Roddick exits Wimbledon in 3rd round

Head bowed, Andy Roddick trudged off Centre Court, his purple Wimbledon towel dragging along the turf.

As the three-time runner-up at the All England Club headed for the exit, he passed some kids clamoring for an autograph from their front-row perch. Roddick paused and tossed his blue-framed racket underhand. Thanks to his latest earlier-than-anticipated Grand Slam loss, the American won't be needing it next week.

The eighth-seeded Roddick departed quickly Friday, beaten 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the third round by unseeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain. Lopez served spectacularly well, hitting 28 aces, and finally got the better of the 2003 U.S. Open champion after losing all seven previous matches they played.

Roddick turns 29 in August, and he was asked whether, as the years go by, one particularly depressing thought creeps into his mind: He might never win Wimbledon.

"Well, sure. You're human. I mean, of course it does," he replied. Then, speaking directly to the reporter, Roddick added: "You know, you may never get your favorite job, either — no offense to your current employer."

Roddick lost to Roger Federer in the 2004, 2005 and 2009 finals — 16-14 in the fifth set of that last one — but only made it as far as the fourth round last year, and second round in 2008.

"What do you do? You keep moving forward until you decide to stop," Roddick said. "At this point, I've not decided to stop, so I'll keep moving forward."

He hasn't been past the quarterfinals at any of the past seven major tournaments; he withdrew from the French Open in May because of a right shoulder injury, but said he's healthy at the moment.


That, in part, is why Roddick figured he'd make a deep run at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.

"He gears a lot of his year for Wimbledon. It's a tough loss," said Roddick's coach, Larry Stefanki. "He's disappointed. Very disappointed."

It didn't help that Lopez was nearly perfect, conjuring up 57 winners and eight unforced errors.

"Unbelievable," Lopez said. "When I came back in the locker room, my coaches told me. I was surprised that I didn't miss anything, almost."

Because of rain, only two other third-round men's matches finished Friday: No. 4 Andy Murray moved forward in his bid to give Britain its first male champion at Wimbledon since 1936, beating Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) with the help of a behind-the-back, between-the-legs trick shot under the Centre Court roof; and No. 17 Richard Gasquet of France beat Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Murray plays Gasquet next.

Roddick is the highest-seeded man out of the tournament so far. Two of the top three women already are gone: No. 2 Vera Zvonareva, the runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2010, was eliminated by No. 32 Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-2, 6-3 Friday, less than 24 hours after No. 3 Li Na, the French Open champion, lost.

Pironkova reached the semifinals last year, when she upset five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, and they'll have a rematch in the fourth round next week. Williams overpowered 76th-ranked Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 6-0, 6-2 on Court 1.

"I'm in the next round. That's my main goal, regardless whether I play amazing, whether I play halfway decent. Doesn't matter," Williams said. "It's just about finding a way to win."


Looking ahead to facing Pironkova, Williams said: "Last year, you know, I think I just got unhappy with how I was playing, and I let that affect my game. This year, I won't let that happen."

Another past Wimbledon winner, Maria Sharapova, struggled at the start against 17-year-old Laura Robson of Britain before righting herself to win their second-round match 7-6 (4), 6-3, her shot-accompanying shrieks as loud as ever.

Sharapova trailed 4-1 early, then fell behind 4-2 in the tiebreaker, before taking the set's last five points, closing it with a 108 mph service winner against 2008 Wimbledon junior champion Robson.

"She was much more aggressive than I was in the beginning," Sharapova said. "But then I just kind of got my rhythm a little bit and started playing better."

Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki also won a delayed second-round match, as did 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli. Defending champion Rafael Nadal's match was among several in the third round stopped because of rain Friday evening.

Having saved two set points against Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, the top-seeded Nadal came back to take the opener 7-6 (6), despite slipping behind the baseline and tumbling to his knees. At the ensuing changeover, Nadal asked to see the trainer for treatment.

But play was suspended before the start of the second set, then called off for the day at about 7 p.m. Shortly thereafter, Nadal walked out of the club without any noticeable hitch in his gait.

It has rained on four of the first five days of competition, but the tournament press office said there hasn't been consideration given to scheduling matches for the middle Sunday, traditionally a day off at Wimbledon. Saturday's forecast calls for a chance of rain in the morning, but dry weather in the afternoon.

In three second-round men's matches held over from Thursday, 18-year-old Bernard Tomic of Australia, the youngest man left, defeated Igor Andreev of Russia 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1; No. 11 Jurgen Melzer of Austria beat Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1); and No. 7 David Ferrer of Spain finished off a 6-7 (6), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback victory over 19-year-old Ryan Harrison of the United States.

Harrison credited Roddick with being a mentor.

"He's helped me deal with every situation I've faced, as far as all the new stuff I haven't experienced myself yet," Harrison said. "He's made himself available to ask him any questions, whether or not it's about tennis, life, priorities, whatever. I can ask him and talk to him about anything, which has been a great help to me."

Roddick never got comfortable against the 44th-ranked Lopez, who played his usual classic grass-court style, charging the net whenever possible, a tactic that carried him to the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2005 and 2008.

While Lopez is one win away from returning to the quarterfinals, Roddick heads home. He'll have much more time than he wanted to work on his game ahead of the July 8-10 Davis Cup quarterfinals between his US team and Lopez's Spain.

Roddick beat Lopez on grass two weeks ago at the Queen's Club tuneup tournament. But this time, Roddick said, "He played better than I did. He beat me. It's easier for me to walk out of here with that and move forward with that than, let's say, '08, where I lost to (Janko) Tipsarevic, and I felt like I completely choked, or last year, where I just kind of had a million opportunities and kind of gave it away."

Roddick managed to break Lopez once, in the first set. But he only earned one break point the rest of the way, in the opening game of the second set, and Lopez saved it.

"That was about his only opportunity to make a dent," Stefanki said. "He returned as well as he could return when he got his racket on it."

Roger Federer reclaims year-end No. 1 ranking

Roger Federer has reclaimed his spot at the top of the tennis world, securing the year-end No. 1 ranking for the fifth time.

The record 15-time Grand Slam champion is closing in on Pete Sampras' all-time mark of six.
"It means a lot to have returned to No. 1 and to finish the year again at No. 1," Federer said Wednesday after accepting a trophy on court at the ATP World Tour Finals. "It was an incredible year for me both on the court and off the court and to be able to break the all-time Grand Slam record and finish the year on top is amazing."

Federer earned the top year-end ranking after winning his opening two matches at the season-ending tour finals at the O2 Arena. Rafael Nadal, who ended Federer's five-year run as the end-of-season No. 1 last year, had a mathematical chance of overtaking Federer for the top spot but lost his opening match.

Federer struggled in the 2008 season, but reached all four Grand Slams finals yet again in 2009 and won two titles. The first championship came at the French Open, making the Swiss player only the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam.

At the All England Club, he reclaimed the Wimbledon title by defeating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set and surpassing Sampras with his 15th major title.

"After having a rough 2008, coming back this year and being able to dominate and play at the top when the depth in tennis is so, so great at the moment, I think it's a wonderful achievement," Federer said after beating Andy Murray on Tuesday. "It's a wonderful feeling."

Up next for Federer, who got married and had twin daughters this year, is trying to match Sampras with a sixth year-end No. 1 ranking. He's tied with Jimmy Connors with five apiece.
But this year's achievement was also special because Federer became only the second player to reclaim the distinction after losing it. Ivan Lendl, who was No. 1 from 1985-87, did it in 1989.
At the ATP World Tour Finals, Federer has twice rallied after losing the first set, first beating Fernando Verdasco on Sunday and Murray on Tuesday. He will face Juan Martin del Potro on Thursday to guarantee a spot in the semifinals of the season-ending tournament.

Del Potro, who is 1-1 in the round-robin tournament, beat Federer in five sets in the U.S. Open final.

"It could be a make-or-break match for us to get through," Federer said. "If that's the case, I'll give it all I have and try to beat him this time. Last time we played, it was a fantastic match in New York."

Nadal Ensnared in Tennis' Silly Season

Rafael Nadal is weak. His mind is mush. He can't run. What else can we conclude from his performance at the ATP Tour finals?

In three matches, he didn't win a set. Maybe he's finished as a dominant player?

Well, there is one other possibility. The tournament was a disaster.

Great, new sold-out indoor facility. Great to have just the select top players together. But the tournament was not a gathering of the best as much as a sign of a serious problem on tour, one that is costing Nadal.

That's what I'm going with. But the truth is, there are plenty of questions about Nadal, too. It's shocking when a guy known as a warrior says that in decisive moments, he didn't have the "necessary calm.''

But whatever the reason, this tournament was billed as the decider in the great Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal debate. Which will be No. 1 for 2009? Yet we ended up nowhere near a Federer-Nadal final.

We never do. Since their classic Wimbledon final in July of 2008, they have played each other just twice. The sport had a breakthrough moment with that final. And tennis has some momentum, as a recent survey shows. But in trying to milk that momentum, the tour has made demands with a schedule that endangers its best players, its best rivalry.

"Finish(ed) battery,'' Nadal said. "I need to charge a lot.''

This time last year, Nadal owned Federer and was tennis' dominant force, storming the court on every match. Now, he has lost four matches in a row. Storming the court? He isn't even a spring shower anymore.

"Not very disappointing, no,'' he said. "It's disappointing if you arrive here with the feeling that you have a big chance to win. But I didn't arrive here with that feeling ...

"The goal (for next year) is try to play hard and arrive generally in perfect condition. Have the feeling that when you are playing a point, you're not going to have a mistake.''

Nadal looks dangerously spent. The question is whether it's temporary.

You can say it's the result of his excessive work ethic or his throw-everything-into-every-shot style. Those are real issues.


But it's not just him. Andy Roddick didn't come to the tournament because his knee hurts. Federer, who did finish the year No. 1, lost his last two matches, couldn't find the court with his forehand and ran out of steam against Juan Martin del Potro. No. 3 Novak Djokovic was cranky all week, mentally worn out.

In the final Sunday, Del Potro looked like he could he barely find the energy to say "Uncle,'' against Nikolay Davydenko, who won 6-3, 6-4.

Davydenko is the last man standing on the ATP Tour. A short, skinny guy, winning because of his ability to stay consistent and because the top players were unable to find the patience or muscle to put him away.

The tour schedule is far too long and unrelenting. It is an 11-month season.

"I don't think it's coincidental that you see (Andy) Murray and Roger a little bit hurt now, or Rafa missing four months in the middle of the year, or maybe some odd results from del Potro and myself last week,''

Roddick seemed to agree in October, when he called the tour schedule, "ridiculous.''

"I just hope that the short-sightedness doesn't affect the length of players' careers. In tennis you definitely want your stars around as long as possible."

After years in dormancy, tennis has something going here. A survey showed that 30 million Americans played in 2009, up 12 percent from last year and more than 40 percent from 2004.

On top of that, there's a great rivalry to push, and, also, suddenly an American, Roddick, who is resurgent. So it has to be tempting to keep pushing for more.

But it's on the game's governing bodies to put the players in position to be on the court at their best, not their most vulnerable.

Nadal missed time this year with tendinitis in his knees, a wear-and-tear injury. Some people are asking whether he's done, at 23.

The truth is, you can't draw conclusions from this tournament. These weren't really the top players, but shells of them. They were on fumes.

Venus Williams Joins Women’s Seeds Exodus at U.S. Open Tennis

Venus Williams became the latest women’s seed to be eliminated from the U.S. Open, losing in three sets to former champion Kim Clijsters after sister Serena advanced to the quarterfinals.

Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal avoided any mishaps in the men’s draw yesterday, winning in straight sets to reach the fourth round of the year’s final Grand Slam tennis tournament at the National Tennis Center in New York.

Wildcard entrant Clijsters, in her first major since ending a two-year retirement last month, won 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 to send Williams to her earliest exit in five years at the tournament she won in 2000 and 2001. Only six of 32 women’s seeds remain.

“I feel I’m at a point where, if I play good and if I stay consistent, I can make it tough for the other girls,” Clijsters told reporters.

It was the first meeting between Williams and Clijsters since the Belgian beat the American in the quarterfinals four years ago en route to the title. Clijsters, who has won 34 singles titles and spent 19 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world, returned after a 28-month break during which she got married and had a daughter.

Clijsters will play China’s Li Na, the No. 18 seed, for a place in the final four, where she could face Serena Williams. The defending champion cruised past Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-0 to set up a quarterfinal with 10th-seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy, who defeated No. 7 Vera Zvonareva of Russia 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-0.

“I just want to keep this level and just stay focused,” said the second-seeded Williams, who’s seeking a 12th Grand Slam singles title.

Oudin Upsets

The next highest-seeded woman remaining is No. 6 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, who seeks a spot in the quarterfinals today against No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. American Melanie Oudin, who upset former champion Maria Sharapova and 2004 runner-up Elena Dementieva her past two matches, is also in action against another Russian in No. 13 Nadia Petrova.

The top four men are all into the round of 16 after second- seeded Murray raced to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over American Taylor Dent and No. 3 Nadal beat fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

Britain’s Murray next faces 16th-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia, while Nadal meets No. 13 Gael Monfils of France.

Also moving into the fourth round yesterday were No. 6 Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile and No. 24 Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

Federer Streak

Five-time defending champion Roger Federer is back in action today against Spanish No. 14 seed Tommy Robredo.

The top-seeded Swiss hasn’t lost a match at the U.S. Open since 2003 and is trying to become the first man to win six consecutive titles since tennis turned professional in 1968.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, seeded fourth, plays in today’s final scheduled match against No. 15 Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. Elsewhere in the men’s draw, No. 8 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia takes on No. 12 Robin Soderling of Sweden and No. 10 Fernando Verdasco of Spain faces unseeded American John Isner.

The 6-foot-9 Isner was a five-set winner in his third-round match against Andy Roddick, who was the last American man to win a major at the 2003 U.S. Open. This is the just the second time in seven Grand Slam appearances that Isner got past the first round. Roddick, at No. 5, is the highest men’s seed to be eliminated so far, as only two of the top 10 have lost.

Roger Federer Eyes 14th Grand Slam Crown

Swiss superstar Roger Federer will look to equal Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam championship titles in the Australian Open final, after knocking out No. 7 seed Andy Roddick of the United States 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 in two hours and seven minutes on Thursday night.
The second seed will also attempt to join Jack Crawford, Ken Rosewall and Andre Agassi as a four-time champion at the first Grand Slam championship of the season. Federer will be appearing in his 18th career Grand Slam final (tied with Sampras) on Sunday, having spent a total of 12 hours and 35 minutes on court at Melbourne Park this year. Only Ivan Lendl (19) has appeared in more Grand Slam finals.

If 27-year-old Federer goes on to win the Australian Open, he would move into joint-second place alongside Lendl (48-10) and Agassi (48-5) for most match wins at the Melbourne Grand Slam since 1968. Stefan Edberg (56-10), the 1985 and 1987 winner, leads the list.

"I thought that I played really solid out there tonight," said Federer. "I thought the level was high throughout the match. I had a couple good games where I served really well in the first set, and that gave me a lot of confidence going into the second one. I was moving well and getting a lot of balls back and making it difficult for Andy to get the upper hand from the baseline.

"I thought he played a bit more aggressive with his backhand. I think he already tried to do that against me in Miami. I really think he improved the returns. The second serves he takes more easily. I have the feeling he's improved at the net. He's a bit better mover. Before, he didn't run a whole lot for drop shots."

DEUCE Magazine: Federer's No. 1 Focus

Roddick looked set to challenge Federer in the pair's 18th career meeting, having won their previous match at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Miami, Florida, last year. But the 2003, 2005 and 2007 semi-finalist found his opponent in inspired form.

Federer was able to convert his first service break in the third game, on his third break point opportunity, with a forehand pass. Roddick's hopes of breaking back immediately were dashed in the next game, with Federer hitting a forehand winner down the line at 30-40. The Swiss capitalised on Roddick's lack of confidence at the net to open up a 4-1 lead, before saving two break points when serving for the set. Federer clinched the 32-minute opening set 6-2, when Roddick hit a backhand crosscourt return out.

Roddick and Monfils win in Qatar

Andy Roddick and Gael Monfils enjoyed comfortable wins in the season-opening Qatar Open in Doha.

American fourth seed Roddick eased past Ivan Navarro of Spain 6-1 6-3 with a double break in each set, while Monfils beat Czech Jan Harnych 6-2 6-2.

British number one Andy Murray and partner Ross Hutchins were beaten by German pair Christopher Kas and Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5 6-4 in the doubles.

World number one Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer play on Tuesday.

Murray was knocked out in the first round of the doubles in just over an hour on Monday.

The defending champion, who beat both Nadal and Federer in the exhibition event in Abu Dhabi at the weekend, begins his singles campaign in Doha against Albert Montanes, a top-50 Spaniard.

The Scot, 21, is due to face Federer in the semi-finals should both progress. Murray is seeded third for the tournament.

The total prize money on offer at the Qatar Open is £760,000

On Tennis: Nadal-Federer topped a year of great matches

The 2008 tennis season didn't disappoint. Au contraire. It was one of the most memorable in years.

Rafael Nadal ended Roger Federer's reign at the top, the two gave fans probably the best match of all time, women's great Justine Henin unexpectedly quit, and the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, rekindled their rivalry with four dramatic encounters. They each played all four majors, too, the first time in seven years that happened.

To boot, Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic became Grand Slam champions, while Jelena Jankovic capped Serbia's emergence by ending the campaign as the women's No. 1. Andy Roddick endured a frustrating time thanks to injuries, though his U.S. Open performance and stellar spring brought respite.

Here's a closer look at some of the finest matches, and moments, of 2008:

That classic: Nadal's five-set win over Federer in a pulsating five hours in the Wimbledon final fascinated on numerous fronts.

Wary of his opponent's forehand, Nadal almost exclusively served to Federer's backhand in the first three sets; Federer went 1-for-13 on break points, with most chances squandered early; and for the first time in memory, Nadal choked briefly, delivering a feeble double fault leading 5-2 in the fourth-set tiebreak.

There was so much more. A few points after Nadal delivered a stunning forehand pass down the line to set up a match point in the fourth-set tiebreak, Federer went one better by saving a second match point with an outrageous backhand down the line. Undaunted, Nadal kept it together in the fifth, serving second, cleverly springing his first serve-and-volley in the final game. Adding to the drama were two rain delays that stretched proceedings into the evening; if Nadal hadn't ended matters in the 16th game of the fifth amid fading light, a Monday resumption beckoned.

The other Wimbledon final: Due to Nadal and Federer showing off, many forgot about the women's final at the All England Club between Venus and Serena Williams. That was, however, also a spectacle.

The pre-match hype intensified courtesy of losing semifinalist Elena Dementieva, who, not for the first time, suggested the winner was predetermined. "For sure it's going to be a family decision," Dementieva uttered when asked about the finale. Prodded by the women's tour, she later changed her opinion.

In any case, it didn't take long to figure out there was no fix and sisterly love was on hold. Early in the first set with Venus a lame duck at the net, Serena hammered a passing shot straight at her. She didn't apologize, either.

Serena tossed her racket to the ground in disgust and refused to give her victorious opponent too much credit afterward.

"For me there's nothing to be satisfied about," a glum looking Serena said in her postmatch news conference.

Serena got her revenge in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

A-Rod's spring: Cutting ties with coach Jimmy Connors, Roddick played like a man unburdened at the Dubai Tennis Championships in March. In a strategy sadly gone missing since, Roddick let rip from the baseline -- rather than relying on defense -- and downed Nadal and Djokovic on back-to-back days. The big serve also came in handy.

About a month later, things got even better.

Roddick ended his 11-match losing streak to Federer, dating to 2003, at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

"I came in knowing that no one has beaten me 12 times in a row," Roddick deadpanned. "I figured I was due. He hadn't missed a ball in a crucial moment for about six years against me."

An ankle injury forced Roddick to skip their rematch at the Masters Cup last month.

The late, late show: Late endings at the U.S. Open aren't unusual, with matches routinely finishing past midnight.

Lleyton Hewitt's third-round win over engaging Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis at the Australian Open beat that by a mile. They only stepped on court about midnight, thanks to a backlog created by Federer's unexpected marathon against Janko Tipsarevic, an enigmatic Serb.

And wouldn't you know, Hewitt and Baghdatis went five exhilarating sets. Carrying the hopes of a nation on his small shoulders, Hewitt took a two sets-to-one lead by overturning a 5-3 deficit in the third; in the fourth, Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open finalist, smiled his way back from 5-1 down to force a fifth.

Hewitt finally prevailed at 4:33 a.m., the latest finish in Grand Slam history.

"It wasn't easy for both of us," Hewitt said. "It was tough for everybody, but we just tried to put this behind us on court."

Spain's miracle: No one gave Spain a chance against Argentina in the Davis Cup final, which made sense given Nadal couldn't play because of a bad knee and the South Americans were hosting the series.

Here's what happened next: Underachieving lefties Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco surprisingly won their singles matches and combined to take the doubles, helped by an injury to Argentine No. 1 Juan Martin Del Potro and the antics of teammate David Nalbandian. Nalbandian, according to reports in South America, was a major problem in the dressing room.

The last three matches of Spain's 3-1 victory had tons of drama, especially the doubles. The turning point of the series came when Lopez and Verdasco rallied from 5-1 down in the third-set tiebreak after blowing a 5-1 lead in the set. They clinched it in four.

Tennis clinic offers treat for pros, kids

For a Saturday treat, some families went to see the Columbia City Ballet’s The Nutcracker.

Some college students crammed into coffeehouses, taking a break from studying for final exams.

But a small group of youngsters from Harbison West Elementary had everyone else in town beat.

They took part in a clinic with professional tennis players Andy Roddick, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and John Isner at the Colonial Life Arena.

The players, who were in town for Saturday night’s Rock-n-Racquets tennis and music extravaganza, played interactive tennis games with the students and Newberry tennis team members.

“(The players) show us a good example,” said 10-year-old Madison Brown, one of the lucky students who participated in the clinic. “I can’t believe that out of all the places they could have gone, they chose to come here. It’s really exciting for us.”

Kelly Cheese, a Newberry College tennis player who was there to help conduct the event, was thrilled to see the little ones’ reactions.

“It’s just really fun to see how the kids react to not only playing the sport but also the celebrity players who they look up to.”

Newberry College along with BEST (Blue Entertainment Sports Television) served as hosts for the event.

In addition to giving kids a once-in-a-lifetime on-court experience and a chance to see some of the world’s top players in action, the event was a great opportunity for Newberry to raise awareness of its tennis program, according to coach Jim Greene.

The youngsters weren’t the only ones excited about the event.

“I did Rock-n-Racquets with Andy last year and loved it,” Williams said. “I had to come back. The best part is getting out here beforehand with the kids. Through the games, you get to interact with them.”

Roddick echoed her sentiment.

“I just want (the kids) to have fun today, even if they never pick up a racket again,” Roddick said. “But, who knows, there may be some superstars out here.”

Rock-n-Racquets is a weekend-long series of exhibition events that raise money for The Andy Roddick Foundation, a non-profit group whose mission is to help at-risk youngsters.

“Our mission statement is ‘Helping children today for tomorrow,’” Roddick said. “We want to impact children who have been abused, neglected, or whose parents just haven’t done what they should have or could have.”

Though the foundation has a serious purpose, Saturday’s clinic was about showing participants — whether or not they ever pick up a racket again — the advantages of playing a sport and how much fun tennis can be.

Based on the smiles on their faces, they succeeded.

On Tennis: In season full of highlights, Rafael Nadal stands out

Quicker than a line judge can bark "out," the tennis season is over.

What a year it was. Rafael Nadal ended Roger Federer's dominance, Novak Djokovic won a first Grand Slam title everyone knew was coming, and Justine Henin, one of the most-talented female players the game has ever seen, called it quits way too soon.

Focusing on the men this week, here's an end-of-term report card. Nadal is at the head of the class.

Rafael Nadal (A): Sure he's the King of Clay, but what can Nadal do on a surface other than dirt? That was the question being asked heading into 2008.

Well, after a shaky start, the Spanish lefty turned it on, predictably cruising at the French Open before ending Federer's five-year reign on the hallowed grass at Wimbledon. In an impressive display of mental toughness, Nadal kept it together in the fifth set of their epic final, serving second, despite blowing two match points in a fourth-set tiebreak. The latter was a match in itself.

Carrying the momentum to hard courts, Nadal usurped Federer as the world No. 1, captured Olympic gold and advanced to an inaugural U.S. Open semifinal, where his body finally gave way.

Roger Federer (A-): By no means was Federer as dominant as he is usually is. He wasn't too bad, though.

If he's not suffering from mononucleosis, Federer probably beats Djokovic in the Australian Open semis and makes it three in a row in Melbourne.

Who knows how the next few months would have unfolded? Would Federer have lost to Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish and Radek Stepanek?

His performance in the French Open final against Nadal was, to put it mildly, utterly disappointing, especially when it might have been his last real chance of winning the only major to elude him.

The second half was much better. Federer showed grit in the Wimbledon final, too, saving one of the match points in the fourth set with an unbelievable backhand down the line.

Buoyed by winning doubles gold at the Olympics, Federer won a fifth straight U.S. Open. He also reached at least the semis of all four Grand Slams, again.

Novak Djokovic (B+): Djokovic made far too many headlines for his antics.

It began at the Australian Open, when Djokovic took offense to the crowd rooting for exuberant Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final. He withdrew from Serbia's first Davis Cup world group series in a must-win match -- after leading Russian Nikolay Davydenko two sets to one -- and retired against Federer at the Monte Carlo Masters.

The shenanigans came to a head at the U.S. Open, where Djokovic moaned about his reception and continued his love affair with injury timeouts. A year earlier, he was a fan favorite, hilariously impersonating Nadal and Sharapova.

Still, Djokovic earned the first of surely many majors, reached three Grand Slam semifinals and won the elite Masters Cup last month.

He'll learn from his mistakes.

Andy Murray (B+): Great Britain's 70-year wait for a men's Grand Slam winner is coming to an end.

Murray was the hottest player on tour from the end of July onward, going a combined 5-2 against the big three and advancing to his first Grand Slam final at Flushing Meadows.

The turning point came when the 21-year-old, who's got all the shots, rallied from two sets down against underachiever Richard Gasquet in the fourth round at Wimbledon. Murray credits his improvement to his vast entourage, which essentially replaced the one-man show of Brad Gilbert.

Andy Roddick (B-): Talk about an eventful year for Roddick.

For the first time in his career, he suffered a semi-serious injury to his serving shoulder. He cut ties with two coaches, somehow reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals despite a hellish draw and broke a few hearts by getting engaged to swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker.

The injury forced Roddick to skip the French Open and hampered his Wimbledon preparation -- a second-round exit followed in miserable fashion.

The perennial U.S. No. 1 pulled off wins over Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in the spring and was actually looking good on clay, too, hardly the surface of choice for Americans, so the timing of the shoulder setback couldn't have been worse. If healthy, count on Roddick doing better in the slams in 2009, especially now that he's working with prolific coach Larry Stefanki.

Other notables: James Blake (C+) finally beat Federer and reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal outside New York but didn't do much else. Burned out in the summer, 2009 should be interesting for the U.S. No. 2. Tsonga (A-) was the biggest revelation. Tsonga's attacking game -- and engaging smile -- dazzled fans. One can only hope the injuries stay away so they'll get more play. Fellow Frenchmen Gasquet (F) and Gilles Simon (B+) had differing fortunes. While Simon, a great competitor, broke through and finished inside the top 10, Gasquet failed to build on a promising 2007. Bailing on his teammates when they faced Roddick and Co. in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in April was particularly shameful. Argentinean Juan Martin Del Potro (B+), still only 20, figures to be in the top 10 for years. Moody countryman David Nalbandian (D) deteriorated in the majors and failed to lead Argentina to the Davis Cup title.

Andy Roddick to be coached by Stefanki

American Andy Roddick will be coached by compatriot Larry Stefanki ahead of the 2009 season.

Stefanki, who has previously trained John McEnroe, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Tim Henman, was coaching Fernando Gonzalez until recently.

Roddick endured a disappointing end to 2008, withdrawing from the Masters Cup with an ankle injury.

The 26-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, ended the season ranked eighth in the world.

Stefanki played on the ATP tour for nine years reaching a career high ranking of 35.

He is regarded as one of the best coaches in world tennis and under his guidance, both Kafelnikov and Marcelo Rios became number one in the world.

Former British number one Henman teamed up with Stefanki in 2001 having split with David Felgate earlier that year.

However, their partnership lasted just two years, with Henman teaming up with Pete Sampras' former coach Paul Annacone in December, 2003.

Roddick has one Grand Slam victory to his name, winning the US Open in 2003, while also losing in three other finals.

Prior to Stefanki he had been coached by Jimmy Connors.

The pair teamed up in July 2006 but parted company earlier this year.

Why there’s none from US

For a country which has produced players like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors, to name a few, not having a player atop of the ATP rankings for last five years is something difficult to digest. Andy Roddick was the last American to be ranked world No. 1 in 2003, a feat that lasted for just three months.

The country has infrastructure in abundance, has top quality coaches and is the host to one of the biggest Grand Slams. So what’s going wrong?

According to Nathan Thomson, a 25-year-old tennis player from South Carolina, the young generation in the US has failed to live up to the expectations, taking too many things for granted.

“We have the best infrastructure in place, something which each of us is proud of. But what is the use of all these if quality players aren’t produced?” said Thomson, after his easy win in the first round against Indian Abhijeet Tiwari at the ITF Futures at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association here on Tuesday.

Thomson feels though the new lot has the potential, lack of effort put in by them to raise their game is disappointing. “Some start off pretty well, but leave the sport after a certain point,” he said. Having shared the court with Roddick on the junior circuit, Thomson says it was Roddick’s hunger to win and passion for the game that has taken him to this level. “We have produced a lot of star players at whom the youngsters could look up to,” said Thomson, adding, “They are too spoilt and have a very casual attitude. You need to be focused to reach the top.”

“It hurts to see players from other countries come and train alongside us and then beat our countrymen,” he said. Thomson is the defending champion at the $15,000 tournament and is seeded second behind Alexander Satshchko of Germany.

Andy Roddick pulls out of Masters Cup

Andy Roddick has withdrawn from the Masters Cup in Shanghai because of an injury to his right ankle.

The American was due to play defending champion Roger Federer in his Red Group match on Wednesday but picked up the injury during practice on Tuesday.

World number 27 Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic will now face Federer.

Roddick, seeded fifth in the eight-man draw, lost his opening match to British number one Andy Murray on Monday in three sets.


"The injury was during a warm-up drill in practice yesterday," Roddick said.

"I can't really stop or start quickly. It's definitely a tough prospect trying to beat Roger and not being able to move much."

After finishing in the world's top 10 for the seventh consecutive season, Roddick does not expect his preparations for next year to be hampered with the Australian Open starting on 19 January.

"They don't think it's too long term, which is nice," he added. "It's unfortunate for this event as far as I go, but I don't think we're looking at anything more than a week or so.

"Which in the grand scheme of things is good news considering the nature of the injury."

Andy Murray ready for tough Simon test

Andy Murray continues his quest for a first Masters Cup title when he meets Gilles Simon at 1000 GMT on Wednesday.

Both won their opening games in Shanghai, which means the winner will be on the verge of the semi-finals.

Simon beat Roger Federer in his opener and Andy Murray , who beat Andy Roddick, said: "To beat Roger Federer twice in a year is something not many have done.

"So he is going to be feeling very confident and I'm sure it will be a great match."

Federer and Roddick will meet at 1200 GMT with the loser almost certain to be eliminated before the semi-finals.

British number one Andy Murray has a 2-1 head-to-head record over the in-form Simon, most recently defeating the Frenchman in the final of the Madrid Masters in October.

Simon was a last-minute replacement for injured world number one Rafael Nadal and, like Andy Murray , is making his Masters Cup debut.

"In Madrid he was pretty tired after playing some long, tough matches," said Andy Murray . "But he was still hitting shots that would suggest he obviously had a lot of confidence

"He's going to be the same (here), I'm sure.

"He's a very good player. If he plays well it's going be a very tough match. If I play badly there's a good chance I'll lose."

Murray suffered a mid-match slump in his opening 6-4 1-6 6-1 victory over American Roddick in Shanghai and afterwards complained about the effects of jet-lag.

An extra day's rest should give him a boost for the Simon match but the 21-year-old admits he is already looking forward to taking a rest when the Masters Cup is over.

"I can't wait [for the break] to be honest," said Murray, who plans to do some warm-weather training in Miami over the winter.

"This is a big tournament for the players but there are a lot of things you need to get over to feel good in the matches.

"I've been doing all the right things but the body is not responding to them as well as it was a few months ago.

"I'm really looking forward to having some time off and only four more matches to go hopefully."

Andy Murray outserves Andy Roddick to notch first win at Masters Cup in Shanghai

The man missing from the publicity shoot hardly featured in the final set of his round-robin match yesterday, with the American winning just one game in the decider as Andy Murray came through for victory on his first appearance at the year-end showpiece. But that is not to suggest that A-Rod keeps on going AWOL.

There are explanations for both his Shanghai 'absences'. Roddick was perfectly within his rights to skip the photo-shoot, as it wasn't compulsory, and there wasn't very much that he could do about the last set against Andy Murray , with the Briton comfortably the better player towards the close of the Red Group's meeting of the Andys.

The excellent finish for Andy Murray followed what had been a frustrating period of the match for him, as he had himself managed to collect just one game in the second set. So Andy Murray did well here, especially as his legs have lost some of their explosive power after a long season, to get back to hitting the ball with poise and purpose again, to regain his hold on the match, and so achieve a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 victory that puts him in a strong position to qualify from the group.

It was Murray's tennis that made Roddick disappear in front of more than 10,000 spectators at the Qi Zhong Stadium in Shanghai suburbia, and if he can avoid a repeat of what happened in the second set, and play like he did in the first and third, then he will have every chance of beating France's Gilles Simon on Wednesday. By the time Murray walks on court to play Roger Federer on Friday evening, he could already have one hardcourt shoe in the semi-finals. Murray, being the competitive man that he is, will want to qualify in first place from the Red Group.

"I'm tired," Murray said, but who isn't at this stage of the tennis calendar? And while competing in the Masters Cup was a new experience for Andy Murray , winning another match wasn't, as he has been beaten just four times since he went out of the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.

Roddick's game is built around the power of his 140mph-plus serves, and there are occasions during his matches when it looks as though his opponent has about as much chance of getting the ball back as a cardboard silhouette of a player; it can be shooting-range tennis with A-Rod.

But the finest part of Murray's game is his return of serve. And Andy Murray would have been helped by a surface that appeared to be a little on the slow side of medium-paced, and so would have taken a bit out of Roddick's delivery.

In fact, it was actually Murray's own serving arm that impressed the most in the early stages, with the world No 4 hitting three aces in his opening service game. And Murray needed just one break for the first set, which he achieved with a glorious swish of his racket that sent a forehand past Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion and a former world No 1, for a winner.

So Murray, after the opening set, seemed to be in command of what was his first encounter with Roddick since they played in Miami last year. But it was then that the match went one way and then the other.

The quality of Murray's serve dipped in the second set, and he was soon bouncing his racket in annoyance at the back of the court. But those waving the Saltire in the stadium needn't have worried, as Andy Murray raised his game, and soon Roddick disappeared from view.