Andy Roddick: Why Loudmouth Should Retire Following Australian Open Failure

If American tennis star Andy Roddick needed any more reason to call his career quits at age 29, he got another this past week in Melbourne at the 2012 Australian Open.

Roddick fell in the second round to Aussie Lleyton Hewitt after cruising through his first four sets of the tournament. Roddick topped Hewitt 6-3 in the first set but had to retire while trailing after three sets because of a nagging hamstring injury.

Sadly almost everyone saw this coming from the No. 15-ranked men's player in the world. Roddick even made my list of three men guaranteed to fail in Melbourne before the event began last weekend.

It doesn't take a die-hard tennis fan to understand that Roddick hasn't been relevant for some time now. He hasn't made a Grand Slam final since 2009; he hasn't won a Slam since his only win back in 2003 at the US Open; and he is 1-43 in Grand Slams for his career.

Roddick's legacy is hardly that of a legend. His constant talk on the court and complaints to the officials are unwarranted, especially when his career achievements are taken into thoughtful consideration. His best year was by far 2003, and that was almost a decade ago. 

To be blunt, Andy Roddick will never win another Grand Slam event. In fact, he will never make the final of another major tournament. Sure, his 75.7 career win percentage is impressive, but it's not enough of an accomplishment for someone who was supposed to be the next great American tennis player on the men's side. 

The reality is that Roddick has played in over 750 singles matches during his 12-year career, and the injuries are only piling up on him. He's struggled with shoulder problems and now the latest is a painful hamstring issue.

Athletes heal faster than the rest of us—or that is the common belief—but Roddick is already at tennis' cliff when it comes to age. He will be 30 this summer, and his personality is wearing thin with most of those who spend time around the sport.

The Omaha native has put together a career and a resume worth documenting. But after his pitiful flame out at the Australian Open this January, it's safe to say that the book has been written on Roddick's career.