Andy Roddick, American Man
I like this writer :)
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Andy Roddick, American Man
By: Joel Drucker
siebelopen.com
The blessing and curse of tennis is that it is an individual sport.
There are no teammates who blow it, no coaches who don't give you enough
minutes. There is only the solitary freedom of one player versus another.
Tennis, in large part, is a mirror of America's love of individual merit and
personal destiny.
The downside is a relentless attention on one person. The possibilities for
egotism run amok are great. Add to this the sport's unmatched internationalism
- and the potential for cultural misunderstandings is greater than a United
Nations meeting. And few players ever face this glare with as much suspicion as
the great Americans.
As the world's number one-ranked player, Andy Roddick has just begun to face
the tidal wave of expectation. In the history of the Open era, the top player
has always faced an odd burden. He or she is expected not just to be a star,
but to carry the sport's marketplace. But in a sport as global as tennis, with
the white light shining so bright, the inevitable backlash occurs. What's
considered cheeky in America is regarded as brash in England. A focused
American might be perceived as narrow by Europeans.
Pragmatic power at the U.S. Open is thought artless at Wimbledon. On and on it
goes. Moreover, since the days of Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, and, more
recently, Lleyton Hewitt, there has often existed a movement to polarize
opinions about tennis players. Love them or hate them?
I'm hoping people in time see Andy Roddick for the kind, driven fellow he is.
Having watched him now for four years, to me he is a quintessential American
boy of his generation – who just happens to serve in excess of 130 miles per
hour. I'll always remember one of the first press conferences where I watched
Roddick. It was in 2001, and as he listened to a question, a cell phone went
off. Mid-thought, Roddick shot back, "Hey, that's your voice mail, dude." I
found his quip humorous, but several other reporters started to frown. What
kind of impetuous lad dared brass off like that? To me, Roddick personified a
generation raised with cell phones, Internet, channel surfing and trips to
Quizno's (where, wrote San Francisco journalist Doug Robson in a recent Tennis
Week story, Roddick prefers these sandwiches because "they're toasted," a
preference I found rather endearing – but others might think silly). Yes,
Roddick's from the kind of upper middle class, gated community environment
highly indigenous to America. But in no way has he ever come off as any kind of
brat - ala Connors or McEnroe.
Two years ago, on this very page, I described Roddick's game as not too pretty,
but also pointed out, where's the museum? This was long before he joined forces
with "Winning Ugly" author Brad Gilbert. The day after I wrote that story,
Roddick confronted me in the player's lounge. "So," he said, "Big and ugly?"
Now let me tell you that while we journalists pride ourselves on our thick
skins, it's human nature to value compliments over complaints. Then Roddick
turned to his coach, Tarik Benhabiles, and said, "Hey, how ‘bout that, my
tennis game, big and ugly!" I wondered if I was about to be screamed at – at
which point Roddick said to me, "I've been called worse" and gave me a high-
five. It was like nothing I'd ever seen from a professional athlete. And it
gave me a keen insight into Roddick. He knows tennis is a game. He wants to
succeed mightily, but he also knows it's worth bantering with the people who
populate the sport, and that it's worth enjoying the ride. Winning a Slam at 21
has helped ease some of the pressures he's faced as the next great American.
Invariably, and likely this year, there will come moments when Roddick is
unhappy. And likely there'll be reports of him declining an autograph request,
or turning down a media interview – which in turn will trigger the worry that
he's grown insular and arrogant. I doubt that will ever be the case with
Roddick. He's too eager to be liked, too eager to prove an American tennis
player can be friendly, open and victorious. Let's hope he succeeds.
--
"The canvas on the easel is empty.
He's got the paint in his hand and only time will tell."
-Brad Gilbert on how good Andy Roddick can become
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