Roddick hopeful over ankle injury

Andy Roddick remains confident he will be fit for Wimbledon after retiring hurt during his AEGON Championship semi-final against fellow American James Blake.

Roddick twisted his ankle in the third game and although he tried to continue, he was forced to withdraw with the scores level at 4-4 in the opening set.

"I'm going to do everything I can to play at Wimbledon," said Roddick.

He added: "We're scheduled to get it looked at again on Sunday and do some scans on it and see where we're at, but initial tests showed the stability and strength was okay.

"We're looking at days, not weeks. My trainer and doctors don't think anything is torn.

"I was just going back after I hit the shot, and there's a difference in height between where the grass court ends and where the concrete goes, and I just unfortunately stepped at a bad angle.

"It kind of just twisted a little bit. Running straight ahead was all right but side to side was suspect.

"I was hoping I could walk it off and it would go away, but that wasn't the case. I don't like the feeling of walking out of a match at all.

"Obviously with the bigger picture in mind, I could only make it worse out there. I wasn't going to help my prospects at Wimbledon at all by going through the motions out there and moving at 20 or 30% of what I can."

Roddick says he should be Wimbledon-fit despite ankle problem

Andy Roddick was prepared to make a late training start for Wimbledon beginning in a week after rolling his ankle at the weekend in his semi-final against James Blake at Queen's club.

The American remains optimistic about his chances of a quick recovery in time for Monday's start at the All England club.

"I'm not saying I'm going to be out six weeks or anything like that. We're looking at days, not weeks", said the one-time No. 1. "I'm going to do everything I can to play at Wimbledon".

Roddick underwent scans at the weekend but said that a preliminary exam from his trainer Doug Spreen and tournament doctors showed nothing torn when he stepped wrongly during his match and had to quit later after eight games..

"Initial tests showed the stability was okay, strength was okay. I was just going back after I hit the shot, and there's a difference in height between where the grass court ends and where the concrete goes. I just unfortunately stepped at a bad angle".

"It twisted a little bit. Running straight ahead I was all right; side to side was suspect".

Roddick said that if he can pull up fit, his chances at Wimbledon should not be compromised. "If I'm healthy, I don't think it (the injury) will affect it at all. I've gotten in three and a half matches, which is what you're looking for. I felt like I was hitting the ball fine, moving fine, serving really well".

http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20090 … le_problem


Mam nadzieje ze zagra,chociaz strasznie sie boje

Raddcik napisał:

Chyba 1000 słów nie wyraziłoby więcej niż powyższa rekcja na tę wiadomość
Przypuszczałem, że nic poważnego. Źle stanął w 3 gemie, a skreczował dopiero w 9, więc aż tak straszliwie połamać się nie mógł. Czysto zapobiegawcza decyzja o poddaniu meczu z JB

<3

I'm here to follow orders," Roddick says, "and he said 'ok, well, lose 15 pounds'

Po meczu z Berdychem.

Q. Was it as straightforward as the scoreline would tell?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I guess. I mean, I guess I was kind of in control of it the whole way. I felt like I was getting looks more than he was.

Overall it was a pretty good performance over a guy who is, you know, definitely an in‑form player coming in.

Q. There's Lleyton now.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah.

Q. What are your thoughts on him as an opponent?

ANDY RODDICK: I mean, it doesn't get any easier from here. I mean, I have loads of respect for Lleyton, you know, what he's been able to accomplish. You know, everyone knows he's certainly capable of playing very, very, very well on this surface.

So, you know, it will be a tough one.

Q. Is there a feeling among your peers that he's really on his way back now?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't think anybody in the locker room would ever ‑ maybe at any point took Lleyton lightly, and especially on this surface. It certainly elevates him into one of the better players in this tournament.

You know, I've seen him play too much good tennis to have ever really let him drift too far from consciousness as far as, you know, the top guys go.

Q. What was the key to you turning the rivalry into your favor in 2005? Because he had a very good record going into Cincinnati then, and now you've won the last four straight.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. I mean, honestly, he definitely got the best of me for a little while there. I played him three straight times the year he finished 1 and it was my first year on tour. We kind of went back and forth. He got me in a big Aussie Open semifinal.

I don't know. I feel like we always had close matches. I just pulled a couple out. We had two great matches this year. I thought he played real well in Memphis and I was lucky to get through that one. We had a real good match in Queen's a couple weeks ago.

I wish I had one thing for you that turned it, but I'm not sure.

Q. How different is your sense of appreciation for advancing at this time with this maturity that you have versus several years ago here?

ANDY RODDICK: Uhm, you know what, I don't think ‑‑ you know, this place and this setting has ever really been lost on me. I think I've always had a pretty good appreciation for it. Yeah, I think I enjoy the process more now. Maybe not even so much just the victories at the tournament, but the work, the practice, the day‑to‑day stuff. I probably enjoy that a lot more than I did before.

Q. The other day you said that it's tough to compare years, conditions are different, players are different, just about everything is different. How about your game? If you were to stack up your game today and your satisfaction with it versus years ago, where does rate?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, if you ask me today, I was pretty happy with everything.

Again, it's tough. You know, I don't really feel like sitting here and talking about now versus five years from now, because I don't know what relevance it has with this tournament.

I know that so far I'm happy with the way I've been going here. That's probably my concern.

Q. I understand you're quite friendly with Justin Timberlake and that he came to see you on Saturday.

ANDY RODDICK: Uhm, I've never met him (laughter.)

Q. He likes you.

ANDY RODDICK: But let's not let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Q. Absolutely.

ANDY RODDICK: No, I mean, I'm a fan, obviously. Mardy actually was talking to him. I know he stayed for the match. That was pretty cool.

Q. No word from Rick?

ANDY RODDICK: No, not yet.

Q. Are you hoping to hear from Rick? He's aware of your passion for him and his music.

ANDY RODDICK: Who wouldn't be at this point? You guys have told everybody.

Q. Your call with Barack Obama after the match, what did he advise you of the Hewitt match coming up? (Laughter.)

ANDY RODDICK: Change is good (smiling).

Q. You probably weren't really that concerned about this, but did you feel they pulled the trigger a little bit early on the roof, considering it was pretty dry the last few hours?

ANDY RODDICK: Here is what I think about it: If it's raining, they have a pretty good little weather system forecast thingy down in the magic little office down there. They're always pretty good about giving updates.

I say if it is even sprinkling at the time and it looks ominous, let's say there's a 20 or 30% chance, if you have a roof, I think you use it.

You know, otherwise you're waiting around and what's the roof for?

Q. The tiebreak was your friend again today, huh?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah.

Q. Are you feeling pretty confident when you get to that point in the set?

ANDY RODDICK: I'm always comfortable. I'm gonna lose some. Obviously it's a tiebreaker; it's a crapshoot. I've been serving ‑‑ if I keep serving the way I have been, you know, it's a lot tougher for guys to hit shots, you know, off of returns at 2‑All in a breaker than it is at 30‑15 or 40‑15 in a service game.

You know, I think I recognize that. But, you know, he double‑faulted once, and that was it.

Q. Could you describe what it's like to play against Hewitt, for those of us who never have.

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I mean, it's a fight. You know, everything is a fight. Lleyton's not going to give you anything. You know, a lot of guys you can get on top of, you can get on top of their game, you can look for holes in it.

Lleyton doesn't really have a lot of holes. He's pretty solid off both sides. He volleys well. You're definitely not gonna get on top of him mentally. He's as sound there as anybody out there.

Q. He's got this huge knot of fans that are very, very noisy in their support for him. Can that be off‑putting for you? Is that a big weapon in his armory, or not?

ANDY RODDICK: No, that's fine. I've dealt with fans before. We've played away Davis Cup ties. I have no problem with the crowd getting rowdy, as long as the respect level is there. I have no issue with it at all.

Q. I know you're saying you don't want to go back and talk about evolution of game...

ANDY RODDICK: But...

Q. I'm gonna talk about game now. But if you look at Lleyton's game from 2001 to 2009 coming off the hip surgery, do you find he's a little bit different? He's not counterpunching as much now? A little bit more aggressive? Does he come in a little bit more?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, he's probably a little bit more aggressive. You know, he probably set the bar for the way a lot of these guys can move now. I mean, I think he made it, you know, where Courier probably took it in the mid '90s as far as working and making it physical, I think Lleyton maybe did that in the early part of this decade.

I think a lot of what you're seeing now is because of these guys watching him and seeing how effective legs can be. To counter that, he's probably had to get a little bit more aggressive.

Q. Speaking of earlier in this decade, is this starting to look a little bit like an AARP convention here in the draw with Haas, Ferrero, and Hewitt, all the old guys in there?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know about that. Yeah, I mean, I'm happy to see guys like Juan Carlos get through, and Tommy. I mean, they've battled some serious injuries. To kind of get back there and get back deep into a major is good to see.

Q. Do you personalize that at all? Are you heartened by the fact that you can see a comeback even from hip surgery and make a deep run?

ANDY RODDICK: No. I mean, I feel great. The thing about my career is I haven't played a lot of long points. You know, if I keep myself healthy and I keep leg strength, and you, know, my arm I had a little bit of problem last year, but besides that it's felt really good.

You know, I don't have to go out there and grind every single day. I feel like as long as I stay professional and work hard, I should have the longevity I want.

Q. Did you do anything exciting on the rest day yesterday?

ANDY RODDICK: Did I do anything exciting? No.

Q. What did you do?

ANDY RODDICK: What did I do? I sat around my living room, watched terrible TV for a couple of hours. I'm trying to think. Actually, you know what I did, I went into the city and had dinner last night. That was lovely.

Q. Who do you think the two or three best movers in the game are now?

ANDY RODDICK: That's tough. There are so many. There's so many good movers. A lot of it's surface specific, you know. Monfils is an unbelievable mover on clay. But on grass, I don't know if that translates with the sliding and all of that.

Roger and Rafa are probably some of the best all‑around movers, regardless of surface. Murray moves great for his size. Ferrer moves great. I mean, the thing is, I could give you less names if you asked me who doesn't move well.

I think it's a necessity at this point. I hear a lot of people talking about juniors, and a lot of times my first question is, How are their legs? I feel that's an aspect that gets overlooked a lot.

Q. How is the grass playing? Speeding up as the tournament is going on?

ANDY RODDICK: I mean, maybe a little bit. It's hot, you know, so I think that keeps it going a little bit. But it's a little bit different for me. I've played the majority of guys who just, you know, play pretty aggressively and hit through the court. My matches have felt pretty quick.

But I think a lot of is a result of who I've been playing.

COA napisał:

I coś specjalnego dla debili, którzy mówią, że Roddick to drewno i umie tylko serwować.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR2ZSM7cLO0

Jezus Maria, co to za piłka była ?! Po tym zagraniu miałem telefon w ręce i już chciałem dzwonić, ale pomyślałem, że nie masz nastroju do rozmowy

Zatrudnienie Larry'ego Stefanki'ego można uznać za najlepszą decyzję Roda w karierze. Najpierw 1/4 Madrytu i set z Fedem na cegle, potem historyczna 4 runda RG, teraz po dwóch genialnych meczach finał Wimbledonu. Brawo panowie.

Po półfinale

Q. Where does that rate amongst your performances in recent years?

ANDY RODDICK: In recent years, it's, I mean ‑‑ I think overall it's certainly up there. You know, playing a player of his rank, his caliber, you know, in kind of his atmosphere. He was certainly in form going into the match. I had to play my best tennis to win.

Q. It seems like a lot of streams came together to make the river today: fitness, the backhand working. Can you address that.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, you know, you don't go back to a Wimbledon final by accident. It certainly is a process. And it's probably been a longer process than I would have liked.

But, you know, I've enjoyed, you know, everything that has kind of gone into it.

Q. Want to talk about Larry's contribution to the success this week.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, sure. He's certainly, you know, is well‑studied. Kind of picks the right times to discuss stuff. You know, it's not always the same ‑‑ it doesn't feel monotonous. Not always the same time that he picks and chooses to talk about an upcoming match.

You know, I certainly got the sense that, you know, he believed that we could get back to this point. You know, that was large.

Q. In previous matches with Roger, how varied have your game plans been? He spoke earlier today that he felt as though almost every time he played you that you were trying different things, that it wasn't necessarily one approach. Can you describe how varied your approaches have been?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, they've been varied. You know, but I think maybe now more than ever I can vary it and maybe have some confidence playing out of my element a little bit. You know, today I was able to come in, I think it was 68 times. It wasn't, you know, kind of all in on a pair of twos. It was ‑‑ I felt like I was doing the right things and picking the right shots, so that's an encouraging sign.

Q. In the third set tiebreaker, there were 16 points; you came to net eight times. What enabled you to pull the trigger?

ANDY RODDICK: No, I don't think ‑‑ with the exception of coming in behind first serves, I don't think I was ‑‑ you know, with Andy, his passing shots are so good that a lot of times he almost, you know, invites you in.

You know, I think more so than the coming in, the thing that Larry was stressing was, you know, against Andy, if you do come in, you have to hit a good approach shot, otherwise the ball's gonna be passing you all day.

That's probably the thing that I did best today, was come in, but behind really good approach shots.

Q. A lot of good movement out there. Also a lot of calm amidst the storm. Talk about your feeling out there.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, you know, I'm just trying to stay the course. I'm just going about it. You know, I haven't really gotten too up or too down at any point in this event, or this year for that matter.

So, you know, I'm just gonna go try to do the same thing, just on to the next point.

Q. You said when you came off the court that you weren't sure, it's been a little while since you thought you'd make a Grand Slam final. Did you ever really seriously doubt that you would be back here?

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, yeah, yeah. Last year after I played here, I mean, that was a hard, hard couple of weeks.

You know, Brook and I had a lot of talks on where I thought ‑‑ if I still thought I could play and at least be, you know, towards the top of the game. I definitely openly questioned it at that point. You know, then the rest of the year I was kind of hurt.

So this off‑season, we said, You know what, if you're not gonna be up there, let's at least not wonder. Let's prepare yourself and give yourself every opportunity.

You know, I did work real hard and, you know, was committed, and have been committed, you know, from everything to diet to sleep to everything. So, you know, I certainly gave myself every opportunity to succeed.

Q. Has this era of Roger and Nadal been a bit demoralizing for players at your level?

ANDY RODDICK: What's a player at my level?

Q. Fantastic, but they seem to pick it up. They've cleared the Grand Slam circuit for a few years.

ANDY RODDICK: No, 'cause, you know, a lot of times I've lost way before that.

I'm not ‑‑ I've never been one to begrudge anyone of their success or be jealous of someone else's success. You know, I have a lot of respect for what they've been able to do. You know, more often than not they haven't had to go through me to win any of those.

A lot of times they haven't had a direct effect on how I've been playing at the moment.

Q. The thing that most pleased you today was the level of restraint and focus that you were able to keep against a player like Murray, who sometimes draws lots of errors out of his opponents?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, I knew going in that getting all hyped up and up and down, especially in an atmosphere that probably wasn't gonna be super favorable to me, wasn't probably the way to go. And especially, you know, he was probably gonna have the edge as far as, you know, kind of the adrenaline and the emotion.

So I kind of just wanted to stay the course. I was fully aware that there might be ups and downs. You know, I just wanted to kind of keep the same face regardless.

Q. Am I correct in saying that a year ago you were just coming through an airport lounge and you saw the last set of the Federer/Nadal final; is that correct?

ANDY RODDICK: Hmm, yeah.

Q. Were you coming back from here?

ANDY RODDICK: Coming back from here? Dude, I didn't stick around for two weeks after I lost last year. I like London, but not...

I'm trying to think. I think I spent the 4th of July with Brooklyn's family, and I think we were coming back from North Carolina and landed and they were heading into the fifth set.

You know, I didn't want to watch, 'cause it's tough watching 'cause you wish you were there. Especially kind of the mental state I was in at that point, it hurt to watch.

And then, you know, I landed and it was the match that it was. You know, there was no chance of me getting out of the airport before it was finished.

Q. You're coming off two huge wins. What is going to be your approach for the next match against a tough competitor?

ANDY RODDICK: We haven't discussed it yet.

Q. Within yourself, what are your thoughts about the upcoming final?

ANDY RODDICK: We still haven't discussed it yet (smiling).

Q. You talked about your family. Roger is a married man, too. How much of a role does your family play in your success of this year?

ANDY RODDICK: You know, I don't know. I know that kind of being happy and not having any worries away from the court, in my mind it can only help things. You know, Brook has been a very calming influence, and someone that I can kind of confide in and not have to put up, you know, a super brave front in front of.

So it's been real good. And, you know, certainly makes the box better looking.

Q. In the third set you were down a triple breakpoint early. Looked like maybe it could get away from you. That set had a couple of ups and downs. Do you think that was a decisive moment there?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, it could have been, yeah. I mean, you know, yeah. Any time you can kind of save it and keep it on serve is a good thing.

And, you know, you're probably not gonna get out of a Love‑40 hole too often against a guy who returns like him.

So that was definitely key to get through that.

Q. In your mind, how do you change as a person and as a player since you got the chance winning a Grand Slam last time three years ago in the US Open?

ANDY RODDICK: What was the beginning of that?

Q. In your own mind, how have you changed as a person and as a player since the last time you got a chance of winning a Grand Slam?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. I mean, obviously a lot's changed personally since then. You know, but as far as ‑‑ I may have grown up a little bit as far as how I go about things.

But, you know, as far as me, you never really have to ask twice to see where I'm at at any given moment. You know, the meat and potatoes is probably still the same. But obviously, you know, kind of personally I've grown up a lot.

Q. Can you describe to us how much you want this title, how much it means to you?

ANDY RODDICK: No, I probably couldn't (smiling).

Q. Could you try?

ANDY RODDICK: No.

Q. What memories stay with you most from when you were in the finals here before?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. Maybe it's not one. I don't look back on them negatively at all, you know. I've never made any apologies for making a Grand Slam final before. I certainly don't look back on those like that.

I know how tough it is. But, you know, I'm excited about this one. I didn't know if I was gonna get to play a final of Wimbledon again. You know, I'm certainly thankful to have that opportunity.

Q. What is your take on what the next three or four years hold for Andy Murray?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I mean, he's going to break through and win one of these titles, and probably numerous ones. He's too good not to. In my mind it's a matter of time. It's not if, but when.

Q. Back to the conversation you had with your wife at the end of last year of whether you could play or not. What side did you take and what side did she take?

ANDY RODDICK: It was a year ago here. I was probably leaning towards not really playing that well. She didn't really know much about tennis, so she thought I was playing real great (laughter).

Q. And she convinced you?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, she thought I looked cute in the shorts.

Q. Remember the line about not wanting to shoot Bambi? Was it weird playing a guy who was such an overwhelming sentimental favorite? And how much did you kind of make taking the crowd out of it part of your game plan?

ANDY RODDICK: You know, it's a lot easier to deal with something when you kind of know how it's gonna be. You know, I went in, and if I would have acted like I was surprised by the crowd support for him or acted like ‑‑ you know, he's their guy. They should support him and they should be going crazy for him, and they did.

You know, that's something that I've been lucky enough to experience at the Open before. So, you know, you just try to take it with a grain of salt. I just tried to go about my business.

I think playing away Davis Cup ties definitely helps that situation. You know, every time we're away, it's the same deal.

Q. You're obviously focused on what you're trying to accomplish here, winning your first Wimbledon title and second Grand Slam. What sort of appreciation do you have for what your opponent is trying to do with getting his 15th and breaking that record of Pete's?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, obviously you can't really say enough to kind of signify what Roger's career has been to this point. I'd love to delay it for another Grand Slam.

Q. Does it help mentally that he finally lost the final here last year?

ANDY RODDICK: No, I don't think it matters as far as Sunday goes.

Q. The other day you said in terms of the Stones concert you had a better view of the action. Not up to the first row yet, or where are you in the seating pattern?

ANDY RODDICK: Trying to get backstage.

Q. Did you feel you had the edge in vitality out there?

ANDY RODDICK: In vitality? Like what? What does that mean?

Q. Well, you just seemed more ready for the whole thing.

ANDY RODDICK: More ready for the whole thing?

Q. Yes.

ANDY RODDICK: No. I haven't really thought about it much. You know, I think one thing that helps for being out here for a long time is I'm not gonna get real surprised by most situations. You know, I've been through most of 'em before, the good ones and the bad ones.

You know, it's not new for me. It's not a new emotion. I think that maybe that helps sometimes.

Q. What's given you the greatest satisfaction as far as how you're playing in this tournament?

ANDY RODDICK: I think just getting through. I mean, if I'm being honest, before today I was kind of getting ‑‑ just getting through matches, you know, playing some good patches but some very ordinary patches as well.

So being able to kind of navigate your way through a major tournament kind of feeling that way, you know, I guess that's a pretty good sign.

Q. What happened to you on the stairs as you were leaving?

ANDY RODDICK: On the stairs? Oh, yeah. I think I just kind of wanted a moment maybe for myself. You know, as soon as you finish up a match like that, thanking the crowd and acknowledging the crowd, then you get shoved into this little room with a camera in your face and you get asked a bunch of questions.

I didn't know anybody saw that on the stairs. It was just kind of me taking a second to kind of try to make myself maybe believe that I was actually going to locker room having done that.

Q. Can you envision yourself lifting that trophy on Sunday as the winner here?

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, I've done that many times (laughter).

Q. When was the first time?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't know. We used to wake up and watch the old HBO Breakfast at Wimbledon. I'm sure I thought about it even then.

Q. You're obviously thrilled to be in the final. It means so much to you. How do you guard against being the happy‑to‑be‑there guy?

ANDY RODDICK: That's never really been my MO. You know, that won't be the case. You know, it's too close.

Q. You said it was important to know what to expect when you go out there. Have you any idea on Sunday what the crowd will react to, maybe you beating the British guy?

ANDY RODDICK: No, no. I hope not. But, you know, I think here maybe more so than anyplace outside of the States I've developed a little bit of rapport with the fans. Maybe you guys helping me by asking me a bunch of goofy questions and me giving a bunch of goofy answers.

But certainly, you know, Roger's earned their respect many, many, many times over. You know, hopefully they'll like both of us a little bit.

I jeszcze link do późniejszego wywiadu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA4iN2g_htI

'I felt like guy who shot Bambi' xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Ostatnio edytowany przez COA (04-07-2009 21:42:45)

Myślę, że będzie niezwykle trudno. Przy całym szacunku dla Andy'ego, bo zagrał dziś kapitalnie, ale ta dramaturgia to przede wszystkim "zasługa" ostrego heblowania Federera przez całe spotkanie. Nie umniejsza to sukcesu Amerykanina, bo wielu z tak grających Fedem seta nie wąchają, a Roddick był o krok od niesamowitego triumfu.

Na USO jednak dużo większym zagrożeniem będzie Murray, tam presja wywierana na Szkocie w porównaniu z Wimblem jest minimalna. Uważam, że bardzo trzeba uważać na Del Potro, prawdę mówiąc to dla mnie najpowazniejszy kandydat z młodych wilków do wygrania ostatniego Szlema w tym sezonie.