Posted by Abigail Lorge, TENNIS.com
After the Red Sox's excruciating 11th-inning loss in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, I thought they could win the next five World Series, and it wouldn't make up for the fact they should have been in it that year. Of course, Boston did win the World Series the next season -- and again three years after that -- but those triumphs couldn't undo the earlier suffering of the players and fans who had experienced the agony of Aaron Boone.
Andy Roddick has no doubt suffered in the wake of his valiant but ultimately futile effort against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final earlier this month. The captivating, four-hour-plus match took a tangible physical toll: A right hip flexor injury forced Roddick's withdrawal from the Americans' Davis Cup tie the following week, and then from this week's ATP event in Indianapolis.
But the larger issue is how Roddick is recovering, psychologically, from Wimbledon. It could go one of two ways: Roddick could view his performance in the final as evidence that he is still improving and that, at age 26, his best tennis is in front of him. Such an attitude could propel him to good results on the summer hard-court circuit and at the U.S. Open, which he won in 2003 (to date his only major title). Or, if Roddick is still reeling from the disappointment of having come so close to winning Wimbledon -- those four squandered set points in the second-set tiebreaker would haunt even the most resilient and optimistic person -- he might be shut out forever at the All-England Club.
Mary Carillo, the broadcaster and former pro player, is in the former camp. Carillo said on Tuesday that she thinks Larry Stefanki, a perfect coaching fit for Roddick, will help his pupil see the positives of what transpired during his Wimbledon fortnight. Roddick is a much better player now than he was when he was losing the final in 2004 and 2005 (also to Federer, both times). It's not just the famously improved fitness, though since Roddick shed 15 pounds at Stefanki's suggestion, he's been able to construct better points, give himself more options and hang in during long rallies instead of being forced to bail by going for too much too early. It's also Roddick's better backhand (no longer a pronounced deficiency), improved in-match mental toughness and more mature approach to the game overall. The fact that he held serve an astounding 37 consecutive times against Federer before finally being broken for the championship shows the quality of tennis Roddick produced during that record-long final, which went 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14. Roddick pushed a player against whom he had a 2-18 record going in to the absolute brink. Carillo said she thinks Stefanki will use that experience to guide Roddick to another Open title, and to the Wimbledon title one day as well.
But there's also a chance that Roddick could be irrevocably damaged by what happened on Centre Court on July 5. Considering the depth of men's tennis today, and the fact this is the era of Rafael Nadal and Federer, Roddick must know that even if he continues to improve, getting back to the final is a tall order. He had to play one of the best matches of his career to upset No. 3 Andy Murray in the semifinals; now that he's 0-3 in Wimbledon finals, he must wonder if he'll get another chance at the trophy.
There is no clear tennis precedent for how a player recovers from a disappointment of those proportions. Jana Novotna's notorious collapse against Steffi Graf in the 1993 ladies' final wasn't just a missed opportunity, like Roddick's; it was a meltdown that left her sobbing on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent. Nonetheless, Novotna recovered from infamy to make the Wimbledon final twice more and claim the Venus Rosewater Dish in 1998. But Novotna had an easier road, to put it mildly, than Roddick will have in coming years. Her final opponent the year she won Wimbledon? Nathalie Tauziat, not exactly an overwhelming force.
Michael Chang is an example of a player who, unlike Novotna, couldn't regroup after suffering major disappointment. At the 1997 U.S. Open final, with Pete Sampras losing in the fourth round, returning finalist Chang was the hyped American of the second week. But he missed an opportunity to get to his second straight final, going out against eventual champion Patrick Rafter in the semis. An hour after the match ended, Chang's brother and coach, Carl, sat despondent in the empty stadium, evidently aware that Michael had missed his last best chance at winning the Open. Chang went on to play six more seasons, but he never again got past the third round of a major.
It's unclear whether Roddick thinks this year's Wimbledon was his own last best chance. Though the fanfare was for Federer, it was impossible in the aftermath of the final not to feel sympathy for Roddick, who was clearly crushed. Nearly three weeks later, I imagine it's still acutely painful for him to think about how close he came to winning the title young players dream of. I'm sure the American crowd will acknowledge his achievement at the U.S. Open next month. With some time to mourn and the right encouraging words from Stefanki, Roddick could find himself buoyed by the confidence that comes from knowing he was so close to finally taking down Federer and winning Wimbledon. I hope the near-miss will serve as positive motivation in future Grand Slam finals, instead of haunting him for the rest of his career.
