'Novak Djokovic beat me like a drum at London Olympics' - Andy Roddick knew it's over

Still ranked in the top-25, Andy Roddick decided to end his tennis journey in front of the home fans at the US Open in September 2012, retiring just a couple of days after turning 30. Praising Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on Tennis Channel, Andy identified them as the competitors from another planet, honoring their longevity and remembering the clash against Novak at the 2012 London Olympics. Andy had won titles in Eastbourne and Atlanta before the London trip, feeling like he has a shot at Wimbledon in the best-of-three format, at least in the Olympic event's opening rounds. By the draw's will, Roddick faced Djokovic in the second round and suffered a tough 6-2, 6-1 loss in swift 54 minutes, describing the defeat as an eye-opening one as he assumed he couldn't compete at that level anymore. Djokovic blasted 14 aces and lost ten points in eight service games, never facing a break point and keeping the pressure on the other side of the net. One of the Tour's best servers in the previous decade was far from his usual numbers behind the initial shot. He dropped half of the points in his games and experienced four breaks from as many chances offered to Novak to propel the Serb into the next round, finishing his career just a couple of months later in New York.

Andy Roddick won three games against Novak Djokovic on grass and soon retired.

"At the 2012 London Olympics, I was unseeded and faced Novak Djokovic in the second round. I had won two of the previous three tournaments before the Olympics, and I felt that Wimbledon is the place where I can still catch lightning in a bottle and make a bit of run, feeling great at practice that week. At that point, I had a decent record against Novak, but he beat me like a drum; I felt like a child on the court, winning just three games on grass! I served average, which is never smart against Novak, but I was walking off the court thinking that I didn't play bad; he was simply that better. I started to think this game is getting a bit different from what I have been used to and that the guys from the top are like from another planet; that was an eye-opening moment for me," Andy Roddick said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/31RIXGE