American tennis star Andy Roddick announced his retirement yesterday at the tournament where he won his only major championship.
The former number one player in the world made news on his birthday, telling reporters that this year's tournament will be his last.
"I'll make this short and sweet: I've decided that this is going to be my last tournament," said Roddick, according to the Associated Press. "I just feel like it's time. I don't know that I'm healthy enough or committed enough to go another year," he said. "I've always wanted to, in a perfect world, finish at this event."
For the majority of his career Roddick was considered the best American tennis player.
Roddick was the 2003 U.S. Open champion and was ranked as the world's number one player for 13 weeks as a 21-year old. He was the first American to be ranked that high since Andre Agassi did it in 1999.
While he only won one major championship during his career, Roddick was a consistent winner, taking in over $20 million in earnings. Roddick has a career record of 610-212 and has won over 30 titles. He also was one of only two players to win at least one tournament every year for the past 12 years. The other player? Roger Federer, arguably the best tennis player of all time.
Roddick matched up against Federer numerous times during his career, including in four major championship finals, three of which were at Wimbeldon. Most notably, Roddick pushed Federer to the limit before falling in the finals at the All England Club in 2009, in a 16-14 fifth set.
In the first round of the U.S. Open this year Roddick beat fellow American Rhyne Williams in straight sets and will next play 19-year-old Australian Bernard Tomic in the second round.
For the majority of his career Roddick relied on an overpowering serve and formidable forehand to dispatch opponents. He held the record for the fastest serve ever recorded, at 155 mph, before Ivo Karlovic smashed a 156 mph serve in the 2011 Davis Cup.
Roddick was known as a fiery presence on the court and with umpires, reminding many fans of John McEnroe, another American player who liked to argue calls. But he also was a fan favorite, especially in America. During the bulk of his career it was a common occurrence after matches to see Roddick make his way around the court to give autographs to any fans who wanted one.
Roddick also played on the American Davis Cup team that won the 2007 title. He had 33 Davis Cup wins in his decorated career.
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