Atlanta Wrap-up, LA Ramp-up, and Early Thoughts on the US Open

Mardy Fish completed his first career run of back-to-back ATP Tour-level titles Sunday in Atlanta, upsetting top seed Andy Roddick in the semifinals to set up a dramatic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 title-clinching victory over towering marathon man John Isner. Fish has revitalized his game in recent months, slimming down substantially and performing with renewed belief and self-confidence. Meanwhile, American number one Roddick remains entrenched in the patch of subpar form which has persisted since his return from a two-month post-Miami hiatus; in particular, Roddick's return game has been in the gutter these last couple months, something nowhere better illustrated than in this last defeat, wherein Fish posted a paltry 40% of first serves in, yet Roddick was unable to capitalize with even a single service break. Isner was none too convincing either, narrowly escaping a potential early exit to Gilles Muller and then struggling mightily to edge out Kevin Anderson in the semifinals.

Nevertheless, I remain doubtful of Fish's status as a serious contender at the fourth major of 2010, as it must be pointed out that, spectacular as he may have appeared on a given streak, Fish has never truly delivered in the Grand Slam events, reaching only two quarterfinals in his decade-long professional career, both of which saw him beaten convincingly. As of the present time, I would still rate both Roddick (who, in spite of his lackluster showings of late, is still likely in my estimation to pick up steam as the US Open series progresses, and can generally be relied upon to deliver at the Open) and Isner (admittedly even less accomplished at Slams than Fish is, but through only three years of play) as better prospects to make waves in New York.

In the meantime, the US Open Series has moved to L.A. for the oddly-titled "Farmers Classic," where the fiery Scot Andy Murray enters as top seed, followed by the likes of lanky young American Sam Querrey, likeable Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, and the talented, unpredictable Latvian upstart Ernests Gulbis. Murray is a former US Open runner-up, and would place within my top five contenders for this year's event. That said, however, Murray has been utterly abysmal in non-Grand Slam tournaments this season; he has reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semis, yet failed to win so much as one small tournament all year.

Murray is in line for a potential third-round meeting with the very dangerous Gulbis, in which I would have reservations about forecasting victory. If he should avoid or get past the Latvian, however, it looks like relatively clear sailing to the final, which could represent an intriguing showdown with Querrey.

More to come soon, as I engage in more in-depth US Open speculation, and, introducing you to another of my major sporting interests, chronicle my personal experiences with boxing greats Joe Frazier and George Foreman.

Summer Hardcourt Season Set to Warm Up

Moderately hokey headlines aside, the ATP's North American summer hardcourt swing is underway in Atlanta, which is hosting a professional tennis tournament for the first time in nine years. The Atlanta event represents the first entry into this year's US Open Series, which tallies points compiled by each player through the North American hardcourt events leading up to and including the US Open, and offers a handsome cash bonus for whichever participant achieves the highest total.

Seeded first in Atlanta is American number one Andy Roddick, who accepted a wildcard entry days before its commencement. Roddick won the last ATP event held in Atlanta to claim the first tour-level title of his professional career, also as a wildcard entrant, way back in 2001. Second is John Isner, of "Isner-Mahut epic" fame, followed by Lleyton Hewitt, who entered the tournament with an injury and flamed out in his opener against Lukas Lacko of Slovakia. Roddick and Isner have both advanced to the quarterfinals, though each was tested more severely in his opening round match than one might have expected- Isner saving two match points to eke out a 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 win over dangerous journeyman Gilles Muller, and Roddick throwing in an uncharacteristically poor second-set tiebreak before reasserting himself in the third to defeat compatriot Rajeev Ram 6-1, 6-7, 6-3.

Though I would stop short of calling it a sure thing, at this stage it appears hard to bet against a Roddick-Isner final, given Roddick's dominant head-to-head records against the other seeds in his half (8-0 against Xavier Malisse, 9-1 against Mardy Fish, 4-1 against Taylor Dent) and the departure of Hewitt, who would have seemed the biggest threat on Isner's side of the draw. I daresay such a final would be something to look forward to, as Roddick and Isner have consistently produced close, hard-fought action through their four previous meetings, and the atmosphere, which would already be electric for a meeting between the top two Americans on home soil, should be even more intense in the aftermath of Isner's rise to public prominence. Roddick leads their series 3-1, but Isner won the most recent encounter at last year's US Open.

A Quick Prognosis Regarding the Final

In spite of the tremendous form shown by Mr. Berdych- who, for the record, bears an uncanny resemblance to an X-Files mutant by the name of Eugene Tooms- in dispatching Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic back-to-back to achieve his place in this final, I feel compelled to favor the experience and head-to-head dominance of world #1 Rafael Nadal on this occasion. Another near-flawless showing from Berdych could see his flat hitting and superior firepower keep Nadal on the defensive and carry him to a historic victory, but the combination of Berdych's established tendency towards choking on the biggest occasions and Nadal's proven tenacity and nerve lead me to see this as unlikely. I will cast my official prediction in favor of a Nadal victory in four sets.

Roddick's Never-Ending Train of Heartache

Andy Roddick takes to the lawns of Wimbledon to participate in a heated tennis epic. He wins the first set with a timely break in its last game, drops the second and third in tiebreaks, then rallies to take the fourth. He appears to hold the upper hand through much of the fifth, the misfortune of serving second notwithstanding. Break points to serve for the match come and go, however, and as the set proceeds deep into extra innings, cracks begin to appear in the once seemingly-impregnable armor of Roddick's service game. At last, one shaky service game sees Roddick broken for the first and only time in the match, and in the process, dismissed in heart-wrenching fashion from the tournament which now stands as the holy grail of his long and compelling career.
A fortnight ago, the preceding text would have appeared quite a specific summary of Roddick's last appearance at Wimbledon 2009. In the aftermath of his 2010 campaign, however, it remains intact to its last word; lightning has struck the same place twice. On a much smaller stage and against a much lesser foe, America's finest practitioner of the tennis game met with the same tragic fate for a second consecutive year.
Like many fans, I have grown increasingly fond of Andy Roddick over the years as his surpassing dedication, persistence, and reverence for the game have shown through. For all his faults, I count him a credit to the game and a sentimental favorite. It is a truly devastating thing, then, the relentless train of heartache that his Grand Slam career has come to represent. I see a man of character and conviction, a fighter possessed of seemingly endless resilience, and yet one who always falls just short of his goal, always clutching at the prize and never quite able to grasp it.
It would seem that Roddick is but a hair too thoughtful, that in the decisive moments, he fails to truly go forth and seize the day, preferring instead to wait for victory to fall in his lap, and that he thus all too often sees it snatched from his hands by an emboldened foe. Is he truly doomed to this lot in his career, or will he at last break free and achieve at least the one final moment of uncompromised glory that could at once atone for all the suffering of the last seven years? Time will tell; until it does, I will continue suffering along with America's beleaguered champion.