Andy Roddick : Will He Be a Top Contender Again at Grand Slams ?

Is Andy Roddick still having a good time on a tennis court? Is it fun for the American to be dumped out of a major before the quarter-finals? Does he really believe he can still beat Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal?

If the answers to all three questions are positive, then there's a good chance to see Roddick reaching the semifinals, the final of Wimbledon, or the US Open.

However, it's obvious the Austin resident has no chance on the red clay of Roland Garros. As for Australia, the surface is slower than the grass of Wimbledon and the Deco Turf of Flushing Meadows, which gives Roddick a lesser chance at reaching the last stage of this slam.

According to the numbers, the 28-year-old is clearly reaching the end of his career.

Like many, he dreams of ending his career on the Wimbledon Grass during the 2012 Olympics. The London Games will boost Andy to go to the gym and work out every day for the next couple of years.

First of all, let's salute Roddick for still being ranked among the top ten players, which is not easy to do in today's game.

The 2003 US Open winner gives a lot of credit to his coach Larry Stefanki, who made him improve nearly every facet of his game: fitness, serve variety, volleying, court coverage and shot selection.

The Nebraska  native has become a patient, thinking player.

Moreover,  he makes far fewer mistakes than he used to and grinds out victories against all but the very best players.

The serve is still his trademark. Roddick still stands among the top three best servers on the ATP Tour. It is the weapon that prevented the Texan resident from sinking deep down in the standings.

His biggest liability, the backhand, has improved too.

He has added an effective pace-neutralizing slice that often stays down, giving him a low-risk method of slowing down a point while controlling court position.

The problem with Roddick’s slice is that he often uses it in non-defensive situations but lacks Nadal or Andy Murray’s speed to chase down would-be winners.

Nor does he have Federer’s ability to slice and dice opponents.

Roddick’s backhand is adequate against less experienced, less consistent players.
It remains a liability against the top players, however, who can explode off both wings.

Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have a complete game. They can play offense, defense, volley, serve, return, which Roddick and most of the other players can't do.

The American still has the serve and the forehand as a major weapon, but all other shots are weaker than the ones of the world's top four players. Hence, it is difficult for him to beat them.

Against players ranked outside of the top 10, the 28-year-old is 524-120.
He is just 35-62 against top-10 opponents, including a miserable 2-20 versus Roger and 3-6 versus Rafa.

When asked what separates Nadal and Federer from the pack, Roddick had to admit,
“They don’t fluctuate. It’s pretty much high quality throughout.”

The Texan will need more than patience to overcome that kind of consistent quality and power. He will need to attack and dictate points from start to finish.

Against the best, his slice won’t cut it anymore.

Therefore it is hard to see Roddick clinching another Grand Slam. Of course, he had to play the match of his life against Federer for the Wimbledon title in 2009. Yet, he lost in one of the most entertaining matches of the past decade. Can he even play better than what he did in 2009? It's difficult to see that, even if Federer's level has also dropped.

Of course, Andre Agassi quit his career at the age of 36, and Jimmy Connors at the age of 39. However in today's powerful game, it's almost impossible to see Roddick playing at the same level for more than three years.

In the meantime, the American will return to the courts this week in Memphis. He is also scheduled to play in Delray Beach, the first round of the Davis Cup when the USA will have to travel to Chile, and defend his points from last year at Indian Wells and Miami.

One year ago , the Austin resident  beat Nadal in the semifinals of Key Biscayne and then took the title for the best win of his season.

Some will find he can still do it, which is true.

Therefore playing Nadal in a best-of-three-set match and a best-of five-set match -at majors- is not the same thing.
Let alone the fact that The Spaniard has improved more than Roddick over the past twelve months.