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    Has Andy Roddick Finally Squandered Post-Wimbledon 2009 Goodwill?

    By Tina Molly Lang | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Wed, Aug 17, 2011
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
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    COMMENTARY | Andy Roddick's latest fiasco in Cincinnati has me wondering if the sometime U.S. Open champion has finally squandered his post-Wimbledon 2009 goodwill.

    The American let his temper get the better of him during his match against unseeded Philipp Kohlschreiber. Roddick fought with the umpire, received a warning for racket abuse, and incurred a penalty point for hitting the ball into the stands after double-faulting.

    Roddick went on to lose this first-round match. To add to his woes, this result knocks him out of the top 20.

    He defended his behavior by comparing tennis viewership to the WWE. As he expounds, "We wonder why we lose our ratings to the WWE, Monday Night Raw. John McEnroe, the guy is still getting endorsements because he was allowed to throw (expletive)," according to Bleacher Report.

    I'm not sure if we can attribute ratings to "throwing stuff." Tennis likely had wider viewership when American men were consistently winning at the majors. It's true that McEnroe was a brat, but he was a brat who actually won.

    During the finals of Wimbledon 2009, Roddick won the hearts of the tennis world when he came achingly close to capturing his second major, losing to Roger Federer in a nail-biting five-set final that went 16-14.

    Since then, the three-time Wimbledon finalist has failed to live up to his promise at the majors. There's no shame in losing to Federer, but for a player of his caliber to lose to guys like Teymuraz Gabashvilli (French Open 2010), Lu Yen-Hsun (Wimbledon 2010), and Janko Tipsarevic (US Open 2010) is mind-boggling.

    And his on-court behavior has fared no better. In 2010, he had temper flare-ups at both the Australian and U.S. Opens. Somewhere, Serena "Foot Fault" Williams is thanking him for taking some flack off of her.

    I've rooted for Roddick on and off over the years, but it's frustrating to cheer for someone who always seems to shoot himself in the foot. It's tempting to attribute Roddick's unfulfilled potential to the fact that he was competing in the Federer Era. Yet he has had many chances of his own. The world has been rooting for him since Wimbledon 2009, and he hasn't been able to capitalize.

    Hopefully he'll get his head and game together soon; this latest episode in Cincinnati is painfully embarrassing.

     

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