Tomic denies tanking in Roddick defeat

Updated September 01, 2012 17:22:38

Bernard Tomic admitted to suffering stage fright but denied not trying after suffering a humbling three-set belting at the hands of home hero Andy Roddick at the US Open in New York.

Tennis great John McEnroe accused Tomic of not having a genuine go in the final set of his 6-3,6-4, 6-0 second-round defeat on Saturday (AEST).

"Tomic is teeing it up. It looks like the tank job," McEnroe said while commentating on prime-time TV in America.

"This is a shame. You don't like to see this. I like to see Andy win but, other than that, it's poor."

When Roddick closed out the 22-minute final set - in which Tomic won only five points - with an ace, McEnroe added: "A well-deserved beating."

Tomic, though, insisted he was simply overwhelmed by the occasion.

The 19-year-old was playing in the sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium - the world's largest tennis arena which seats 22,500 spectators - for the first time and on the night after Roddick announced his retirement.

"I was a bit nervous the first set. It's very difficult the first time to be in front of 22,000 people," Tomic said.

"It's very different. A different feeling playing on the back courts than playing on the biggest stage in the world, biggest country in the world.

"I wasn't looking up, that's for sure. More I looked up, the more I realised how much people were there."

Tomic felt Roddick was untouchable.

"I couldn't get the racquet on the ball," he said.

"Andy was playing, I think, really good at the net, coming into the net.

"Every time I wanted to pass him, he ended up hitting a half-volley winner or a volley winner.

"He was on top of me the whole match. I can't complain. The whole match was his way from start to finish pretty much."

The 19-year-old reacted angrily when asked about McEnroe's tanking allegation.

"Really? What do you think?" Tomic asked his inquisitor.

"That's how I play. Do you have a problem with that?"

He maintained it was merely a suffocating experience.

"To play one of the biggest players in America, I was thinking about it too much leading into the match," Tomic said.

"He was serving well. So I just couldn't find my way to get out of that little zone.

"I feel like I needed to hit 10 minutes on the court. It's difficult. The top seeds always get the opportunity to hit on that court.

"Yeah, this is his home city where he plays the best. I wasn't quite comfortable I think the whole match on that court. It was very strange."

Roddick, the 2003 champion and one-time world number one, next meets Italian Fabio Fognini for a spot in the last 16.

"I'm going to look forward to it and I'm going to try and stick around a bit longer," Roddick said.

"Oh man, that was so much fun."

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, australia, united-states

First posted September 01, 2012 17:22:38

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Hewitt to face Roddick after Open fight

Updated January 18, 2012 13:09:29

Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt has set up a second round showdown with long-time rival Andy Roddick after starting his record 16th consecutive Australian Open with a typically gutsy win.

Hewitt downed unseeded German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in a see-sawing struggle which took two minutes shy of four hours in front of a record 19,031-strong Rod Laver Arena crowd on Tuesday night.

After 30-year-old father-of-three Hewitt won the first two sets, Stebe dominated the third and the early stages of the fourth, going up two breaks of serve, to seemingly be set to push the match to a decider.

Hewitt seemed in grave danger of his third first-round exit in four years in his home grand slam.

But he showed he had lost none of the fighting spirit which has been the two-time grand slam winner's trademark, consistently applying pressure until the German's sweet hitting went off the boil, allowing the Australian to storm home.

Hewitt's triumph was delayed by Stebe calling for an injury time-out with one game left in the match, in what seemed a desperate, but unsuccessful, bid to halt the veteran's new-found momentum.

The 21-year-old German left-hander produced a succession of fine shots from both sides throughout a high-quality match, before finally faltering late in the contest.

Hewitt said he had just "hung in there" in the fourth set, before his opponent tightened up.

He appreciated the crowd support, but said most of the spectators were probably settling in for a five-setter.

"Every time I seem to play out here, I seem to play five sets," Hewitt said.

"They were just getting ready for another long night."

Roddick, the 15th seed, beat Dutchman Robin Haase 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 earlier on Tuesday, but was bracing for an epic battle with Hewitt, despite the discrepancy in their rankings.

"He's a fighter. I have as much respect for him as I do for anybody in the game," Roddick said.

Meanwhile, French sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in four sets to reach the second round.

Former finalist Tsonga downed Istomin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 and will next play Brazilian Ricardo Mello.

Serbian Victor Troicki, seeded 19th, came back from two sets down to defeat Juan Carlos Ferrero 4-6, 6-7(3-7), 6-2, 7-6(7-3), 6-2.

AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted January 17, 2012 23:44:01

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Roddick fumes but advances with big guns

Updated September 09, 2011 07:08:01

Defending champion Rafael Nadal and fourth seed Andy Murray reached the US Open quarter-finals after two days of frustration while Andy Roddick stormed off court in an angry tirade against officials.

Second seed Nadal saw off Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, 6-2 while fourth seed and 2008 runner-up Murray cruised to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 win over US wild card Donald Young.

But it was 2003 champion Roddick who grabbed the headlines when his last-16 clash against David Ferrer was suspended because of water seeping up through a crack in the surface on Louis Armstrong Stadium following another night of torrential rain.

After playing just two games of their resumed match, the players were taken off court as groundstaff tried desperately for 80 minutes to soak up the water.

When Roddick and Ferrer returned, the 29-year-old American was furious, telling besieged referee Brian Earley that the surface was still too wet to play.

He packed his bag and stormed off to jeers from the crowd.

"Why are we here if there is water there?" asked a furious Roddick.

"I'm getting really pissed off. Jesus, what are we doing here. It's killing me. I am baffled right now."

The match was switched to Court 13 as officials kept up their bid to clear a huge backlog caused by two days being washed out by rain.

The switch did not affect Roddick too much as he completed a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over fifth-seeded Ferrer and next faces Nadal for a semi-final spot.

Officials decided to suspend all further play on Louis Armstrong which meant the women's quarter-final between top seed Caroline Wozniacki and Andrea Petkovic was also played on Court 13.

Nadal, Murray hang tough

Nadal had trailed Muller 0-3 overnight after just 15 minutes of play had been possible on Wednesday, but with bright sunshine replacing rain, the Spaniard raced into the last eight.

The Spaniard has endured a dramatic US Open, collapsing with cramping at a news conference after his third round win over David Nalbandian before his frustrating two days waiting for the rain to clear.

He made up for lost time, taking less than two hours to complete victory over the 68th-ranked Muller who he had also defeated at Wimbledon this year.

Murray avenged his loss to the 84th-ranked Young at Indian Wells in March to reach the last eight for the first time since he fell in the 2008 final to Roger Federer.

Young had held a 2-1 lead when rain brought proceedings to a halt on Wednesday.

But Murray showed no ill-effects from the repeated delays as the 22-year-old American's bid to become the first wild card to reach the quarters since James Blake in 2005 was doomed by 53 unforced errors.

Murray said he will steel himself for the posibility of playing four matches in four days.

"It's not ideal, but that's kind of what you have to deal with just now. It was raining anyway so there was nothing we could have done about it at the time and there's no covers," he said.

"So you've just got to try and embrace the situation and do all the right things to get yourself ready if you have to play four matches in four days. But I'm still a long way from having to play four matches in four days."

Murray next faces 28th-seeded American John Isner who defeated 12th-seeded Gilles Simon of France 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4) to reach a grand slam semi-final for the first time.

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, united-states

First posted September 09, 2011 06:05:55

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Roddick withdraws from French Open

Updated May 20, 2011 06:38:00

American Andy Roddick has pulled out of the French Open because of a shoulder injury, organisers said overnight.

World number 11 Roddick, who has never got past the fourth round at Roland Garros, had pulled out of this week's Nice Open, saying he hurt his right shoulder at the Rome Masters.

The former world number one, who has never been at ease on clay, reached three Wimbledon finals and won the 2003 US Open.

Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, the 2003 Roland Garros champion, has also withdrawn from the grand slam event which starts on Sunday, organisers said without elaborating.

- Reuters

Tags: sport, tennis, france, united-states

First posted May 20, 2011 06:02:00

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Roddick in doubt for French Open

Posted May 18, 2011 06:52:00

America's three-time Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick is a doubt for the French Open after he was forced to withdraw from the ATP tournament in Nice because of a shoulder injury.

The 28-year-old had been hoping to get a much-needed confidence boost after first-round exits on clay at both the Madrid and Rome Masters, but he conceded defeat and decided he would not be able to play his singles match on Wednesday against Romanian Victor Hanescu.

"I was already injured last week in Rome and I had to withdraw from the men's doubles final," said Roddick, whose best performance at Roland Garros was a fourth-round showing in 2009.

"I don't know yet if I will be able to play at Roland Garros and I think that you can't play a grand slam if you're not 100 per cent," added Roddick, who is presently ranked 11th in the world.

Roddick said that he did not want to risk aggravating the injury to such an extent that he might miss Wimbledon on his more favoured surface of grass.

"It is painful more when I am hitting backhands and forehands than when I am serving, and there is little bit of tendinitis," said Roddick.

"I want to avoid spending months out injured. It has not been a very good year so far."

- AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, france

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Wimbledon 2009 Mens Final - Federer vs Roddick

Roger Federer became tennis' greatest men's champion, watched by a legion of champions, as he beat Andy Roddick 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 in four hours and 16 minutes to claim his sixth Wimbledon crown. It was also a record 15th Grand Slam title for the Swiss master, overhauling the total of Pete Sampras who was in the Royal Box along with fellow legends Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver.

It was a truly momentous climax to the 2009 Championships as the 27-year-old Swiss became the most successful man in the sport. Sampras, previous holder of that title, had been an unannounced surprise visitor to Wimbledon where he has not been seen since 2002.

In terms of match time, it was not quite as long as last year s battle between Federer and Rafael Nadal, but it soon took on similarly epic proportions. And for much of the match, it seemed that Roddick would emulate Nadal's feat as he hammered away at his opponent. Federer wavered a few times, but never toppled and in the end won on merit. He returns to number one in the world, too, by way of yet another win bonus.

That this was going to be a contest between two big blasters was evident from the opening game, when Roddick slammed down two aces and in the next Federer replied with a couple of his own. That Federer had won 18 of their previous 20 matches was not a consideration on this day. For a start, Roddick, white cap pulled low over his eyes, was clearly a fitter and slimmer version of the man who had already lost to Federer in two Wimbledon finals, and he matched Federer stride for stride, shot for shot, ace for ace as they hurtled through the opening set, completing 10 games in just 25 minutes.

So to the deciding set, with Federer threatening to strike early as he reached break point for the sixth time in the match, only to be frustrated again as the American pumped down his 20th ace at 138mph. With no tiebreak in the fifth set, this one had to be played out. And so it was, amid mounting excitement and with Federer beginning to show the first signs of uncertainty.

This reached a climax as Federer faced two break points at 8-8, only to serve his way out of trouble and as the games ascended into double figures for each man the set became the longest fifth set in Wimbledon's history.

Federer's ace count passed the 50 mark and then, finally, it was Roddick who cracked in the 30th game of the set. Three mishits off the frame indicated he was fatigued and when Federer was offered the first Championship point he grabbed it eagerly, leaping into the air with joy as another Roddick mis-hit sailed long.

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Roddick dumped in the dirt

Published:Tuesday, May 10, 2011 7:44 AEST

Andy Roddick of the USA shows his dejection as he leans on the net during his first round match against Gilles Simon of France during day two of the Internazoinali BNL D'Italia at the Foro Italico Tennis Centre on May 9, 2011 in Rome.

Tags: sport, tennis, italy

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Wimbledon 2009 Mens Final - Federer vs Roddick

Roger Federer became tennis' greatest men's champion, watched by a legion of champions, as he beat Andy Roddick 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 in four hours and 16 minutes to claim his sixth Wimbledon crown. It was also a record 15th Grand Slam title for the Swiss master, overhauling the total of Pete Sampras who was in the Royal Box along with fellow legends Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver.

It was a truly momentous climax to the 2009 Championships as the 27-year-old Swiss became the most successful man in the sport. Sampras, previous holder of that title, had been an unannounced surprise visitor to Wimbledon where he has not been seen since 2002.

In terms of match time, it was not quite as long as last year s battle between Federer and Rafael Nadal, but it soon took on similarly epic proportions. And for much of the match, it seemed that Roddick would emulate Nadal's feat as he hammered away at his opponent. Federer wavered a few times, but never toppled and in the end won on merit. He returns to number one in the world, too, by way of yet another win bonus.

That this was going to be a contest between two big blasters was evident from the opening game, when Roddick slammed down two aces and in the next Federer replied with a couple of his own. That Federer had won 18 of their previous 20 matches was not a consideration on this day. For a start, Roddick, white cap pulled low over his eyes, was clearly a fitter and slimmer version of the man who had already lost to Federer in two Wimbledon finals, and he matched Federer stride for stride, shot for shot, ace for ace as they hurtled through the opening set, completing 10 games in just 25 minutes.

So to the deciding set, with Federer threatening to strike early as he reached break point for the sixth time in the match, only to be frustrated again as the American pumped down his 20th ace at 138mph. With no tiebreak in the fifth set, this one had to be played out. And so it was, amid mounting excitement and with Federer beginning to show the first signs of uncertainty.

This reached a climax as Federer faced two break points at 8-8, only to serve his way out of trouble and as the games ascended into double figures for each man the set became the longest fifth set in Wimbledon's history.

Federer's ace count passed the 50 mark and then, finally, it was Roddick who cracked in the 30th game of the set. Three mishits off the frame indicated he was fatigued and when Federer was offered the first Championship point he grabbed it eagerly, leaping into the air with joy as another Roddick mis-hit sailed long.

Full match with BBC TV commentary.

Price: $24.99

Click here to buy from Amazon