Well, that match makes me feel a whole lot better about our Andy losing to t'other Andy. I said to my husband on Friday that if Roddick played against Fed the way he had played against Murray, he had a good chance: no, says the Other Half, Federer will not let him play that well. . .
Only now come on the forum after the Murray v Roddick match. It was too early for me to react immediately after the match, and then I've been a bit busy the last few days, but anyway...
I was so disappointed after the match, but Andy Roddick played so much better than I expected. That combined with not Andy M's absolute best and he lost, but there was certainly no shame in the loss.
I don't share those that say there is a Grand Slam problem. There was some worry that before Wimbledon last year he hadn't reached a Grand Slam quarter final or indeed won a Masters tournament.
Since then, though, as has been pointed out, a quarter and semi at Wimbledon, a final at the US Open, a quarter at the French Open even, and only one failure to reach a Grand Slam quarter finals after not having done that at all before last June. He has also, of course, won 3 Masters titles. He has lost to one or two inferior ranked players in Grand Slams, yes, but still only to fairly high seeds, usually playing towards their very best.
Like Andy's whole career those statistics show a guy steadily going forward ( OK, I know we'd love it all to happen now ) . I bet you if many folk retraced their thoughts to June last year he has come on much more than they expected in the last year.
As soon as Sue Barker suggested to others ( who generally seemed to agree ) that Andy would maybe take a long while to get over the match, I thought that is not the Andy I thought I knew. He has no history of brooding on results and not bouncing back. I was sooo pleased with that interview comment that it would be "pathetic" to let one result, however disappointing, spoil the rest of his year. I am sure he meant it too, he has other fish to fry !
One issue is his serve, both first serve percentage wise ( which has generally improved but was down again against Roddick ) and the quality of the second serve. Serving issues have been my main theme of worry for some time. I quite accept, as was said, that he only dropped serve twice against Roddick, so on the direct face of it it didn't seem the significant issue. But to me, particularly on grass, much of Andy's overall game flows from confidence in his serve. The more pressure he puts on himself in his own service games does not help him either in trying to break his opponent, especially one serving as well as Roddick.
Re occasional passivity ( word ? lol ) then I do know we have had debates about this on this forum. In general, I think he has sometimes been a little too passive, though less recently, but I don't such it is such a long term significant problem in his game or that he really plays too defensively to reach the very top. I have diasgreed with those who seem to feel he fundamentally needs to change his approach. He is from all evidence getting there and at a pretty steady rate so how he plays is not a major problem. Sometimes, maybe a bit more attacking, even in the Roddick game, but this is not a guy who needs wholesale changes in the way he plays the game.
Speaking of which....I see that Larry Stefanki, Roddick's coach, has stated that Andy M is "stuck playing defensive tennis" and needs to "change his mentality" in order to win Grand Slams. I disagree. I greatly respect Stefanki for what he has done with Roddick. And yes, Andy could as I said be a bit more positive at times. But he does not in my opinion need huge changes to the way he plays or his mentality, but actually just to continue the very significant overall strides and improvements that he has been showing, and I am confident that he will get there. Now that Stefanki maybe thinks he has Roddick back in the ball game, maybe that's what worries him
I do so hope Andy can achieve his first Grand Slam success at either the US Open or the Australian Open. That would be of course be tremendous in itself, and also as Madeline said take some pressure off at Wimbledon. I so wish that he had at least broken straight through the British semi final problem at the first time of asking, because you just know that all the statistics are going to be rolled out again the next time he's in a Wimbledon semi ( and surely there will be more times ! )
Yes, very disappointed with the result of a match that I thought Andy could have won but no disgrace in the manner of his defeat. I still see all the right signs that Andy is still on course to achieve some of his highest ambitions.
I just feel that his playing style as a counter puncher will always be vulnerable against someone in the zone, eg Tsonga, Verdasco, Gonzalez. Roddick I think surprised most people in tennis with his new game and Im not sure exactly what that means long term but appears he is a very legitimate slam contender again. Obviously AM has shown he can reach a US Open final and a Wimbledon SF so if the cards fall right he could win one but I have to say I say its less likely than likely. I hope Im wrong.
Really I have only seen Andy as a real Grand Slam contendor for less than a year in that I still didnt see him as ready for say winning Wimbledon last year. Before then he hadn't yet been to a Grand Slam Quarters or won a Masters tournament, hadn't even ever beaten either Nadal or Djokovic ( he first did in last July's Masters Tournaments in the USA ). This was not a guy before then really ready to to win a major.
By the way, S&V, when was he a legitimate Grand Slam contendor before the US Open last year ? He is not someone, like most players that yet has really come up and fallen away, but has really, apart from around his wrist injury period, been on a pretty continuous upwards path.
I really think things should be put in that context by quite a few folk, including some well paid tennis reporters, before anyone gets too impatient now, and believe me I'd love everything now too.
He has come through at his own pace, slower than some, but it was very clear upwards progress, and Grand Slam / Masters wise and re matches against the top players it has all pretty much been in the right direction lately.
He has come on so much in the last year, is someone that constantly seems to work to improve, and doesn't seem that far off. That is why I have great difficulty in seeing that he needs to make drastic changes in his game, when he has really been an absolute top contendor for actually so little comparative time.
To me, he really needs to work on his game yet further, such as service, consider yes when he should be being a bit more positive, but no drastic changes in his game.
It is far too early to be saying that his game needs drastic changes at the top level or that has he a long term Grand Slam problem, when as I said he has only really been a top contendor for less than a year and apart from Australia has hardly majorly failed in the latest round of Grand Slams.
I am confident that he feels this himself, and I remain confident that he has the game, with further improvements, and the back up support to get there.
-- Edited by indiana on Wednesday 8th of July 2009 02:25:51 PM
-- Edited by indiana on Wednesday 8th of July 2009 06:33:32 PM