Andy Roddick has withdrawn from both of the upcoming clay Masters tournaments due to a hamstring injury. He is also joined on the Madrid sidelines by fellow America Mardy Fish. The free places in the Madrid draw have been filled by Dutchman Haase and Belgium Rochus.
His place at the 2nd Slam of 2012 could also in danger with Paris only 3 weeks away. Hopefully Roddick will be able to receive the necessary treatment and be ready for Roland Garros. Though given his past results on clay I don’t think he will push himself. His warm up for Wimbledon is Queen’s Club where he is a 4 time Champion and he won’t risk missing this tournament.
Andy Roddick has just confirmed that he will be playing the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club in June. Roddick has always performed very well at the event and im sure he will lift his game this year to show a great result.
“I feel like something good is coming,” Roddick said. “I love coming back to Queen’s Club. There’s so much history there and it’s one of my favourite tournaments on the tour. It’s hard to believe I’ve won a tournament as strong as this four times and I’d love to win it again.”
It seems like Serena always calls the shots. Andy Roddick has commented about the possibility of playing Olympic mixed doubles with Serena Williams: “You have to ask the boss lady”.
Andy Roddick cant not be in the news. Roddick defeated Denis Istomin at the Delray Beach ATP Tournament 6-4 7-5. Roddick did lose to Istomin two weeks ago in San Jose, so its great to see him bouncing back.
However, Roddick was acting up yet again as he tangled with a linesperson over a footfault call and weirdly pointed to his wife, Brooklyn Decker, after every winner he hit.
“I wondered why I’d never seen you at a professional match before,” Roddick was reported to have said to the linesperson by the Palm Beach Post. “Now I know why with that call.”
“There’s significant gap from where I am and where I need to be,” he said. “It would be abnormal if you weren’t frustrated, the question is how to figure your way through it… There’s a fine line [between deciding to rehab or play on] and something I don’t know if there’s a perfect answer to. I don’t know if I can tell you if one way or another is right or wrong.”
Andy Roddick has been playing great lately and thats not news to anyone. It seems from this photo taken on the weekend he has been growing in another direction.
Andy Roddick has fallen in the SAP Open. Roddick lost 6-2 6-4 to Denis Istomin who outclassed Roddick from the outset. Roddick has been struggling a lot with injuries recently (including a rolled ankle in this tournament), but his game tonight let him down.. not his fitness. Roddick slammed one racquet, broken another and has a shouting match with the chair umpire. Very dramatic, but overall a bit of a let down.
“It would be abnormal if you weren’t frustrated,” said Roddick, who still plans to play at next week’s ATP Tour stop in Memphis, Tenn. “The question is, ‘How do you figure your way through it?’”
Lleyton Hewitt has moved into the third round of the Australian Open 2012 at the expense of Andy Roddick. Roddick had to retire injured with Hewitt leading two sets to one at the time.
Hewitt was leading 3-6 6-3 6-4.
“In the last four years I’ve had five surgeries, and last year I played just two grand slams and two Davis Cup ties,” Hewitt said.
“I came in here with nothing to lose, I’ll play with my heart on my sleeve and see where it gets me.”
Hewitt will now play Canadian Milos Raonic in the third round.
Babolat has announced that their star player, Andy Roddick, will be wearing Propulse 3 shoes at the Australian Open 2012. The 2012 edition has great durability and has even more comfort that previous years.
Roddick’s signature shoe will be available starting January 1, 2012.
Here is a little clip from the 2010 ATP year end finals in London. I love it when they ask players funny and embarrassing questions.. makes them a little bit more human and you can relate.
It was yet another fustrating day in New York at the US Open 2011. Day 10 was rained out, but there was at least 10 minutes of play. In those 10 minutes the worlds top players started their fourth round matches, but they weren’t very happy with tournament referee Brian Earley.
Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick vented their frustrations at having to play on slipper courts!
“We don’t want to go on court if it is raining,” Nadal told ESPN.
“If I have to go on court, I go on court, but I think it’s not fair.”
Murray stated:
“It’s dangerous. The lines get really slippy. Players want to play more than anyone, but not when it’s dangerous,” he said.
A source has just confirmed to us that Andy Roddick kicked John McEnroe out of the ESPN suite at the US Open.
Roddick ordered John McEnroe to be removed from the ESPN suite before his interview scheduled there with Chris Fowler following his first-round victory Wednesday night.
Roddick was acting out because he wasnt happy with McEnroe’s criticism.
Roddick acting like a bit of a 12 year old because he wasnt happy with what someone said… this doesnt sound out of the ordinary. McEnroe speaks the truth if you like it or not.
Jack Sock received a wildcard into the US Open 2011 main draw by winning the 18s USA National Championships. Now, Jack Sock has also won his first round match at the US Open.
Sock defeated Marc Gicquel of France 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4.
Now Sock will take on Andy Roddick in the second round.
Sock reminds me a lot of an early Roddick (who I played against in juniors). It will be very interesting to see how the match goes and how Sock’s career progresses.
Andy Roddick gave a very interesting interview after his first round victory at the US Open. Roddick questioned tennis analysts in general and the interviewer really didnt seem to like it!
RODDICK: “I’m convinced being a tennis analyst is the easiest job in the world. Whatever the person does, if it works you just say ‘that’s what works.’ If it doesn’t work you say ‘he should have done the other thing.’ So you know I’m pretty convinced I could be a tennis analyst when I’m done. . .it just doesn’t take much thought. If I’m grinding and I’m winning you guys are like ‘he’s reinvented himself,’ and if I’m playing like crap and pushing then it’s ‘he’s horrible and needs to hit the ball.’ Everyone’s an expert but I’m better than most have been. . .” Pauses for some Chris Fowler chorteling and then: “Hey you guys can take it too.”
For most of us, coordination is something innate and we don’t believe it is possible to improve it. Let’s look at coordination and see what new concepts and what kind of training is available for it.
Hand-Eye Coordination
We have experienced an evolution in our concepts of coordination. I remember first reading about hand-eye coordination three decades ago. This was the idea that explored the relationship between what we saw and what action we were able to take as a result. So, this concept talked about seeing the ball and being able to take a swing and hitting the ball. It was a very good concept for helping us understand that there was a relationship between what we saw and what actions we could take because of it.
Rhythm and Timing
The latest ideas about coordination are based in the concepts of rhythm and timing. This concept gets us a little deeper into the relationships between our brain circuits and the rest of our body. This concept explores timing circuits in our brain and how they relate to our muscles, our sensory mechanisms, and our perceptions.
It looks at something called “motor sequencing and planning.” Basically, our coordination is about which muscles are fired off, in which sequence, to achieve some action. Coordination happens when those muscles are contracted and relaxed in the proper form at the proper time. I know that this all sounds very complex, and in reality it is incredibly complex. But, we don’t have to know exactly which brain cell or which nerve path, or which muscle gets involved with these actions. All we need to do is swing the racket and hit the ball where we want it to go.
What are Rhythm And Timing?
Timing is about the action happening at the appropriate moment to achieve the outcome. In a tennis serve, if the athlete hits the ball too early, the ball will go beyond the line and if the athlete hits the ball too late the ball will hit the net. Timing is about hitting the ball at the right time.
We often hear broadcasters telling us that an athlete has lost their timing. They (and we) see this when the player starts making double faults and unforced errors. The athlete is not hitting the ball at the precise time needed, so the ball is not going to the appropriate place.
Rhythm is about the flow of events. For the highest level of performance, an athlete needs to recognize and enter the flow of the play (often referred to as the rhythm-of-the-game) and then match it or manage it. Roger Federer is a master at entering into the rhythm of the other player’s game, and then changing the rhythm and ‘confusing’ the other player, which causes the other player to make an unforced error. Broadcasters often refer to Roger “stealing” the other player’s rhythm.
Athletes with the highest capability in rhythm are able to enter any rhythm, can change their rhythm whenever they want, and are not confused when the rhythm changes. The most common problems in rhythm is inability to recognize and match the rhythm of the other player and the inability to maintain themselves steady in their own rhythm.
Scott Hamilton talks about an ice skater entering a jump for 3 revolutions and “popping-out” after only one revolution. I really like that term to describe what I see when an athlete loses their rhythm in the middle of their play. As they lose their rhythm, they stop their own flow of play. Maintaining a steady rhythm and adapting to the existing rhythm are essential for the highest level of play.
What Affects Rhythm And Timing?
Poor rhythm and timing can be improved with proper training. This training involves tens of thousands of reps of very simple exercises maintaining a precise rhythm. It involves testing to track improvement in rhythm and timing.
Good rhythm and timing can be reduced by a variety of things. Injury, surgery, and some illnesses can disrupt the timing relationships between brain circuits and muscles and this requires training to re-establish the proper timing relationships.
Improper diet, environmental toxins, and emotional or physical trauma can temporarily degrade rhythm and timing. These can be avoided with proper precautions or overcome with some mental and physical techniques.
Rhythm And Timing On The Tennis Court
Want to see your favorite tennis player testing and activating their good rhythm and timing? Watch the player prepare to serve the ball. Notice the bouncing they do before the serve? They are verifying their continued good rhythm and timing. If they cannot maintain a good rhythm in that bouncing and catching exercise, they will perform poorly in the next point.
The same goes for receiving a serve. The swaying back and forth is a way of verifying and activating their own good rhythm and timing. Some (like Juan Martin del Potro) even do a little dance to test and re-connect with their good rhythm and timing, when waiting for a serve.
Rhythm and Timing, So What?
From my perspective, Novak Djokovic is doing so well this year because his rhythm and timing are so precise. And, Roger Federer, James Blake, and Andy Roddick are players who could move up dramatically in the standings by improving their rhythm and timing.
