Roddick why retire

I don't know that I've ever been someone who's interested in "existing" on tour. I have a lot of interests and a lot of other things that excite me. I'm looking forward to those. Roddick has given the U. He's given us someone who's popped up in more than his fair share of Us Weekly and People articles. He's given us someone who is alternately infuriating But most importantly, Roddick has given us someone to root for. And in a sport that is so rarely dominated by Americans, that means a lot.

Maybe Roddick still has a little bit of magic—and one last win—left in his system. Maybe he can pull it out in the perfect place, where he once established himself as tennis' next big thing.

Enjoy our content? Join our newsletter to get the latest in sports news delivered straight to your inbox! Your sports. Join Newsletter. That position was short-lived. Not long after, Roger Federer dethroned Roddick in Roddick never quite had the same luck or incredible performance he did during those first few years.

But he remained a fierce competitor until his sudden retirement in But greatness eluded him by a narrow margin. Roddick was known for a blazing fast serve that once clocked at miles per hour.

His aggressive serve was a big advantage early in his career, but as time went on, other players figured Roddick out, learning to deal with his speed and power more efficiently. Taking away a primary weapon, coupled with the well-known fact that Roddick had a weak backhand, put a serious dent in his armor, one that other players began actively exploiting. Players like Federer and Rafael Nadal. Federer may go down as the greatest to ever play the sport of tennis.

Open again in , but he lost once again to Federer. Unluckily for Roddick, he played during the Federer era. And, the Swiss was just a bit better at everything on the tennis court. Federer was the one who supplanted Roddick as the world No. Once Federer figured out how to win, he won everything. While Roddick remained close, he could never surpass the world No. But Roddick never quit trying—he was always in there battling. He came closest when the two battled for the Wimbledon championship in It was a five-set marathon, with Roddick never losing his serve until the fifth set—his final game in the match.

Roddick lost , , , , Their match set a record for the most games played in a Grand Slam final at Beyond Federer, starting in , there was Rafael Nadal to contend with, who quickly assumed the No. Then came younger players like Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray —and it became even harder to break through and make finals. By the end of , Roddick dropped out of the top five in the world, but he returned there after his great Wimbledon match in In July of , however, Roddick had dropped permanently out of the top ten, falling as low as No.

Once Roddick realized there was no way to get back to the top and become a major force in tennis, he decided to call it a day. Enjoy our content? Join our newsletter to get the latest in sports news delivered straight to your inbox! Your sports.