Andy Roddick saw his tennis career come to an end after the American went down to Juan Martin Del Potro 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the fourth round of the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows.
The 30-year-old had announced he would retire from the sport at the end of the tournament, and despite putting in a valiant effort, the former U.S. Open champ could not pull off a victory.
Roddick said he had no regrets about making the decision to retire. "I'm not ignorant to the fact that it's a huge part of me and that I won't miss it; of course I will," he said. "I'm not pretending like there aren't going to be hard days. But I feel pretty settled in the decision and I feel content and happy with it."
Roddick was seen as the next great American tennis player, but failed to live up to the lofty expectations, despite making a great start to his tennis career with a win here in New York. "I wasn't going to shy away from it, for sure," Roddick said. "I mean, you get knocked down. You know the burden. I understand it.
"I understand the fact that we come from, a place which probably had more success than any other tennis country where there are certain expectations I fell right on the back end of the golden generation, and so that was just the cards that were dealt. But as tough a situation as it is, in the grand scheme of things it's a dream. It's something you want. That's not hard."
The big-serving American admitted playing the final set, especially, was a really hard and emotional moment for him. "Playing the last five games was pretty hard. Once I got down a break, I could barely look at my (players) box," Roddick said. "I don't know what the emotions are. I'm a little overwhelmed right now. I normally feel like I can grasp things pretty quickly and clearly. I certainly don't feel that way right now.
"It was a really tough moment for me and for him, also," Del Potro added. "Last point of his life. The crowd was amazing for both players. I really enjoyed it in that way, but it wasn't easy for me to play."
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