Andy Roddick's Shoulder Injury Threatens Earnings

 Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick made it to the finals in Rome last week, not for singles, but on the doubles court, only to forfeit to fellow Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey after a right shoulder injury took Roddick out of play.

Quisner (Querrey and Isner) won 1000 ATP ranking points for doubles and approximately $191,581.80 in prize money to be shared between the duo.  However, Roddick and Fish (Roddish?) lost money and that brought about a little controversy.

Apparently the ATP took back the prize money Roddick and Fish earned due to reaching the doubles Rome final when Roddick withdrew with an injury, the same injury that pulled him out of the Nice Open this week. They had earned about $42,800 to share, but did not receive any of it.

After the fact, Roddick was upset and commented, "We're going to have to beg for the money we've earned. Why should Mardy be punished when I can't play? Mardy has played the (semifinal) match, he won the match, he earned the money, you can't take away something he has already done. This is embarrassing for the tour."

Roddick and Fish have played together previously and this wasn't their first success as a team on clay or at a Masters tournament. They have two doubles titles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in 2009 and the US Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston in 2002.

Ironically, Roddick asked his twitter followers what their pet peeves where via twitter previous to the Rome final and Mardy Fish, @mardyfish, tweeted back on May 15, 2011, "When @andyroddick thinks he can win doubles matches without me..."

Roddick could potentially be out of next week's French Open as well. 

Roddick hopes for a quick recovery but told the AP, "It’s running a big risk, playing on an unhealthy shoulder with Roland Garros round the corner and Wimbledon shortly afterwards."

Tennis Now