Andy Roddick | The New York Observer

Even with Rain Looming, Players (Except Federer) Say No Roof for Ashe

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:00:37 -0400

The weather has been wonderful for nine days, but don't look at the forecast. It's calling for a chance of rain today, tomorrow, Friday and Saturday.

Eep.

In 2014, by which time the folks at Roland Garros will have finished building a new center court with a retractable roof, the U.S. Open will be the only Grand Slam without a roof.

And how do the players feel about the roofless Ashe? They were asked at a press...

Goodbye, Ladies: Brooklyn Decker, Sara Foster Both Out

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:59:29 -0400

Players wives, girlfriends and fiancées don't have a whole lot of say on whether they're staying at the Open. And unfortunately, to the disappointment of men all over the city, a nightmare scenario unfolded yesterday: Brooklyn Decker, the toast of Wimbledon and wife of Andy Roddick, along with Sara Foster, the lovely fiancée of Tommy Haas, were both knocked out of the Open.

It was a premature loss, and we're not quite sure who the...

Roddick's Run is Over

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:46:16 -0400

Before we even got the shot to embrace him in the way we promised we would, Andy Roddick is out.

In a marathon shootout, John Isner, the 24-year old boy giant, shocked Roddick in a 3 hour, 51 minute five set victory, which ended in a 7-5 tiebreak.

But Roddick didn't choke. It was one of those strange matches where Roddick got matched up against someone who can be very, very good, but generally isn't. Today,...

Welcome to the Best Day of the Open

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:06:29 -0400

Well, CBS is sitting awfully pretty. Its coverage begins today and the network has what is far and away the best day of matches in the tournament so far. So much to watch:

Roger Federer v. Lleyton Hewitt; Ashe, 11 a.m.:

Now, this really shouldn't be much of a match, but you know, it's two Grand Slam winners going up against one another and it's the first real "test" on paper that Fed will have to...

From Maine, With Love for Roddick

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:25:24 -0400

Move over, Brooklyn Decker. Amy Littlefield is in town, and she has a posse. Littlefield is turning 40 this weekend, and she traveled down from Maine with her parents and sister to celebrate at the Open with her favorite, newly resurgent player. They even made T-shirts! (Which are rather clever, if we do say so ourselves.)

Littlefield has been a Roddick fan "forever and ever," and she speaks of his shot at the championship with...

Nightly Wrap: 20,000 Wait for Two Blowouts

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:10:18 -0400

Thanks to two unexpectedly long matches that resulted in two upsets, the schedule at Arthur Ashe got all crazy yesterday! And as a result, James Blake wasn't finished defeating Oliver Rochus until well after 8 p.m., which meant that the night-match ticket holders had to wait nearly two hours to get into Ashe. (To the right is a shot of several thousand fans waiting to get in.)

The night matches turned out to be less...

Venus Barely Pulls it Out, Roddick Rolls

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:10:56 -0400

The entire media center--including us!--was writing Venus Williams' obituary. Down 4-5 in the second set against 47th-ranked Vera Dushevina, three points away from a stunning upset, Venus managed to turn it around and avoid her first-ever exit during the Open's first week. But not without more twists: up 4-0 in the third, she let Dushevina come back enough to make it interesting; the final score was 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-3.

Venus...

Andy Roddick Serves a Cocktail, Tomas Berdych Flips Breadfruit Tostone and Tommy Haas Cooks 'Fishy' Fish

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:37:08 -0400

What exactly do tennis players know about food?

We know they have a thing for sushi. But are they foodies? Do they care about Frank Bruni? Do they cook?

That's what we wanted to find out last week at the BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis event at the W Hotel in midtown last Thursday night.

The main room was a zoo. Restaurants and chefs from around the city set up camp to cook and to use tennis...

Booked!

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:12:56 -0400

No need to channel-surf! Here's a list of notables on late night tonight. We'll post each weekday, for your convenience!

The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 11:30pm): Andy Roddick, musical guest Mutemath.

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm): Mike Tyson, Matisyahu.

Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, 12:05am): Kathie Lee Gifford, Selena Gomez, Darius Rucker.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 12:35am): Alec Baldwin, Michael Showalter & Michael Ian Black, Jordin Sparks (repeat).

The...

Andy Roddick's New York Moment

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:00:20 -0400

At some point in the not-so-distant past, Andy Roddick was our great American hope. It was early in the decade, and Pete Sampras was calling it quits. Andre Agassi was slowing down, and New York–area tennis fans turned to a cute, plucky native of Texas. He was going to be the new king of Queens.

He delivered early—winning the Open in 2003—and then never again. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal became a wall that...

Roddick Claims He Was Joking, Novak Apologizes

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:15:58 -0400

Andy Roddick said that his comments about Novak Djokovic's various injuries were all a big joke.

"Listen, I joke all the time. I don't think anybody in their right mind takes me serious. I think it's very clear when I give a serious answer and when I don't give a serious answer."

Well, maybe not.

"I don't know if, you know -- he took it as seriously," he said. "I figure...

Djokovic's Agent: Novak Knows He Has to 'Pay the Consequences For His Behavior'

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:51:37 -0400

I caught up with Novak Djokovic's agent Benito Pérez-Barbadillo after last night's PR disaster, and he said a center court interview was definitely the wrong place for Novak to vent his anger.

"He’s young, and he’s learning," said Mr. Pérez-Barbadillo "He learns from defeats, and he learns from wins and he learns from life. He’s 21 years old and he had a shit day yesterday. You have a bad day yesterday and when a friend...

Djokovic Wins, But Loses Crowd; Richard Johnson: 'He Deserved to Get Booed'

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:30:58 -0400

The Serbian sweetheart of 2007 has lost his New York support.

That bad blood between Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick that we discussed? It bubbled all over center court last night. After Djokovic's hard-earned four set victory over Andy Roddick last night, he shot back in a post-match on-court interview at Roddick for implying that he was faking his injuries.

"Well obviously, you know, Andy was saying I have...

Andy and Novak

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:36:12 -0400

We made the argument this week that men's tennis today is looking exactly like the golden age of women's tennis from about eight years ago--its full of high quality tennis, rivalries and interesting characters. The only thing men's tennis appeared to be missing was the Henin-Williams-sisters-type feud. And now it looks like men's tennis has it.

Welcome, to Andy Roddick versus Novak Djokovic. Later tonight, at a little after 8:30 p.m., they'll face off...

Andy Reaches Quarters, Can Look Forward to Novak, Roger, and Rafa

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:45:12 -0400

Andy Roddick, the 2003 Open champion and perpetual Great White Hope of U.S. men's tennis, dominated his fourth-round match against Fernando Gonzalez, taking just about an hour and a half to win, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1. Roddick played excellently and consistently, committing only 7 unforced errors and and winning 93 percent of first-serve points, but Gonzalez didn't help himself with 33 errors. Lest we think that this commanding performance means that Roddick is surely headed for a...

The Late Show

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:54:15 -0400

Novak Djokovic got his first test of the tournament this afternoon, and now it's Roger Federer's turn. Federer and Igor Andreev have nabbed a set each (at 7-6) and Federer is up a break in the third. At this point, we'll start the women's match at about 8:30, Roddick's match at 10:30, and we'll all be going home well after 1...

Weary Djokovic Advances to Quarters

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:36:46 -0400

It took three hours and 45 minutes, but an exhausted Novak Djokovic advances to the quarterfinals with a five-set win over Tommy Robredo. It seemed like everything was ailing him: his stomach, his hip, even his ankle. It looks like that stomach ailment that we told you about before the tournament took its toll in this match.

"If I started joking about all the things that bothered me now, we could talk until tomorrow,"...

Day 7 Recap: Djokovic, Roddick Advance

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:58:43 -0400

Why can't Novak Djokovic just make it easy on us already? After we called him the cardiac kid last year after he made us get through grueling four-hour match after grueling four-hour match, he did it again tonight. It took him 3 hours and 54 minutes to defeat the very tough Croatian Marin Cilic 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 in a match that ended at 12:48 a.m.

Earlier today, Andy Roddick won in straight...

Lindsay Ain't Got Rhythm

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:28:04 -0400

Lindsay Davenport "felt it was a little bit tough for me to get much rhythm" as she moved on to the third round in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, experiencing some difficulty from Alisa Kleybanova along the way. Davenport "didn't feel like it was very pretty tennis," and she was right. She didn't ever seem really comfortable during play, and though she won a huge percentage of points on her first serve, the percentage of...

Oh, for the Glory Days of Pete Sampras in His Baggy Shorts!

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:58:25 -0400

On the morning of Aug. 22, three days before the start of the U.S. Open, James Blake posed as a tennis star.

On a makeshift blue tennis court set up in the backyard of the Winter Garden in Lower Manhattan, Blake, the biracial darling of American men’s tennis, had just hosted a hit-around for Heineken. As a dozen people milled around waiting for the presentation of an oversize check for charity,...

Advantage, Roddick: Recently Betrothed Tennis Deity Gets Earthly Gramercy Pad for $1.19 M.

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:45:21 -0400

Andy Roddick can serve a ball 155 miles per hour, faster than anyone in the history of professional tennis. For that reason, and one or two others (the 25-year-old’s forehand is good, he’s good-looking), he just got engaged to a 20-year-old bikini model named Brooklyn—you may remember her from the last two Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. And, less noisily, he just bought his first Manhattan apartment.

The condo, at East 22nd...

Roddick Plays Great Tennis—and Loses in Straights

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:30:39 -0400

Roger Federer once again proved himself unstoppable, but Andy Roddick played incredibly well.

Start with these total stats for both players:

Winners: 90

Unforced: 42

Doubles:...

Roddick Looks Good, But ...

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 14:25:11 -0400

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...

Little Old Andy Roddick

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:26:03 -0400

To listen to Andy Roddick over the last two weeks, you'd think he was closer to the end of his career than the beginning. He said before the Open began, "I still feel like I have another Slam in me. At least that's what I'm shooting for."

Then he said this today about his potential quarterfinal date with Roger Federer: "I'm excited. I expect a lot of myself. I don't think anybody else...

Roddick, Kuznetsova Advance

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 13:47:02 -0400

Andy Roddick moves to the quarterfinals after Tomas Berdych retired in the second set. It's the second time an opponent has retired against Roddick at the Open. Roddick has yet to drop a set and it's leading one to wonder: Could he give Federer a fight in the quarters?

Svetlana Kuznetsova won easily in straights and advances to the quarters where she'll take on Agnes Szavay who also won today in straight sets. Aggie...

Welcome to the Second Week!

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 21:27:37 -0400

Labor Day Match of the Day: Andy Roddick versus Tomas Berdych. Neither player has dropped a set in this tournament and the winner will be rewarded with a quarterfinals match against Roger Federer. Tommy Haas and James Blake have both endured bloody lead-ins and they’ll clash this afternoon.

The women’s bottom draw will get clearer tonight: the upstart Israeli Shahar Peer will take on the upstart Pole Aggie Radwanska. ...

Match of the Day

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:33:22 -0400

It’s the hotly anticipated match of the first week. Federer v. Isner: The giant of tennis versus the boy giant.

It’s not really a matter if Isner can beat Federer -- no one thinks that -- but about how good a fight the young American can put up. Everyone seems to agree that Isner could be a headache.

“John probably has a game that can make Roger a little bit more...

At Birthday Press Conference, Roddick Talks Tough

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:43:29 -0400

Andy Roddick held an entertaining birthday-edition press conference yesterday.

Two points of interest from it: (1) He had a message for Rafael Nadal, who complained that the hard-court season is too long, which he blamed for causing his tendinitis.

"You play seven months a year on clay if you want to. I'm not going to throw a pity party by any means."

(2) Reporters yesterday were quietly questioning Richard Gasquet's dedication to the game due to his...

Birthday Boy Roddick Rolls

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:44:55 -0400

Happy Birthday, Andy Roddick! The 2003 U.S. Open Champ turned 25 today and won after Jose Acasuso retired after the third set. Other ranked straight sets winners today: Tomas Berdych, Anna Chakvetadze and Nadia Petrova. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Andy Murray both needed to go the distance to win their matches.

Men's no. 14 Guillermo Canas was upset today and Tommy Haas is down a set, which you can track here.

Maria...

Gilbert: I Got Your Federer Advice Right Here

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:12:44 -0400

I ran into celeb-coach Brad Gilbert -- the man who resurrected Andre Agassi's career and led Andy Roddick to his only Grand Slam -- and asked him for his thoughts on how to beat the rarely beatable Roger Federer.

"I coach [Andy] Murray, so the advice is in here," he said, tapping his head. "Won't give that away."

Was there anything he could tell us? Anything at all?

"No. Not about somebody that my guy can potentially...

The New York Observer Blogs the U.S. Open!

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 21:30:56 -0400

Welcome to the New York Observer's U.S. Open blog.

For the next 14 days, Spencer Morgan and I will be in and around the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing gathering stories, game analysis and observations from the tournament.

Stay with us, and please keep in touch (as often as you like) about what we’re doing and what else you’d like to see. We’ll do our best to oblige.

Click the banner above...

That Buzz? Roddick Says It's N.Y.C., Not Federer's Serve

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 08:48:23 -0400

Roddick loves the nightlife! The prospect of beating his long-time nemesis, Roger Federer, is not the only thing Andy Roddick is looking forward to at this U.S. Open. It's playing ... under the stars! From Reuters:

"It's probably my favorite tournament as far as the electricity in the air," he said. "I've had a lot of night matches there and it's just something you look forward to."

"You can feel the buzz...

Blue Courts at U.S. Open!

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:00:00 -0400

Andy Roddick can’t crack Roger Federer. On that, virtually everyone agrees. But a more vital question tickling at the margins of American sport is: Why the hell can’t A-Rod even seem to make a match of his match-ups with Fed? By the end of next week, if form holds in Flushing Meadows, we might find out that Andy has it in him—to once again lift the U.S. Open trophy, and avoid going 1-for-11 lifetime...

Blue Courts at U.S. Open!

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:00:00 -0400

Look, it's Regis! Upper Balcony Vets Ogle at the Open

Sun, 19 Sep 2004 20:00:00 -0400

It took about 30 years, but I finally scored courtside seats at the U.S. Open last week. I didn't get them because my reality-TV show debuts on CBS this season, or because I'm a partner at Goldman Sachs, or because I was the men's champion in a bygone era-the typical route to bragging-rights seats at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Frankly, I snuck in during a rain delay. But that didn't make my triumph any less...

U.S. Open Preview: Manhattan Melts for Andy Roddick

Sun, 29 Aug 2004 20:00:00 -0400

"Andy, here!" … "Andy, look right, please!" came the screams from a dozen or so photographers snapping the young American tennis star Andy Roddick during a photo op at Macy's on the morning of Aug. 24.

Mr. Roddick-who turns 22 on Monday, the first day of the U.S. Open-was exhibiting all the signs of attention-deficit disorder: his close-set eyes darting from side-to-side; his knees (clad in the baggy, surfer-style shorts) knocking underneath the table; his...

Whacko! U.S. Open Monsters Invade

Sun, 24 Aug 2003 20:00:00 -0400

Head-swivelingly handsome, Harvard-educated, Top 50 professional tennis player James Blake has vowed to do something about his self-confidence problem.

You're surprised that the 6-foot-1 Donna Karan model with the impeccably smooth cocoa-powder skin, the dramatic two-tone dreadlocks, the wry smile and the crackerjack forehand-not to mention more than a million bucks in winnings in the bank-has a self-confidence problem? That People magazine's 2002 "Sexiest Male Athlete" is, as Kevin Costner memorably phrased it in Tin...

Whacko! U.S. Open Monsters Invade

Sun, 24 Aug 2003 20:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the U.S. Open in this strange and menacing year of 2003! Forget your troubles and slouch with me toward the USTA National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows. Jump into the gridlock on the Grand Central, or mingle with the fragrant masses on the Flushing line; join the happy hordes marching over that beautifully tatty boardwalk entryway (which, to my mind, is like a dream-walk straight out of a Saul Steinberg drawing, a...

Backhanded Compliments! Tennis Trannies Talk Trash

Sun, 24 Aug 2003 20:00:00 -0400

When the lights came back on, everyone in Manhattan suddenly realized with a shock that tennis is groovy and began frantically calculating who they have to shag to get tickets to the U.S. Open. What has possibly made this sport so screechingly and suddenly hip? Is it the fact that singer-actress Mandy Moore is dating player Andy Roddick?

No! It's that skirt length. Yes, the mini is back-and, ergo, so is tennis. There is nothing...

Mouse in the House

Sun, 09 Sep 2001 20:00:00 -0400

In 1955, an agent for Walt Disney discovered an adorable 8-year-old named Carl O'Brien banging on pots and pans at a charity concert in Southern California. The boy, known as Cubby–Mom thought lil' Carl looked like a bear cub–would go on to be the youngest male Mousketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club . It was a hit television series, of course, and Cubby and his fellow Mouseketeers became famous. Later Cubby would play drums...