Andy Roddick will have to put those retirement plans off just a little longer. The American star easily dispatched Bernard Tomic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 to move on to the third round at the U.S. Open.
The 20th-seeded Roddick surprised fans and the tennis community when he announced his retirement two days ago, but after the way he played on Friday night at Arthur Ashe stadium, no one would be surprised if he stuck around the tournament.
The 2003 U.S. Open champion was dominant, only surrendering five points to his 19-year-old opponent in the decisive fifth set. Roddick admitted he was nervous before starting the match.
"I had no idea what was going to happen out there," Roddick said according to the Associated Press. "I've played a lot of matches and that was a different kind of nerves than I've had before, so that was surprising for me."
Roddick used his powerful serve throughout the night, including in the third set when he played a perfect drop shot to go up 5-0 before he pushed Tomic to double match point. In classic fashion he rocketed one of his 13 aces on the last point to close out the match. Roddick only surrendered five points to Tomic in the final set.
Everything seemed to be working for the former No.1-ranked player in the world, who only needed an hour and twenty-seven minutes to advance to the next round.
The crowd was loud and raucous throughout the night and was fully behind Roddick. With his family, friends and wife Brooklyn Decker in the stands, Roddick didn't allow himself to lose the match. He had 33 winners and only 21 unforced errors.
Roddick used strategy and aggressive play to defeat Tomic, playing in close when the Australian was deep, and smashed ace after ace. He had three in the first game of the match, including one that clocked in at 138 mph.
He will next face Fabio Foginni of Italy, and could possibly play former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro if he can advance past the third round.
"I look forward to it,'' the 20th-seeded Roddick said about his next match during an on-court interview with one of his former coaches, Brad Gilbert according to the Associated Press. "And I'm going to try to stick around a little longer.''
Roddick has always seemed to elevate his game while playing at the U.S. Open, including when he won the major championship as a 20-year-old in 2003.
After the match as Roddick was being interviewed by the EPSN crew about his future plans, the fans behind the set summed it up best, chanting loudly and repeatedly, "One more year! One more year! one more year!"
He also described how he plans on building a tennis academy and working with young players, much like one of his heroes, former champion Andre Agassi.
Either way, Roddick will have to wait a few more days before he's through with tennis.
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