Roddick Claims Shot at Wimbledon Redemption

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The consequences and burden of bearing the collective interest of a country may not be justified for a 22-year-old.

But that was the story for Scot Andy Murray—a player so much under the spotlight that the media’s perennial darling at this event, the five-time champion and record-seeking Roger Federer, hasn’t had to deal with his ordinate time in the spotlight.

Dozens of pages covered Murray’s journey to the semifinals of Wimbledon, ranging from features on girlfriend Kim Sears to exposés on the tactics of his training regimen.

The press have only two more days with which to feed their papers; however, that documentation will be without Murray providing sensational headlines.

Thanks to a timely renaissance by No. 6 seed Andy Roddick, the United Kingdom will not see one of the more astounding droughts in a sport swept away. No, Murray will not be able to become the first male Brit to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry did in 1936.

And Queen Elizabeth II will need no necessary reason to attend the All England Club for the first time in more than three decades.

After Roddick dispatched Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, the emotional outpouring experienced by the 26-year-old American was indicative of his reaction to an opportunity that has eluded him for nearly six years—a shot at Grand Slam glory.

“I never thought I would get a chance to play for another grand-slam title and now I can; it’s just a dream,” he said. “(Murray) has been a much better player than I have over the past year, but I can play some tennis sometimes, too.”

By his standards, though, Roddick is having a great season. He earned a spot in the final four of the Australian Open earlier in the year, while posting the highest finish in the French Open by reaching the fourth round.

On Centre Court, his improvements were on display.

Under the tutelage of coach Larry Stefanki, who was chosen as the replacement to Jimmy Connors and interim trainer Patrick McEnroe, Roddick has learned to tread with more grace and economy on the court. He has become more of an aggressor, too, as he made a total of 75 trips to the net, from which he earned 48 points.

His newfound proficiency at prevailing through duress this season—Roddick has collected 25 possible sets out of 29 pushed to tiebreakers—facilitated the outcome of this encounter, as well.

Incidentally, his preparation for this year was born out of doubt, which required a conference with wife Brooklyn Decker before realizing his weaknesses.

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