My MVP for the Week: Andy Roddick (USA) with $264,000, defeating Milos Raonic (Canada) in three sets to win the title at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships
Photo via andyroddick.us
To be perfectly honest, I've never been an Andy Roddick fan. I know people say that he really is a nice guy and that his foundation work is sincere. But to me, he's always been the loud, arrogant American on the court and I've rarely been able to bring myself to root for him.
Nonetheless, the man has just won his 30th career title and that is certainly worthy of a tip of the hat. Also, he is attached to one very important moment in our family history. We watched him win his only Slam title at the 2003 US Open from the maternity ward just two days after our daughter was born.
Of course Raonic, his vanquished foe in the final, is the big curiosity on the men's tour these days. He has backed up his breakthrough in Melbourne with two final runs over the past two weeks. He won the title in San Jose last week without dropping a set for the whole tournament. Everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon, anointing him the Canadian Sampras. I'm not ready for that - at least not yet. The serve is impressive, to be sure, but I have yet to be convinced that he has either the consistency or the variety to pose a threat to the top players.
I think he could stand to learn a few things from Roddick, actually. The difference in today's match was really just a few really big points. Simply put, Roddick handled those moments better. Experience helped, no doubt. Raonic won't always be the new kid.
I shall close with a video of Roddick's last shot! That was a beauty, not the sort of acrobatics one would normally expect from Andy. Thank you, YouTube!
No comments:
Post a Comment