Andy Roddick joined Kim Clijsters in the list of illustrious players who will be lost to the sport when this competition ends after he indicated his intention to retire as soon as his run here ends. That could be as soon as the early hours of Saturday morning UK time, when the 30-year-old is scheduled to take on Bernard Tomic, of Australia, in the third round in a night match on Arthur Ashe. Such a scenario will have echoes of Clijsters' last stand here on Wednesday, when she was chased into premature retirement by Britain's Laura Robson.
The big-serving Texan, one of the most popular players on the tour, won in excess of 600 tour matches and a tournament in each of the last 12 years but will forever be remembered for his 2003 US Open win – still the last male American to triumph in his home slam – and the three times he finished runner-up to Roger Federer at Wimbledon, most agonisingly by a 16-14 in the final set in the longest Wimbledon final in history three years ago. In recent times, however, the former world No.1 has dropped down the rankings, going into the tournament as only the 22nd best player in the world.
"I just feel like it is time," he said. "I don't know that I am healthy enough or committed enough to go another year. I've thought all year I would know when I got to this tournament. When I was playing first round, I knew. If you look at my contemporaries, Roger is the only one that is still going. You know I was pretty good for a long time."
