Andy Roddick Headed Toward Failure Despite Easy Second Round at 2011 US Open

Andy Roddick was vastly improved in his second US Open match, but his improved results cannot hide the fact that he is not going to make the quarters in the 2011 US Open.

Roddick has not been able to find a groove or consistency this season. He has shown flashes of dominance this year, but his lack of training will not allow him to sustain it.

The lack of training is not Roddick's fault. He has plodded through an injury-plagued season. Roddick is currently injury-free, but his body has yet to recover, and therein lies the big problem.

His injuries and worn-down body are certainly understandable. Over the past 10 years, only Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt have played more matches.

Roddick recently spoke about this and the problems his injuries have created, saying, "I'm sure playing a thousand matches probably has something to do with it. ... You know, I've always trained hard. I've gotten hurt a couple times in training this year, which is tough because if you come back, you're out of shape and you don't feel like you're where you need to be [but] if you push too hard in training, you get hurt."

He added, "It's a tough thing for me because I've made a career off of, you know, out-training a lot of guys and outworking a lot of guys."

There is little Roddick can do about this. If he trains too hard, he is susceptible to injury, but if he doesn't train hard enough, he can't perform at his highest level.

Roddick is too reliant on his serve right now. He has been off target with his ground strokes. At some point, this inconsistency begins to wear on Roddick, and he quickly unravels.

Roddick's next match is against 81st-ranked Julien Benneteau. This should be an easy win for Roddick, as the French Benneteau has advanced by picking up his first two Grand Slam wins in 2011 to get here.

That will likely be the end of the line for Roddick, though. At that point, he can shift his focus to getting ready for next season.