Andy Roddick: Overrated Star Is Doomed to Fail at 2012 US Open

Remember when Andy Roddick was the top-ranked player in the world, the next great American tennis star?

That was almost a decade ago in 2003, when he won the US Open—the only major he's ever won.

He's never made it past the Australian Open semifinals, nor past the fourth round of the French Open.

While losing three times to Roger Federer in the finals at Wimbledon—most recently in 2009—is nothing to be ashamed of, it only helps to make my point.

Look at his performance in majors this year: Roddick retired from his second-round match with Lleyton Hewitt at the Australian Open, was embarrassed by Nicholas Mahut in the first round at Roland Garros and lost to David Ferrer in the round of 32 at Wimbledon.

Couple that with Novak Djokovic walking all over him in the second round of matches at the Summer Games in London, and there's no reason to think that he can buck the trend in Flushing Meadows, even with the crowd cheering him on.

If Roddick makes it past Rhyne Williams in the first round and then either Carlos Berlocq or Bernard Tomic in the second round—none of which are sure things—Roddick would be looking at Juan Monaco in the third round of play.

The last time Monaco and Roddick faced each other, which was this past March at the Masters 1000 in Miami, Monaco defeated Roddick in straight sets during the round of 16.

Were Roddick to defeat Monaco, he'd be looking at a date with Juan Martin del Potro, who has defeated Roddick three of the four times that they've met.

The odds are simply stacked against Roddick to claim his second major title. And while we are sure to hear his quips and bear witness to his tantrums for as long as he remains alive in the Open, even his most ardent fans no longer view them as amusing, they're simply annoying.

Roddick is currently ranked 22nd in the world and has not seen the Top 10 since July 18 of last year.

Closing in on his 30th birthday, he is simply running out of time to remain relevant in the world of competitive tennis—at least when talking about the elite players of the day.

When it's all said and done, we may look back at Roddick's career and realize that he was one of the better players in the world for a decade.

But to be considered among the greats of a generation, you have to show up when it matters most on more than one occasion. Roddick has failed to do that time and time again. And that's a fact that cannot be disputed.

Andy Roddick is a good tennis player. But he's not great, and hasn't been for quite some time.