Roddick out with a kiss

Stewart Fisher

Sports Writer

Sunday 1 July 2012

ANDY Roddick will be back at the All England club in three weeks time for the Olympics.

David Ferrer overcame the blunt force of Andy Roddick Photograph: Getty

Custom byline text:

Stewart Fisher

But whether he is back in South West London for next year's championships is altogether more difficult to predict. The Texan blew a kiss to the Centre Court crowd after going down 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-3 to No 7 seed David Ferrer and refused to confirm or deny fevered speculation as to whether it was a signal that he might resist the temptation to put himself through all this in future.

The 29-year-old is a three-time runner-up in this event, which makes it all the more galling when you go through a patch of form like this. Yesterday's defeat means that only once in 2012 has he reached the quarter-finals on the tour. So impoverished has his form been of late that his grass court season, including a win at Eastbourne, and third round here, actually seems like a result."I don't have an answer for you," Roddick said. "Right now I'm thinking about the match. My last eight matches dating back to last week have all been very, very positive, especially compared to what I was putting out there earlier this year. I just got back to the point where I'm playing relevant tennis. I don't feel like I was fighting myself. I felt like I was fighting my opponent today. It sounds like a simple thing, but it's a different point."A mixture of sporting superstars and members of the Armed Forces populated the Royal Box for the occasion, which was appropriate because at times the match seemed like a combination of the two. While the big-serving Roddick fired fusillades down from one end, the finesse of Ferrer won the day.Conventional wisdom might suggest the 30-year-old from Alicante has a game which doesn't translate well to grass – indeed the world No 5 is seeded just seventh at Wimbledon – he deserves greater credit than that. Both men, after all, were celebrating grass court titles at the weekend. While Roddick won at Eastbourne, Ferrer was quietly taking the title at Den Bosch.His countryman Rafael Nadal may have crashed out of this tournament in stunning fashion this week, but it is easy to forget that Ferrer has also won four titles this year and actually has won more matches in this calendar year than any other player on the tour. While Ferrer has also reached the semi-finals of the other three majors – he emphatically ended Andy Murray's progress in the quarter finals at Roland Garros last month – it still seemed remarkable that this result equalled his best run at Wimbledon.He goes on to meet Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in the last 16 in what promises to be another heavyweight encounter. If you only witnessed the way this match ended – the Spaniard scampering around on the baseline, and swatting away running passing shots off either wing – such an outcome had an inevitability about it.Yet it was anything but when Roddick roared away to take the first set 6-2, showing little signs of the hesitancy which had been apparent at times in his first round encounter against Scotland's Jamie Baker. In front of sporting superstars of the past such as Bobby Charlton and Jack Nicklaus, Roddick was rolling back the years as he roared off to a double break and a 4-0 lead. The Texan was successful with 85% of his first serves, winning 88% of points on them, but he could not maintain those high standards. With his percentage dropping to 58% in the second, it was hardly surprising that the Ferrer return should start making inroads. Both men's serve was broken en route to a tie-break, which went for an eternity before Ferrer won it 10-8.The tide of the match had turned inexorably, Roddick unable to work another break point. By contrast, Ferrer was imperious. He declined to be drawn as to whether Roddick was still a threat to win Wimbledon. "He's a very good player, but I don't know what he's thinking about, whether he's going to retire or not," the Spaniard said.He was understandably more concerned with his own progress, both as a grass court player and in this tournament, with the so-called "Tower of Tandil" waiting in the next round. "I'm playing very well this season," said Ferrer, who has been as high as No 4. "I'm playing very well on grass courts. I have great confidence because I won one tournament last week and my performance is good for the second week. But to beat him [Del Potro] is going to be so difficult."

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Roddick out with a kiss

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED