Roddick Looks Good, But ...
Tonight, Andy Roddick and Roger Federer will square off in what is perhaps the most uneven rivalry in tennis.(Federer leads the head-to-head, 13-1). Roddick said that he knows expectations are low.
But Roddick is looking good—he hasn’t dropped a set in the Open—and Federer has lost two first sets (wow!) in this tournament.
I asked one my favorite experts, Jon Wertheim, for his take on the match.
“Andy’s gotten a lot of nice breaks. One of them is only having to play a set-and-a-third on a hot Labor Day. Federer’s looked not his usual invincible self. Roddick will have the crowd. [The Open] is really what Roddick gears his year toward. I think it could be interesting, but we said the same thing at Australia eight months ago and Roger absolutely humiliated—it was beyond destroying the guy.”
Federer won that match 6-4, 6-0, 6-2. So—don’t be shocked if there’s a similar result tonight.
I actually think Roddick has a decent chance or, if not a decent chance, then the best chance he'll ever have against Federer. Andy's game peaked years ago, but Federer might be at the very edge of decline, himself, and this is Andy's best surface. I wouldn't be shocked to see it go five sets.