Andy Roddick may figure out the game of professional tennis in time to make me feel like an idiot for writing this article.
As it stands now, he hasn't figured out enough to beat that Roger guy, and he probably never will (again).
Yes, Roddick beat him once in 2004 in Montreal, when Federer was still on his way to being the tennis god he is now.
Federer's 15 wins against Roddick will increase, and no, Roddick is not "due" for a win.
Here's why I think this...
15-Love
Roddick hits hard balls to win points; Federer hits a lot of balls to win matches
Roddick is an amazing athlete. He hits harder than Roger. He has more raw speed and strength than Roger. He is more intense than Roger.
Still, Andy will never beat Roger at anything, ever again. Not even Nintendo Wii Tennis. Not even checkers.
Any tennis fan, or sports fan for that matter, can pick up what I'm laying down here.
Federer knows how to win. Roddick knows how to win. They know how to win in different ways, but when they get together, Federer's way trumps that of Roddick.
Roddick will take the court with his hair on fire, and hopefully stay hot long enough to win. This might work against Kei Nishikori in San Jose, but not against Roger Federer at Wimbledon.
Roddick loses his head a lot easier than Federer.
By now, Federer knows he owns Roddick, so having his serve broken is no big deal in his eyes. When Roddick gets broken, there is an urgency to rebound before things gets out of control.
Federer senses the urgency, so he tests Roddick with steadiness. If steadiness were a core college subject, Roddick would repeat it every semester, only to fail each time.
30-Love
Federer waits. Roddick hates.
Roddick can outclass most tennis players, but mental toughness is not his forte.
Watch the guy in a match, and through the TV screen, you'll feel that spastic energy. It's simply his approach to tennis. He either blows you off the court, or he doesn't.
If he doesn't, leaving him to rely on his mental game, it often does not end well.
In short, if you're one of the fifty or so tour players that can hang with Roddick, you can beat him.
This energy is what kills Roddick in a match against Federer.
When Roddick tears out of the gate with aces and winners, Federer maintains. Federer holds serve until Roddick gives him an opportunity. Believe me, it will happen. It always does.
40-Love
Roddick is hopeful. Federer is certain.
In the 2007 US Open quarters, the American played huge, but Federer simply managed Roddick through a pair of tie-breakers, before walking away with the match in the third set.
It always seems to go this way. It's close at first, before Roddick finally rolls over, showing his alligator-tattooed belly to the dominant Swiss.
It's weird how Federer is only a year older than Roddick, but seems to have his act together in a way that suggests he's the big senior and Roddick's the wedgy-prone freshman with a bit more growing up to do.
During a match between the two, you can tell Federer knows he's going to win. Roddick hopes.
He hopes for a tie-breaker to go his way, and he hopes for a lot of aces. The two each approach the match the same way everytime, and the results are never any different.
Why should they be?
Game
Federer bends. Roddick breaks (not serve).
Roddick has nothing new to show Federer. Federer has nothing new to show Roddick.
They know what each other has in terms of weapons, confidence, and stamina. I'm sure Federer is just fine with this scenario.
Roddick continues to try to cram the square learning-toy into the circular hole until he gets tired, and Federer plays solid until the mental breakdown happens.
Back to my original point.
Andy Roddick will never beat Roger Federer (again), because he's not the kind of thinking man that Federer is.
Roddick is not the type to change speeds mentally to figure out his opponent.
I have been watching him play for a long time, and I'm not sure if he completely understands the mental game of tennis, and I'm not sure if he knows what kind of personal reinvention it will take to beat Federer.
No one knows for certain, except Roger Federer himself. And boy, is he certain.
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7 months ago
Roger is far better at much more than mental strength.
7 months ago
I agree. Roger is better in MANY ways. Hell, even his serve is probably better.
7 months ago
That's a little harsh on Roddick.
7 months ago
I think your assessment is spot on, it also important to note that Roddick’s game simply fits very well to Roger’s, he doesn’t have that 3rd dimension that the like of David Nalbandine and Noval Djokovic possess. For Roddick to beat Roger he would have to revolutionise his game, and at 25 that may be to late to achieve, in 2006 Roddick found himself in the backfoot having spent considerable amount of time trying to change his style, he realised he took his eye of the ball, other players realised the ‘new’ player was even less equipped to deal with their game.
7 months ago
uhh.... NOPE!!!!!!!... Andy's serve is the fastest in the WORLD!!! do u understand that?? THE EFFIN WORLD!!!!! so no... roger's serve is not better (and yes I didn't capitalize his name on purpose... its not worth the capital r!!)
my webpage is www.youtube.com/federertking if u want to have a more indepth discussion!
7 months ago
Wait and see, it will happen ! Andy will win Wimby and against Federer. We must never give hope. I am a real fan.
7 months ago
i agree federer is patient and roddick is hesitate and roddick focus on roger instead of himself but you have to be confident to beat roger
7 months ago
whats up roger keep winning those grandslams and take that frenchopen home and keep beating roddick even though im american
7 months ago
thanks to everyone for posting!
i've never gotten reponses this quickly to any project i've posted.
thanks a ton for the edits (the spacing and boldfacing really makes it readable) and the input.
i'll continue to post thoughtful tennis stories.
7 months ago
Roger Federer does EVERYTHING BETTER than Roddick,except for the serve.
Federer has better footwork
he is faster
he can hit his backhand and forehand 2-4 ways unlike Roddick.
He has approach shots
he has a net game
he is great at defense
superb when attacking
he makes defense to offense look easy
he has variety in his game;from the subtle and sneaky drop shot;the overhead backhand
he hits his shots flat and with spin when need be
he knows angles and will even use squash shots in a rally
he is patient
knows how to play aggressive tennis when it's time
he is focussed
he has his clay game that he has been able to translate on ALL surfaces in an instant from rebound ace;now plexicushion to hard courts;to clay to grass;to carpet unlike Roddick who shamelessly will go out in the first round in Paris every year with no excuses.I say that because Federer,Djokovic,Nadal and every single one of the men in the top 10 do NOT struggle to make play their game on all surfaces like Roddick and Blake for example who can't win anything but on hard courts!
Roddick since working with Connors has been trying to turn into a serve/volley player with little or no success considering his game at a young age was focussed on a big serve/forehand to keep the points short and give him the chance to break opponents serves.He and his coaches forgot to work on his backhand;work on approach shots;net game;help him construct points;learn patience;learn to make adjustments from surfaces to surfaces at 25 and he is failing miserably.
Roddick will overpower certain opponents who can't read his serves but there are players with great return of serves;fast;great movers;great that have read him well and broke him;Once you brake Roddick;his game falls apart due to his terrible game that Connors hasn't helped in my opinion.
If you want to attack;you have got to make a to go from defense to offense;approach the net and hit great volleys.Well that is where Roddick always goes wrong.
Not sure Roddick;will go back in the top 5 of men's tennis because his game certainly has no place there considering he;is inconsistent to say the least.Those people used to call "dirtballers" with nothing but insult in mind are the best players nowadays and they deserve it.Nadal making the finals in London;semis in Australia.Djokovic making 3 straight semis on 3 different surfaces with ease;Gasquet's Wimbledon semis beating Roddick in the Quarters;Tsonga's run in Australia;Ferrer making the semis in NY and Quarters in Australia is proof that Europeans and South Americans have taken tennis seriously;have gotten their coaches to adjust and make their players adjust just as well.
The likes of Roddick;especially hyped Blake(no semis of a grand slam at 29!)Fish;Ginpri and the newly hyped Young;Isner;Young;Querrey won't be in the top 10 and win majors anytime soon!
7 months ago
What's with all these 12 year olds trying to give in depth sports analysis?
7 months ago
rogers serve isn't faster, it's BETTER! when roddick serves he is serving for an ace everytime. when federer serves he is serving to win the point, outright or setting his best shot (FORHAND). roger's serve is all about placement, he doesn't need to hit the ball 160 mph to ace andy or to stay in the point he just places better. thats the difference between him and roger. andy needs to try for an ace every point because he easily gets behind in the rallies and finds it hard to recover so he needs to win the cheap points. while roger is hardily ever out of the point. imo that 140+mph serve is wasted on andy. it does him no good if the fast serves are out or in the net, which they most often are. we all know andy can serve an ace at 145 mph but not any where close to consistent. why not serve between 130-38 consistently and go for placement. the crowd pleaser shots don't win matches, and those 145+ bombs are crowd pleasers. that was a lesson federer learned early on in his career.
andy's stamina is always a question in their matches as well. by the end of the 1st set he is already starting to huff and puff. and that is another distraction for him. andy also doesn't know how to pace himself against roger. he, andy, thinks the urgency in the match is all about him when it should be about roger. putting pressure on roger, forcing him to error, taking his time away. did you see the post match interview of their 1/4 at the USO? you can see the urgency pouring off andy in his staccato short replies and his agitated movement.
thx
m a f
7 months ago
Federer's clown fans are always quick to respond to any article, especially biased ones that hail their hero as the god of all tennis while simultaneously dismissing Nadal, Djokovic, Roddick et al.
Ironically enough by dissing Roddick as limited and having no tennis talent then you are also taking away from Federer's accomplishments. His Wimbledon titles suddenly don't look so impressive because he's won two of them facing weak competition such as Roddick. Was that your intention?
"i've never gotten reponses this quickly to any project i've posted."
I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty more Roddick-bashing opinion pieces from you in the future now that you know what gets the Federer fanboys going. :)
from 7 months ago
haha, your criticism is well taken. i wouldn't say that his wimbledon titles aren't as impressive because he's had to beat roddick to win them...
any wimbledon win is impressive. besides, federer does get challenged (and beaten) quite a bit... by nadal, djokovic (aussie open semi was amazing), and nalbandian...
as for roddick, i don't see him having enough to do what these other guys have done to federer. essentially they figured out roger federer, even if it was only for one (or more) magical match(s)
we can't deny that roddick has yet to make this leap... and all signs say it probably won't happen.
don't get me wrong, i'd love to see roddick come through sometime against federer... just not too much, because federer rules lol
7 months ago
"uhh.... NOPE!!!!!!!... Andy's serve is the fastest in the WORLD!!! do u understand that?? THE EFFIN WORLD!!!!! so no... roger's serve is not better (and yes I didn't capitalize his name on purpose... its not worth the capital r!!)"
Faster =/= better. Care to explain to me why Federer outaces Roddick nearly everytime they play? True, Federer does not have the raw power Roddick does and isn't able to ace everyone, but his placement and precision far surpass Roddick, and he's able to induce much more weak returns.
7 months ago
I'm an avid tennis player, and have learned that match-ups are key!
Fed's game also matches up really well. He's able to return Andy's serve and then his ground strokes are more varied, more consistent, and he take the ball on the rise. Fed takes away Andy's best shot (serve) and is better everywhere else. I don't think it is mental...
7 months ago
I wish google would quit picking up this bleecher report blog garbage as news....
7 months ago
ummm, i agree that federer all round is a better player, but i am one of andy's biggest fans. i think that yes he will need to play exceptionaly well and fed will need to be on a off day but who knows? and i also agree with the 12 yr old comment, your not an expert so dont try and say what can and can't happen anything can happen. i support andy all the way and i reckon that one day he will win against federer again, and i personally think that fed hasnt been on his best tennis of late so who knows?
7 months ago
PS my email addy is kimmyhut@hotmail.com if you wish to discuss this further
7 months ago
For christ's sake, I'm gonna go ahead and say that Rog has a better serve than Andy!
Why? wel... roddick may have more raw power in his serve-- and it's true he will serve faster than roger in probably every match, BUT
roger thinks a lot better on the serve. He will mix it up-- spins, placement-- and keep roddick off balance. And of course, being the god that he is, he will always hit a good serve on a big point (of course, andy is good at this too). But this is the main point. roger's ability to mix up the serve, keep his 1st srv percentage high and keep andy off balance is why roger has the better serve too.
Oh, and I just checked the ATP website, and according to their head-to-head, roger has OUT-ACED roddick in 11 of their 16 matches!!!!!
roger wins.
7 months ago
OH MY GOD, this article hasd created monsters lol. i mean federer is beter than andy every one knows that, he's is after all reanked umm what is it again NUMBER ONE! so no one expects andy to go out there and smash him everytime! in fact alot of tennis players wont! andy is a great player, but federer just better, i am an andy fan and its just stupid that everyone is fighting over that federer is better OF COURSE HE IS! but we are saying that is not NO chance of andy beatingn him.
7 months ago
i'll continue to post thoughtful tennis stories.
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Still waiting for you to post your first one.
from 7 months ago
oh, buuuurn.
nice one, anonymoys lol
7 months ago
Four points why Federer will never beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros:
1) Nadal moves better on clay
2) Nadal plays smarter on clay
3) Nadal makes Federer look like a chump on clay
4) Nadal is just betterer than Federer
Thoughts?
7 months ago
Federer hits a way harder ball on his forhand then roddick does. Is because he uses a mix between a semi-western and eastern to hit a flatter ball with his windshield viper wrist action for topsin. watch any of the forehand to forehand exchanges. federer has a way more penetrating and faster ball. roddick uses a full western which is great for generating spin but is very difficult to turn the racquet to hit flat this limits how flat he can hit the ball. federer's backhand to roddick's backhand gives roddick trouble because its a counter punch backhand, while roger's backhand is the most varied backhand in the game which makes forces roddick to have to create on his backhand. federer is by far faster and by far more balance and better at net. he covers the court so well against roddick probably the best defense to offense of any player ever also. federer is also probably the greatest shotmaker so all of roddick's approaches are in vain. Finally roddick knows how to play tennis its just out of his capabilities to play a varied and finesse game like roger can. Also its not just he doesnt know how to play tennis its that at that level anything you try has to be up the highest pro level standards nad this takes years on years of practice through childhood and up. roddick grew up hitting serves and forehands and that is what he has to use and improve and hope it is enough
7 months ago
ben this article has created monsters!
i love roddick, but you're right about the personal reinvention part.
how is roddick going to come anywhere close, just by serving harder, and hitting harder approach shots.
murray beats roddick by doing one thing... bringing him to net, and passing him... systematically.
federer can do that, and, if roddick happens to be hot, federer will change it up.
he'll hit like 5 second serves in a row then when it's ad-in he'll blast one, he'll hit high top then low slice in rallies (which are rare), he'll hit right at roddick, then two shots later try an angle.
to really be able to cover all bases against federer it doesn't take more improvement and more power... it does a little, yes, but... it really takes being mentally stable and confident to do it enough to win 3 out of 5.
7 months ago
Great article Thanks for your thoughtful and in depth comments
7 months ago
thanks!
i'll have another piece on real soon that i'm writing now.
-ben
6 months ago
Though this has lots of information that turns the table on Roddick, you never know what will happen. Even if Andy plays Federer and still ends up losing, for several games on, eventually Andy will know what to do; both physically and mentally. Playing the best means you most likely will lose, but in the end results in a benefit - you build up mental strength and eventually learn what to do, and how to play the game against all odds.
Andy may not win a match, but on the other hand, there is still a very chance of winning one, eventually.
6 months ago
That's the greatest article I have read so far here. It's just absolutely true.
Unfortunately, I have been Andy's fan ever since he entered ATP and have hated Federer ever since he beat Sampras, and I have spent many sleepless nights watching how Andy gets smashed again and again and, damn, again!
Although I can write as much as the article, if not more, I am just going to elaborate on one point. That's Federer's ability to return Andy's serves. He just has them figured, that's amazing! And he outaces Roddick not because he has a better serve but just because he doesn't let Andy make aces. And he blocks those serves so well that the returns fall deep every single time.
If I make a comparison between Roger and Agassi, Andre is the absolute opposite. He didin't bother to return anything he isn't sure he will make a winner of, especially when he used to play Pete. Federer, on the other hand, knows exactly where every Andy's serve is going to land. And except for the few cases when Roddick's serves are perfect, he gets them back and breaks. :)
6 months ago
Well Roddick just beat Federer...
6 months ago
This is a truly priceless moment.
6 months ago
-Quote Me-
Though this has lots of information that turns the table on Roddick, you never know what will happen. Even if Andy plays Federer and still ends up losing, for several games on, eventually Andy will know what to do; both physically and mentally. Playing the best means you most likely will lose, but in the end results in a benefit - you build up mental strength and eventually learn what to do, and how to play the game against all odds.
Andy may not win a match, but on the other hand, there is still a very chance of winning one, eventually.
-Unquote Me-
I hate to say it, but I told you so. Even the slightest, smallest chance, is big enough to win. Eventually, you beat your "monsters" or nemesis no doubt about - obviously displayed by the Miami match. Will Andy stay consist with his wins against Roger though? That's the bigger question.
However; Andy did lose to Davydenko. It's just a process in the bigger position; you have to lose to get better. Roger did the same, at least when he was younger. He was thrown off the courts, but look at him now...a classy, #1, tennis player. I expect Andy will rise up in the rankings; it's just a matter of time.
3 months ago
You've never gotten so many responses before because you've never been so wrong before. Sure, Roddick isn't quite as dominant as Federer, but Federer's game is so boring. Andy's game is exciting to watch, you never know what he's gonna do. With Roger, it's the exact opposite. He makes things look too easy, his game's too polished. He is just a robot out there. With Andy, you see what he's feeling and you feel it with him.
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