Hewitt and Roddick

看板Hewitt作者noanoa (放長假......)時間22年前 (2003/02/10 17:26)推噓2(2推 0噓 0→)

留言2則, 2人參與討論串1/1

Hewitt and Roddick - a Match Made in Heaven By fleet st Saturday, January 25, 2003 The Bladder It’s lonely at the top and never more so than in the sport of tennis. Unlike team sports where players are able to feel a strong sense of camaraderie, today ’s singles focussed players often find the only time they get to see their fellow players is when they stand on the other side of the net. With all the pressure to win, players find little joy unless they are the ones holding up the silverware. Irrespective of the outcome however, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick will remember this Australian Open as a very special one. While much has been made of the Hewitt/Clijsters partnership, Hewitt and Roddick have been growing as close friends off the court away from the glare of media lights. ‘Andy’s a great bloke. Me and him have a lot in common,’says Hewitt sheepishly as we sit in a Lygon St Cafe, ‘the reason we get along is that we have so much in common. We’re both young, we like tennis, we’re both right-handed, we both have double-handed backhands and we like to abuse umpires. ’(XD...)The pair share a smile as Roddick is quick to concur, ‘you got that right pal.’ Their burgeoning friendship began in the most unlikeliest of places – the staid formality of Wimbledon. Meeting in the quarter finals, they were 30-30 at a crucial juncture in the game when the ball landed precariously close to the lines. Roddick exploded, berating the poor linesman who had the temerity to call the ball out. When the chair umpire overruled, Hewitt in turn shouted a few choice words of his own. The discussion soon became three-way as Roddick hotly disputed Hewitt’s perception of the lines. While on the surface things appeared heated behind the scenes a mutual respect was growing between the two . They laugh as they recall that day. ‘No, it was all in good fun. The linesmen weren’t happy, the chair ump wasn’t happy, the crowd nor the commentators were happy, but we were,(XD...)’ reminisces Roddick. ‘It was in that moment that I knew I’d perhaps found a sympathetic friend on the tour, someone with a common interest. No one on the tour likes a bad call but we are among the few who are prepared to speak out against it.’ The next time they met in the 3rd round of the US there was a definite connection but it wasn’t until this year at Melbourne Park that the friendship really took off. ‘After seeing Roddick’s performance in this year’s quarters I was filled with admiration for the man. Things were tough but he stuck to his guns and gave the umps plenty. I doubt I’d be able to top him. Calling the ump ‘spineless’, that took class. As you Americans might say, Andy Roddick is “the man”’ says Hewitt. Clearly embarrassed by such high praise, Roddick is quick to retort as the interview soon develops into an almost farcical mutual admiration session. ‘No, you da man!’ Roddick says smilingly ‘the way he intimidates and linesmen and tells them how to do their jobs, you just can’t coach that sort of thing.’ In a short space of time, Roddick and Hewitt have become the best of friends. Their story is a refreshing one in this cutthroat, winner-take-all era. After Hewitt fulfils his Davis Cup obligations the pair plan to meet up and discuss ways of antagonising officials over a beer. When asked if anything will come between them, Roddick is emphatic in his response. Putting on his best (or some might say worst) Australian accent, Roddick bellows ‘No, we’ll be mates forever.’The pair are even considering forming a doubles team. Look out umpires !(XD) Long after this year’s runner-up has been forgotten, Hewitt and Roddick will be teaching us valuable lessons about the game and life itself – it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game and the friends you make along the way. 真是英雄惜英雄ㄚ...但小希怎麼可以捨棄和Kim搭擋去和Andy搭擋... 不過真是如此的話... 裁判真的要小心ㄌ.... -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.csie.ntu.edu.tw) ◆ From: 61.217.131.43