Saturday, 30 June, 2007
Andy Roddick is a man who doesn’t like to lose, both on and off the court. The 24-year-old American admits to having an uncontrollable competitive streak. Be it tennis, cards or golf, the world No. 3 has to win and if he’s in danger of losing, you had best get out the way. “I’ve always just been annoyingly competitive,” he confessed after his third round victory over Fernando Verdasco last night. “I’ve been the guy that you can’t play golf with because he really gets that pissed off and upset and ruins everybody’s day. “Every time I play golf, I got to buy a new set of clubs. It’s not relaxing for me. I go mental. The ball’s not even moving and I can’t hit it right. I haven’t reached the point in my life where I have the patience level it takes to play golf. And I don’t have the pants.” This hunger for winning is perhaps a trait that runs through the Roddick camp. Last July A-Rod, as he is known, teamed up with his current coach and former Wimbledon Champion Jimmy Connors – a player who was also renowned for his insatiable appetite for victory at the height of his career in the 1970s and 1980s. And Roddick admits, off the court, the men turn most things into a competition. Card games, at the moment, are a particularly sore topic. “I don’t want to talk about us playing cards because it hasn’t been good for me this week.” But A-Rod adds that while his coach has his moments, Connors doesn’t get too upset about a card game, “especially when he’s winning”. In fact, Roddick points out “a lot of the time what you see with people on the court isn’t what you get off the court”. He adds that Connors is “more mellow than people know. People are disappointed most times when I tell them that. When we’re on the practice court, doing anything, you don’t hear him yell. If he tells me something, he kind of walks around the side of the court, says it, and walks back. I don’t know if he’s the same guy that everyone remembers”. In fact, Roddick maintains his mentor is the perfect gentleman. “Little example. If we’re going out to eat with my mother or sister-in-law, he’s the first guy to open a door, pull out a chair, very soft spoken. Yes, ma’am. He’s not the kind of fiery guy that was abusing umpires and doing that whole thing.” But back to Roddick the warrior. His Wimbledon dreams were twice dashed by world No. 1 Roger Federer in the 2004 and 2005 finals and this year he finds himself in the same half of the draw as the champion. And while Federer may seem unstoppable on grass, you can be sure that come the potential semi-final encounter, Roddick’s competitive desire will be burning and he will be throwing everything “including the kitchen sink” once again at his Swiss opponent. Written by Helen Gilbert
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