[情報] Ljubicic criticizes Roddick after loss
※ [本文轉錄自 Tennis 看板]
作者: zerkchu (lin) 看板: Tennis
標題: [情報] Ljubicic criticizes Roddick after loss
時間: Sat Aug 30 16:42:45 2003
Saturday, August 30
Ljubicic criticizes Roddick after loss
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Andy Roddick has been working on toning down his on-court exuberance, trying not to get too riled up during matches.
Andy Roddick dismissed Ivan Ljubicic's comments as sour grapes.
According to Ivan Ljubicic, the man he beat 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (8) in the second round of the U.S. Open on Friday night, Roddick is still too loud and too demonstrative on court.
"Anywhere in the world, except in the United States, if we played this match, I would have won it,'' Ljubicic said. "I mean, generally, I don't like him. I mean, not me -- nobody in the locker room likes his acting on the court. I mean, he's a good player. He's going to win a lot of matches, but not because he's like that. It's just that we don't like it. Because nobody acts like that. He's the only one.''
Ljubicic said other players wished him luck and urged him to beat Roddick.
Told of the comments, Roddick said: "I think that's pretty much sour grapes. ... That doesn't really deserve a response. I don't think that's very respectful.''
The 43rd-ranked Croatian was particularly flustered by what he thought was a blown call on the last of four set points he wasted in the final tiebreaker. Roddick hit a runaround forehand that landed right at the line. Ljubicic thought it should have been called out, put his hands on his head and dropped to his knees in exasperation.
"That was the crucial point, obviously. I am expecting some bad calls. But, you know, it hurts when it happens in the crucial moment like that,'' Ljubicic said, adding that he thought a linesman's ruling could be affected by hearing Roddick yell, "Yes!'' after hitting a shot.
Roddick was known to flash a temper during his distinguished junior career. Then, in the 2001 U.S. Open quarterfinals against Lleyton Hewitt, Roddick lost his cool after the chair umpire overruled a linesman in the fifth set. He let loose with a racket-slamming, body-twisting tantrum and lost.
Roddick also has high-fived fans after a terrific point at last year's Open, and did his best to fire up Friday night's partisan crowd, motioning to them to cheer louder. After one late unforced error Friday, Roddick smashed his racket to the ground so hard it bounced up and nearly hit the chair umpire.
But he does less and less of those types of things now that he's paired up with coach Brad Gilbert. At Wimbledon, where Roddick reached the semifinals last month, Gilbert said: "That was then. He's a new kid now. We're starting to see a more mature Andy. Every time he's imploded, he's lost.''
Roddick is at the forefront of a strong contingent of young American men hoping to follow in the footsteps of Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, et al. Roddick is joined by James Blake and fellow up-and-comers Taylor Dent and Robby Ginepri in the round of 32.
"Before, it might have been a little bit of hype,'' said Blake, ranked 35th. "Now I feel we're showing people. We're doing our best. We really care about Davis Cup. We're starting to make some waves at big tournaments. We're starting to make things happen.''
Roddick has made the farthest strides, rising to No. 4 in the rankings and making the semifinals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon (the only man to reach the round of four at majors twice in 2003). He's 22-1 during the summer hard-court season.
That 22nd win was anything but easy, though. Roddick played many points 10 feet behind the baseline in an effort to deal with the 6-foot-4 Ljubicic's power. Each had 22 aces in a tug-of-war that ended shortly after midnight -- meaning Roddick began the match 20 years old and ended it 21 because Saturday is his birthday.
"I think I deserve a beer after that one,'' he told the crowd, which serenaded him with "Happy Birthday'' after.
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◆ From: 203.219.101.22
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