[情報] Two Friends face off at Siebel final
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Two friends face off at Siebel final
By ANN KILLION
San Jose Mercury News
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Judging by what happened on the court Sunday afternoon at
the Siebel Open, Boca Raton, Fla., circa 1999 must have been a very dangerous
place to live.
Sunday, the tennis ball was the victim, pummeled back and forth between Andy
Roddick and Mardy Fish. They took out all their competitive fire on the fuzzy
little orb.
But five years ago, the two took out their teenage energy on anything they
could find - tennis balls, pingpong balls, the basketball court, the Boca
streets. When Fish lived in the Roddick family's house, sleeping in Andy's
older brother's room down the hall, about the only things spared were Mrs.
Roddick's dishes.
"We usually took it outside," Roddick said.
Sunday, they took it inside, in the Siebel final at HP Pavilion. It was not
the marquee matchup the tournament chairman, Barry MacKay, had drawn up on
paper, because Fish had upset Andre Agassi on Saturday night. But no worries.
"This might have been better," MacKay said.
Roddick prevailed 7-6 (15-13), 6-4 in one of the best finals this longstanding
tournament has seen. Not only was it a showcase of two young talents (Roddick,
21, is expected to be ranked No. 2 in the world today, while Fish, 22, should
climb to No. 18) highlighted by a tense and riveting tiebreaker, but it also
revealed a fun, entertaining rivalry that is great news for American tennis.
Roddick and Fish could barely keep a straight face when looking at each other
across the net. Roddick knows Fish's habit when he gets new balls, though he
would not reveal it publicly. He said that at some points in the match, he was
outthinking himself because he knew that Fish knew that he knew what he was
doing and, oh, it got too confusing. When you live with someone, you get to
know him pretty well.
"We were like brothers," Roddick said. "We would fight and walk out of the
house holding hands three minutes later."
As junior players in Florida, they trained with the same tennis coach and also
played basketball for Boca Prep. Well, at least one of them was playing. "Andy
actually sat on the bench of our high school basketball team," Fish said,
needling Roddick just minutes after hoops bench-warmer Roddick had beaten him
at tennis.
Fish - who came back and paired with James Blake to win the doubles championshi
p - said that not only did Roddick have a brick for a jump shot, he also had
"brick layups." That's why it was an inside joke when Roddick leaped to smash
an overhead early in the second set and shouted to Fish, "Don't be jealous of
my hops!"
Fish, who Roddick concedes had a sweet jumper, is not. But Roddick claims he
actually won some one-on-one hoops games played on the Roddicks' tennis court.
"I was very physical," Roddick said. "I would kind of go Chris Farley in the
paint."
They both were physical Sunday, combining for 33 aces (Fish edged tennis' best
server 17-16) and regularly rocketing the ball across the net at more than 120
mph. Each player held serve until the ninth game of the second set, when
Roddick, who failed to hold serve just once all week, finally broke Fish.
"Their points came off winners, not from mistakes," MacKay said.
There were, however, a couple of times Fish wished he was back in Roddick's
back yard. "We didn't have umpires," Fish remembered. "So that backhand he hit
on set point? That was out."
Roddick retorted: "He can't call his own lines out here today."
Roddick and Fish are examples of how quickly athletic dominance can assert
itself. Back in Boca, they did not have any expectations that they would be
challenging each other in the upper echelon of men's tennis. At the time, Fish
was the superior player and Roddick was struggling.
"I think we were just hoping to become good college players," Roddick said. "I
think we've definitely surprised ourselves."
Back then they were mostly worried about beating each other to school. The
morning drive was just one more way to compete. Roddick was convinced his route
was quicker than Fish's, but Fish had a nice Mustang, while Roddick blamed his
losses on his old Blazer.
"I got behind some Boca drivers, too," Roddick added. "They came down from New
York just to slow me down."
Right now, Roddick is the one cruising in tennis' fast lane. He won the U.S.
Open last year and became the world No. 1 in November, a feat that led Fish
to interrupt a Roddick news conference in Houston by dumping champagne on his
head. Roddick has become a superstar, appearing on magazine covers and dating
pop star Mandy Moore.
"That doesn't surprise me," Fish said. "He's a cool guy. I'd date him. ... He's
just down to earth. I don't think success has changed him."
Roddick has not changed, but his success has changed the face of men's tennis
in this country. Suddenly, instead of fretting over the departure of one
generation, tennis can embrace an exciting new era and a group of close-knit
and talented players who are pushing one another. Players such as Roddick and
Fish have given America a great chance to win the Davis Cup again. They all
know one another well enough to joke and laugh together, while still playing
all-out, rocketing, riveting tennis.
"I'm thrilled the guys are coming up," Roddick said. "I just want to beat them
when I play them."
In his back yard or in a Grand Slam.
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