Filed under: Tennis
No matter what you think about Andy Roddick, the one thing everyone can agree on is his amazingability to deliver a soundbite.
After his complete dominance of Fernando Gonzalez yesterday to reach the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, Roddick was asked about his next opponent, Novak Djokovic. The third ranked player in the world, Djokovic, is suffering from an ankle and hip problem and has sighed and winched his way through the first four rounds of this championship. Roddick, in a way only Andy can do it, cut the reporter off as the question was being pitched to him.
Roddick: Isn't it both of them? And a back and a hip?
Reporter: And when he said there are too many to count ...
Roddick: And a cramp.
Reporter: Do you get a sense right now that he is ...
Roddick: Bird flu.
Reporter: A lot of things. Beijing hangover. He's got a pretty long list of illness.
Roddick: Anthrax. SARS. Common cough and cold.
This is the kind of trash talking we need more in sports. A tennis player known for his antics is doing the same song and dance and someone finally calls him on. I have actually tried to play tennis before with the Bird Flu and serving the ball is somewhat managable but boy does it get to you around the net.
Roddick followed that up with what he really thought of the injuries.
Sports
"If it's there, it's there," Roddick said. "There's just a lot. You know, he's either quick to call the trainer or he's the most courageous guy of all time. I think it's up for you guys to decide."
The two are set to play tomorrow night on Arthur Ashe Stadium and after this little jab at the Serbian, it should be a fairly testy exchange. Roddick has looked as good so far in this U.S. Open as he has in a long time, dropping only one set in four matches. If the 8th ranked player in the world wins here, he will most likely face his nemesis, Roger Federer, in the semi finals. No matter the outcome of this match, one thing we can bet on is that the press conference will be a must-watch.
