while. You know, I don't feel like I'm compromising my game right now. So I feel good about where I'm at.

Q. Do you feel like the last couple years you've had a lot of mini comebacks from injuries?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I had a pretty clean bill of health through '09, and then I tore up my knee a little bit. Yeah, I think that's fair. I feel like I've been stopping and starting a lot; then playing through something.

There's been a lot of those decisions: do you go or shut it down and get it right? I've done both. You know, I don't know if there's a perfect solution.

Q. Right now Tiger Woods is going through injuries. For an athlete, your body is so important. What is it like when you can't play at the level you want to because you're injured?

ANDY RODDICK: It's very frustrating. I mean, you have injuries and then you try to play around your injuries. You know you can't play completely comfortable or completely by instinct or the way you'd want to. That's what I meant when I said, you know, you don't want to play compromised.

It's tough. You have the physical dynamic. But then I think almost worse is the mental dynamic of knowing you're not completely right. The small margins that represent a win or a loss in sports, you know, become even smaller when something isn't perfect.

Q. Are you going to stay for the Isner/Mahut match?

ANDY RODDICK: Stay? No. I have to play tomorrow. I can't stay here three nights.

Q. Is it kind of surprising that Roger Federer hasn't really had any kind of injury to take him out?

ANDY RODDICK: Not really. He doesn't even look like he's trying when he plays, so how you gonna get hurt (smiling)?

Q. Apart from the top four seeds, is there anybody that catches your eye, predictions, anyone that could make the semis or finals?

ANDY RODDICK: Anyone outside the top four that could make the semis or finals? I can make the semis or finals. I've done it before.

Q. Apart from yourself and the other top four.

ANDY RODDICK: I'm focused on what I'm doing. I'm not in the business of predictions. I'll leave that to you all.

Q. The top four here coming in all playing well, all having proven how well they could play on grass, how would you describe the strength of the top four seeds here?

ANDY RODDICK: They're playing great tennis. You can point at any one of them and certainly compliment their pedigree. Seems like they're all in form right now, which isn't always the case. I mean, they deserve all the credit and attention they get right now.

Q. Of all the tournaments you've been in, can you compare the strength at a particular time the top four seeds with this group?

ANDY RODDICK: No. I mean, I think we always have a tendency to overexaggerate the present, but they're certainly playing very well. You know, I came up with Agassi and Sampras. They weren't too bad either.

Q. How would you describe the difference in tone and press coverage here of Murray and maybe of yourself and other athletes in the U.S.?

ANDY RODDICK: One, tennis isn't one of the biggest sports in the U.S. Two, the beginning of my career, I had the cushion of Andre and Pete. Even now I'm the second American, and there are guys consistently ranked 20 and 30. Here it's Murray or bust, kind of. So I think those are the differences.

Obviously we're not pulling from 50 states, either. It's not as big of a thing, so...

Q. You said you feel like you can reach semis and finals. You've been on and off all year with injuries. You feel ball striking wise, coming off Queen's, that your game is in a place where, like you said about Serena, if you can get in a couple good matches you can make a decent run?

ANDY RODDICK: I feel healthy. I know what it takes to go deep at this tennis tournament.

Q. We heard John McEnroe saying the other day we should get rid of the pre-match knock up. Do you find the knock up is important to you?

ANDY RODDICK: The knock up meaning the warm up?

Q. Yes.

ANDY RODDICK: I think it's easy to not have the warm up when you're not the one not doing it anymore (smiling).

Q. There's some who talk about the role of luck in our sport, draws, health, what generation you're born into. Talk about the role of luck in tennis.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, what was it Gary Player said? The harder you work, the luckier you get. That and what? Hard work meets opportunity.

Luck affects a very small margin of matches, I think. There's one or two a year where you feel like you got through 'em even though maybe you definitely shouldn't have and probably one or two the other way, so maybe people that are unlucky maybe just need to get better. I don't know.

Q. Can you remember a lucky moment and an unlucky moment?

ANDY RODDICK: I can remember one lucky moment, for sure. Semi-finals here, fourth set breaker against Johansson. He served wide and I hit the ugliest hack return of all time, like literally it was rising as it hit the net. It hit and just bounced over to give me match point and I hit a serve. That was it.

Q. You spoke earlier about Serena Williams coming back. When Serena and Venus are not able to play, how would you describe the void there is on the women's tour?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, again, you want to answer this question without being disrespectful to the current players, because I certainly understand how hard it is regardless.

But they are the biggest crossover stars that we have in the women's game. I think that's undisputed. I feel like people who don't care about tennis still care about what Serena's wearing. I feel like they still care about what she's going to say or what she's going to do. Oh, she hasn't played in a year? I'm going to watch that. They bring that sort of attention to the game, which can only be beneficial for everybody involved, even the players, you know, who are playing when they're not there.

Q. Ryan Harrison, you've had a lot of involvement. Talk about where you think he is, what you like to see from him in the next seven or eight months.

ANDY RODDICK: He's got ability. He's got to harness that energy a little bit. He goes a little mental sometimes. That's coming from me, so... (Smiling).

For him, I think it's been the ears at this point. He certainly serves well. He competes. I think everything that's going to be tough for him is going to make him better, too, because he cares so much about winning and losing, which I don't think we've had enough of, frankly, in the States as far as the up and coming players.

It's just a matter of I think him figuring out a comfortable line where it's not a different emotion every day.

Q. What are you listening to this fortnight, still the Wurzels?

ANDY RODDICK: I'm still trying to get that damn song out of my head (laughter).

http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/interviews/2011-06-21/201106211308673570869.html

Video of (a few parts of) the interview here http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2011-06-21/201106211308658433220.html :haha:

and USA today blog :haha:

Roddick from Wimbledon: In stands, Brooklyn's model fan

Day 2

I was pretty pleased with my opening-round play Tuesday against qualifier Andreas Beck (a 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 victory). I hit 30 aces and feel that I have my serve back even though the conditions were tough with the wind. I realized a few days ago that I somehow moved my grip over to where I was serving terrible. I rotated it to the old position, and it's back to normal. Maybe that was a reason my shoulder was hurting, too.

A lot of people have been making a big deal about the shorter socks I started wearing at Queens. There's no deal. I didn't know it was going to be such a thing. I've always worn ankle-high socks when I've worked out on the track. Basically I didn't wear them in matches because I wore my ankle braces. I needed big socks to wear those and decided to go without them. Honestly I was just kind of tired of them. But it's not a fashion statement. Mardy Fish, who has been sporting those socks for a while, told me I was stealing his look. I told him I did it better because I have calves.

In fact, I've been having breakfast with Mardy most days, and he asked me, in a shameless self-promotion, to ask readers to follow @mardyfish. He wants to get from 17,100 Twitter followers to 18,000 from this diary. He told me 'I need to boost my Q rating.'

My parents are here with me this year for the first time since 1997. It's the first time they've ever seen me play here. I thought they might have snuck over for one of my three finals and were just sitting in the stands, but they swear they haven't. (They never sit in the player box). I haven't seen much of them, however. I brought them down to get credentialed a couple days ago and got them lined up for some sightseeing, but they give me my space. They know I have to play a tournament.

It can be nerve-racking to sit and watch matches. My wife, Brooklyn, is pretty cool. I think she gets a little nervous, but she keeps it together pretty good. Apparently she asks my coach, Larry (Stefanki), and my physio, Doug (Spreen), a lot of questions. We stay away from offering advice. We have a pretty respectful relationship when it comes to the other person's career. I don't pretend to know about what she does, and she doesn't pretend to be an expert at what I do either. If I'm talking about something tennis-related, she gets it, but she doesn't offer game plans, I promise you that.

Next up Wednesday is my second round against Victor Hanescu of Romania on Centre Court. He's streaky. A big dude. Doesn't move perfectly but strikes the ball well. It's going to be a matter of mixing it up a little bit.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2011-06-21-wimbledon-diary-andy-roddick_n.htm
 
#78 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

Roddick: One-Slam wonder? Well, that's one more than most

Day 3

I was pretty happy with everything in my match (Wednesday). I played clean, a lot better than my first round. I was sticking returns, hit 15 aces and won 93% of my first serves. Although I was on Centre Court, I didn't want to play under the retractable roof. I've heard it makes the conditions a little slower. The air is more humid, and the balls get a little bit bigger and don't travel as fast. I was happy when they said they were going to open the roof before my match since the day started with rain and it was closed.

On the other hand, it was a good feeling knowing I was guaranteed to play. I was here Monday ready to play all day. My match got canceled late. Played Tuesday, played Wednesday. I didn't want to get canceled (Wednesday) and wake up with that mentality of having to play for five consecutive days. So it was a little bit of a relief knowing that I was going to get my match in no matter what.

Actually, I was surprised I was scheduled on Centre Court with (Rafael) Nadal and (Andy) Murray on the docket. My camp and I always try to predict where and what time I'm going to play. We were 0-fer. No one got that one. We normally have a pretty good idea. Later in the day is better for U.S. TV (since we are five hours ahead of ET) and I'm behind Murray and Nadal on my side of the draw pecking-order wise. You can get a pretty good gauge on where you're going to be but we were wrong on this one. I can't predict where I'll be Friday because I haven't seen all the matchups yet.

It's my 11th Wimbledon and a lot has changed and much hasn't. There is new player dining area, new courts like No. 2 last year and this year the newly built No. 3. Court 1 was new when I first arrived here. The thing that's cool is that a lot of changed but they're still able to make it feel like the old place. They do a great job of incorporating the new with tradition.

My coach Larry Stefanki and I have been together a few years now, too. It's always a challenge to keep it fresh, but we haven't tried to do anything consciously about that. I have a lot of faith in his opinion on tennis. He's seen a lot. He's coached every different style from (Tim) Henman to (Marcelo) Rios to (John) McEnroe. He's meticulous as far as notes and remembering matches. He literally has notes from every match I've ever played, certain points, tendencies, etc. He's just well studied. I respect that.

I don't care when people use the term "one-Slam wonder" with me. (Actually, nearly half of the major winners in the Open era — 24 of 51 — fit that category). People say it as a bad thing. The people who say it I swear don't have a Grand Slam title. I think the term "wonder" suggests you have won one and gone away. I've played in five Grand Slam finals. I haven't gone anywhere. I've been here the last decade. You'd better be pretty good if you're going to throw that term around nonchalantly.

But I do wonder about the lack of statistical awareness in our sport. I'd like to see us get fired up in tennis about other numbers besides the Slams — 500 homers in baseball, things like that. Or a certain number of match wins that was magical or more celebrated. I wish we had those hallowed marks. We have one mark, which is tough. It would be like judging Karl Malone on nothing but one stat.

I have a day off before my next match. I'll probably have a light hit of 30-45 minutes. My wife Brooklyn wants to go to a movie in the afternoon. She's been eager to take me to this movie Bridesmaids for a while. I think she's already seen it three times.

Next up is Feliciano Lopez. I've never lost to him (7-0), but we've had some really close matches. Very tough. Lefty. Chips the ball around, likes to volley. His game is almost tailor-made for grass. He likes playing on the surface as much as I do. He's been to the quarterfinals here a couple times and we just played at Queens in the first round. I was down a break in the third and won.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2011-06-22-wimbledon-diary-andy-roddick_n.htm
 
#79 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

It's scary how much better his serve looks, and so strange that it took them so long to figure out the problem. But better late than never.

also, seeing andy play this well is great but it pisses me the F off because it makes you wonder WTF he's doing the other 99% of the time :mad:
 
#80 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

it's ok, donkey noddick. you'll never win 5 consecutive matches. good to see the gold digging parents there.... how sweet...not.
 
#81 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

Andy played great yesterday. The serve is back and the movement and ball striking look excellent. Still hoping Murray loses to Gasquet or someone else first though...but the good news is that Mugray hasn't played well at all and has looked tight every match. Hmm..
 
#83 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

Andy played great yesterday. The serve is back and the movement and ball striking look excellent. Still hoping Murray loses to Gasquet or someone else first though...but the good news is that Mugray hasn't played well at all and has looked tight every match. Hmm..
If/when he starts being able to do it 2/3/+ matches in a row, then we'll see.
 
#84 ·
Re: The "Now that you sneaked up into the top 8, prove that you belong there" thread

That just hurts because you finally have to face facts that Andy is done. What's going to hurt is that everyone is just going to push him aside like he's trash, forgetting what he's done in the past. I just hurt for him. And to not even get a set.
 
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