retirement

Kevin Anderson, In Vero Beach, Florida, Discusses Injuries, Loss of Fire, For Retirement

May 4, 2022 by Admin

by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Kevin Anderson, the former U.S. Open and Wimbledon finalist, announced his retirement from the ATP Tour on Tuesday, May 3 at age 35 and appeared at a special event and exhibition match that night at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida.

Anderson hit and spoke with local kids in Vero Beach, participated in a question and answer session with famed sports physical therapist and trainer Gary Kitchell, then paired with Hall of Famer Mats Wilander to play against Mikael Pernfors and former Mexican Davis Cupper Dani Garza.

Anderson told Kitchell, and a crowd of about 500 fans at The Boulevard, about his career and the reason for his retirement.

“We met in, I think we said 2016,” said Kitchell to Anderson. “You were in a pretty lull period or part of your career, contemplating retirement with a knee injury, little shoulder, little ankle. We talked about the pros and cons of surgery, and obviously the tale of the tape is in the fact that 2017, 2018, you have a major resurgence, become five in the world, you make these finals. Tell us what it was like to move from that period of quite a bit of self-doubt to where, how did you manage then to make such a resurgence and become a dominating force on the tour?”

Responded Anderson, “It was definitely very up and down work for me during those few years. I went back little bit then, I broke in the top 10 for the first time, I think I might have been the second oldest to do that, behind Jürgen Melzer by a month or so. I was really pretty well into my career and I made quarterfinals in a Grand Slam for the first time at US Open. Finishing that year, there’s a lot of positives, and you go into the off season really motivated. I remember at the beginning of 2016, I was just plagued by injuries from the very first actually exhibition event that I did, and pretty much throughout the year.

“It went from my knee to my shoulder, I remember, and it was just tough from being at my career high then to being at the lowest ranking I’d been in maybe four or five years. I’d say looking back at it, even though there might have been times where I feel like it was difficult, there was still that passion, that fire was burning in me to give it my best to try and come back. It wasn’t easy, I remember in 2017, some pretty tough results early on, I missed the Australian Open that year. I actually remember being on the courts with my coach and good friend Jay Bosworth, and I really had to make some pretty big changes in my mentality.

“I was always very critical, as I was saying earlier, I really worked hard, but I had to try and find the switch of just believing in my game a little bit more and finding ways to be more positive. I really embraced that challenge as much as I could, I became very vocal on the court, which I think was a pretty big change for a lot of people watching me playing, but it was something that I needed to do. It wasn’t because I was trying to get in my opponents’ face, it was just because I needed to get that way just to allow myself to play my best tennis. Then from about midway through 2017 to the end of 2018, it was a very special 18 months for me, a couple Grand Slam finals, my highest ranking.

“Then unfortunately, something very similar happened to me in 2019, just the same injuries. I think that’s part of the reason I decided to stop this last month. That fire just to get it done just wasn’t the same. It’s a sport with such small margins, it’s point here and point there wins or loses matches, and I just felt it was time to move on. I think it’s just I’ve had a great support system, my parents have always believed in me, my wife’s been amazing. I have a lot of belief in myself, that’s why it was difficult to retire, because I kept wanting to go and go and go, but that definitely got me through the ups and downs of my career.”

Kevin Anderson with Gary Kitchell at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida Tuesday, May 3 (Photo by Terri Randazzo)

The One Point That Defined Andy Roddick’s Career

September 6, 2012 by Admin

By Randy Walker

Can one point make a Hall of Fame career?

What path would the tennis career of Andy Roddick been like had he lost one particular point back at the 2003 US Open?

In looking back at the career of Roddick, ended by Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 6-7 (1), 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-4 Wednesday in the US Open fourth round, it is interesting to look back nine years ago today on Sept. 6, 2003, that one swing of the racket defined his career.

Roddick, then 21 years old, seeded No. 4 and playing in his first semifinal at a major tournament, faced a match point against him down two-sets-to-love and serving at 5-6 down in the third set tie-breaker to David Nalbandian, ironically the countryman and Davis Cup teammate of del Potro. Roddick rips a 138 mph service winner to wipe away Nalbandian’s one sniff at reaching the US Open final. Roddick then wins the third-set tie-breaker four points later and goes on to complete the two-sets-to-love comeback win 6-7 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1, 6-3.

Roddick goes on to beat No. 3 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets the following day to win what would become his only major singles final. But what if Roddick had missed that rocket first serve and, instead, spun in a second-serve and lost an extended baseline rally with Nalbandian to lose in straight-sets in the US Open semifinal?

For starters, he would not have reached the No. 1 ranking later in the fall and where he would end the season. He would be in the top 4, but his semifinal ranking points would not have vaulted him to No. 1. Roger Federer, the man who would go on to win 17 major singles titles and sit at the No. 1 ranking for nearly 300 weeks (and counting), would take firm hold of his dominance of men’s tennis early the next year when he won the 2004 Australian Open, his second major singles title.

Would Roddick had gained the confidence to vault him to a new level of play without winning that title at the 2003 US Open? Would he have been more motivated by a disappointing semifinal loss that he would have worked harder to achieve the heights that he did? Perhaps he would have drifted into a career like that of players like Nikolay Davydenko, David Ferrer – or Nalbandian himself – perpetually reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals at majors, and winning a nice collection of singles titles, but not winning majors or reaching the No. 1 ranking.

That one swing of the racket. That one serve. That one point. Without it, he doesn’t win the US Open and does not achieve the No. 1 ranking, two of his three best career accomplishments – to go with his 2007 Davis Cup victory – that highlight his resume for future consideration into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Without that serve, millions of dollars of endorsements do not follow immediately suit. He does not famously host the TV show “Saturday Night Live.” Perhaps he doesn’t meet and marry his now wife, actress and model Brooklyn Decker.

People always ponder what their lives would be like if one thing happened and not another. A movie called “Sliding Doors” starring Gwyneth Paltrow is based on this premise where the Paltrow character’s love life and career both hinge, unknown to her, on whether or not she catches a train and both scenarios are played out in the movie.

Speculation like this is a bit silly and a waste of energy, but one can’t help but ponder. Roddick did execute the shot that he needed to and won the match and won the US Open and became world No. 1 and had a Hall of Fame worthy career. It is similar to speculating what would have happened had Roddick connected on a high-backhand volley up 6-5 in the second-set tie-breaker against Federer in their epic 2009 Wimbledon final. Roddick would have been up two-sets-to-love on Federer and many have said that he would have gone on to beat Federer to win the title, but one will never know those circumstances or how both athletes would have reacted to the situation.

What we do know is that Andy Roddick is no longer an active professional tennis player. His name is etched on the US Open men’s singles trophy as the 2003 champion. His name is in the record books as the year-end world No. 1 in 2003 and his name is on the Davis Cup as a member of the championship U.S. team in 2007. It is safe to say, we will see his plaque one day in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Andy Roddick Retirement Not A Big Surprise

August 30, 2012 by Admin

By Randy Walker

“Thank you all for coming. I’ll make this short and sweet. I’ve decided that this is going to be my last tournament.”

This is how Andy Roddick opened an impromptu press conference Thursday – held on his 30^th birthday – announcing his retirement from professional tennis at the conclusion of the 2012 US Open.

For those who saw Andy Roddick walk off Centre Court at Wimbledon following his third-round loss to David Ferrer in July, this should not come as a big surprise. The way that Roddick waved goodbye to the Wimbledon crowd that day, it was pretty clear that he was saying a final farewell. Roddick knew in his head that it was time to walk away from the game, but his heart was telling him that it was not yet time to let go.

After his wave good bye at Wimbledon, which Roddick brushed off in a post-match press conference, I was half expecting an announcement to be made before the US Open. However, I also thought that perhaps he would finish out the year and then just issue a press release announcing he would not play pro tennis in 2013 and that is how he would go out — in an understated, humble way which seemed to fit his character. Roddick, however, said that he wanted to go public with his decision to have an opportunity to say good-bye at his home Grand Slam tournament and the site of his highest achievement in tennis, winning his lone major title in Flushing in 2003. Friday night’s second-round match with Australian upstart Bernard Tomic may turn into yet another Arthur Ashe Stadium career swan song, just like Kim Clijsters had Wednesday in her career-ending loss to British upstart Laura Robson.

“Just with the way my body feels with the way that I’m able to feel like I’m able to compete now, I don’t know that it’s good enough,” said Roddick Thursday. “I don’t know that I have ever been someone who is interest in existing on tour. I have a lot of interests and lot of other things that excite me. I’m looking forward to those.”

Successful people like Roddick always have clear goals in what they want to accomplish in life or in a career. Roddick achieved some lofty goals for a tennis career, winning a major singles title at the 2003 US Open, earning the No. 1 world ranking and winning the Davis Cup for the United States like he and his teammates did in 2007. While he was not able to crack through and win Wimbledon, despite three final-round appearances, sometimes in life all lofty goals are not accomplished and Roddick looked at the tennis landscape ahead with nothing left to accomplish that he realistically could achieve.

“I’ve always, for whatever my faults have been, felt like I‘ve never done anything half way,” said Roddick. “Probably the first time in my career, I can sit here and say I’m not sure that I can put everything into it physically and emotionally. I don’t know that I want to disrespect the game by coasting home. I had plans to play a smaller schedule next year, but the more I thought about it, I think you either got to be all in or not.”

Roddick brought a lot of flair and excitement to American tennis over the last decade. While currently ranked No. 22, one could argue he is the probably the fifth most dynamic personality in the men’s game at this time. Whenever he was eliminated from a tournament, the excitement level of the tournament certainly dropped. The sport will now be without one of its most electrifying figures.

CLIJSTERS, DAVYDENKO OUT OF FRENCH OPEN

May 14, 2010 by WTM

Kim Clijsters, the former world No. 1 and reigning US Open champion, has pulled out of the French Open starting on May 23 because she has not fully recovered from an injury to her left foot.

Clijsters, who returned to competitive tennis in 2009 after a two-year retirement and currently the No. 10-ranked WTA Tour player, reached the final in Paris twice, in 2001 and 2003, losing to Jennifer Capriati and Justine Henin.

The 26-year-old from Belgium, who has not played the French Open since reaching the semifinals in 2006, will be replaced in the main draw by Canada’s Stephanie Dubois.

Russian men’s world No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko is struggling with a sore left wrist and has also pulled out, organizers said in a statement.

Davydenko, a French semifinalist in 2005 and 2007 and a quarterfinalist last year, joins US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and Tommy Haas as withdrawals.

THE WILD WORLD OF WILD CARDS

March 11, 2010 by WTM

By Charles Bricker

It was all done by the ATP rule book, which states clearly that wild cards — for both the main draw and qualifying — are at the complete discretion of the tournament.

But that didn’t make it any less confounding after executives of this week’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., chose to dole out three of their five qualifying tournament cards to aging, unknown players and a fourth to 35-year-old Vince Spadea, who has played only one match this year, who has lost six straight dating back to 2009 and who is probably near retirement after winning only two of his last 16 matches.

As is sometimes the case on the ATP and WTA tours, wild cards go not to promising juniors or older former champions, but as favors to players who are known to tournament officials.

None of the five who received qualifying wild cards at Indian Wells, predictably, made it through the required two rounds into the main draw, though 18-year-old Serbian Filip Krajinovic, the only one of the five for whom a strong wild card argument could be made, did win a round before going out to American Tim Smyczek on Wednesday.

You might feel that wild cards should be disbursed purely on the basis of performance — past performance in the case of older former stars. But the people who control the cards aren’t required to make their case to anyone. It’s at their discretion, which is why No. 772-ranked Roman Borvanov received a card into the qualifying.

Borvanov’s ranking wouldn’t be an issue if he was a 17-year-old junior who had just turned pro and who looked as if he had a strong future in tennis. But Borvanov, who played for the University of Portland, will be 28 years old on March 31. He’s so obscure that the official ATP website has virtually no personal information on him, including whether he plays righthanded or left.

“He’s got a real following around here,” tournament director Steve Simon explained. That local connection was Borvanov’s ticket to a free ride into the quallies, ahead of several promising U.S. teenagers who could have used the card.

Borvanov lost to Lu Yen-Hsun 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round, winning only six of Lu’s 43 service points. But Borvanov, born in Moldava and now a U.S. citizen, wasn’t the only anonymous tennis pro to get a wild card into Indian Wells qualifying. Here are the others:

* Brian Battistone, 30, of Las Vegas. He was No. 853 last November, but has since lost all his points, which means he no longer has a singles ranking. He is, however, No. 245 in doubles. Despite his years as a pro, he’s never played a regular, main draw ATP singles match. Lost to American Jesse Witten 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round.

* Jose de Armas of Venezuela, 28, and No. 416. He was once as high as No. 236. This season he’s reached the semis and quarters of two Futures events, which are the third and final level of tournament quality on the men’s tour. He’s never played an Indian Wells main draw. Lost to Bjorn Phau 6-2, 7-6 (4) in the opening round.

* Spadea of Boca Raton, Fla., 35, and ranked No. 410. He has played only one match this year, losing at Delray Beach, Fl., where he got a wild card into the main draw because of the tournament’s proximity to his home. Spadea was an Indian Wells semifinalist in 2003, but, overall, has only a 9-12 record at the tournament. Lost to Thiago Alves 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-0 in the first round.

* Krajinovic of Serbia, 18, and ranked No. 351. He reached No. 6 as a junior and has had a couple of wins this season over players ranked in the 100s. He’s a significant prospect who justifies a wild card based on his ability. Defeated former French Open winner Gaston Gaudio 6-7 (2), 7-5, 7-5 in the opening round, then lost to Smyczek 6-1, 6-0.

The Indian Wells 1000 is followed in two weeks by the Sony Ericsson Open 1000 on Key Biscayne, Fl., where they appear to have a different philosophy about giving out wild cards.

In 2009, Key Biscayne executives similarly had five wild cards to give in qualifying. They went to former Grand Slam winners Gaudio and Thomas Johansson, both of whom had seen their rankings plummet because of injuries; to young U.S. prospects Alex Domijan of Tampa and Michael McClune of Irvine, Calif.; and to another American, Taylor Dent, a former No. 21 player who had fought back from two back surgeries and two and a half years of inactivity to get back into pro tennis.

The Sony Ericsson Open adheres to the same philosophy as most tournaments, which give wild cards to (a) strong junior prospects of any nationality and (b) former champions with high name recognition.

But when a tournament has complete discretion, a wild card can be given for any reason.

In 1999, Jan-Michael Gambill had the greatest tournament of his career, beating No. 1 Pete Sampras, then Andre Agassi in the semis and Lleyton Hewitt in the final to win Scottsdale, Ariz. A year later, beset by injury, his declining ranking of 86 was too low to get directly into the tournament, so he asked for a wild card. The defending champion was denied and the three main draw cards given to clients of IMG, which owned the tournament. Gambill was represented by a different firm.

It’s like the rule book says. Complete discretion.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com