Although I follow Andy Roddick on Twitter, I don't think he posted his thoughts when, after an unexpected loss by Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer won the French Open title a week-plus ago. I'll bet at some point Roddick found himself thinking: "When can something like this happen to me?"
I'm speculating here, because the closest thing to "the Rafael Nadal problem" that Federer chronically had at Roland Garros was the "Roger Federer" problem Roddick has had at Wimbledon. Just as Nadal had stymied Federer in Paris four years running (a semi and three consecutive finals, ending in 2008), Federer has owned Roddick at Wimbledon, beating him in the semis and two finals successively, starting in 2003. They haven't met at Wimbledon since the last of those matches (2006), and you could say they didn't need to -- not any more than Federer had to meet Nadal in another final on red Parisian clay.
Surely, Federer's luck (and confidence) partly turned when Nadal's mind-boggling undefeated streak in Paris was finally halted in the fourth round this year by Swedish bombardier Robin Soderling. Federer should have serenaded Robin with "The Wind Beneath My Wings" for that, because it provided just the break the Swiss star needed to complete his career Grand Slam.
Poor Roddick. He never did get that kind of break at Wimbledon -- at least not yet. That first Federer triumph over Roddick was a portent; Federer went on to take the 2003 title, and the next four titles as well. (At the risk of creating confusion, let's remember that Federer's grass-court streak was snapped last year by … Nadal).
One big difference in the two cases is that Federer hung in there with Nadal for four years running, while Roddick hasn't kept any fated appointment with Federer at Wimbledon since 2005 -- and he hasn't been to even a semi since.
But that isn't a big deal given Roddick's big game (if you don't think his serve is as good as ever, you haven't been paying attention). Roddick has been less of a force at Wimbledon these past few years, but he's no less of a threat. Last year, for example, he was just coming back from the shoulder injury that kept him out of Roland Garros, so you can apply the asterisk next to that second-round loss to Janko Tipsarevic.
Given all this, it's reasonable to ask if there's any chance that Roddick might catch that break or two that he could really use, and maybe even needs, to accomplish something he richly deserves -- winning that elusive second major title.
One surprise that Roddick hopes to avert is the unpleasant one of injury, and he got a reminder of that at Queen Club a few days ago, when a rolled ankle forced him to abandon his match against James Blake. The injury wasn't as bad as Roddick initially feared, so his hopes are undimmed.
Roddick has waited a long time to see a Wimbledon draw without Federer standing in his way, and if that comes to pass, it could provide him with emotional rocket fuel that might be enough to propel him by just about anyone else in the draw.
Peter Bodo
