The difference between stellar success and abject failure is often very slender in tennis. Andy Roddick found it hard to put his finger on quite why he is enjoying such a fruitful start to the season, or why he finds himself into what will be his fourth Australian Open semifinal. It matters little, for all that matters is that the American is still in with a shout of winning the title.
“I wish I could break it down to 50 per cent here, 50 per cent there,” said Roddick, after progressing courtesy of Novak Djokovic’s fourth-set retirement on Tuesday. “I'm sure it's a combination of things. I'm sure that there has been two good months with Larry (Stefanki, his coach since December) and having a good result isn't coincidental. But I don't know. I don't know how to divide the two. With me, they're all kind of under one roof.”
With Stefanki’s guidance, Roddick has got both his body and his mind into the kind of form it was when he won his only Grand Slam title, the 2003 US Open. Stefanki and he seem to be kindred spirits, hyperactive – by Roddick’s own admission – and keen to get stuck in with hard work when required. Stefanki, who is a former mentor to John McEnroe, Marcelo Rios, Tim Henman and Australian Open 2007 finalist Fernando Gonzalez, has got his latest charge into the peak of physical condition, but of arguably more significance is the effect Stefanki has had on Roddick’s mind. He has got him believing in himself again.
“You can be in great shape, but if you're not hitting the ball well it doesn't really matter. You have to give yourself an opportunity to kind of use it,” said Roddick, who signalled his intention to do some damage during the Australian summer by reaching the final of the Qatar Open in Doha in the first week of the season. “I went into Doha excited and anxious. I felt prepared, but by no means did I automatically feel like I was entitled to playing well or anything of the sort. The thing about our sport is you can constantly get knocked down. No one really cares about yesterday. You got to kind of prove yourself on a daily basis. So I try to come into this year knowing that and knowing that I've been ‑ still have been ‑ bumped down a couple of notches. You kind of go at getting back there in a workmanlike way. I didn't know if it was going to happen this fast, but I'm ready to keep at it.”
Long before the temperatures at Rod Laver Arena got to Djokovic and eventually forced him to retire, Roddick seemed to have the beating of the defending champion. He returned with guile and gumption while his volleys, so often a noticeable weakness in the past, were a revelation. He probably erred too much on the side of caution in the first set, but still created plenty of chances to take the lead. Once he found the right balance of caution and aggression, Djokovic had no answer. There will be much talk about the fact that Djokovic retired from a Grand Slam match for the fourth time in his career, but nothing should be taken away from the strength of Roddick’s performance. “That's sports. That's what makes it fun,” said Roddick of Djokovic’s retirement. “There's no script. I'm extremely satisfied with what I've done so far in this tournament. How you get there is details.”
No comments posted
