American men's tennis would not have been complete without the career and achievements of Andy Roddick. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, on August 30, 1982, he built a reputation as a big server and quick-reacting player. Fans definitely appreciate Roddick's explosive playing style, which makes tennis a game of first strikes against the opponent. At the same time, his career has not only raw speed and an aggressive style of play, but also a competitive and well-developed mentality to cope with pressure and the high status of a top player in the tennis community, and a number of other interesting aspects of this athlete's activity.
A rising star
As Roddick began his professional career in 2000, he was considered to be a promising athlete. It was obvious to everybody that, with such a serve as he possessed, the boy had great chances of reaching the top of tennis. But it is worth remembering that it was far from the only way that helped him ascend the career ladder. The future top-10-ranked player competed with determination from the baseline, aggressively took chances attacking second serves and showed readiness to attack the ball early.
There was a need for new stars to arise on American soil after the era of legends like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi ended, and this situation gave Roddick great chances of popularity. His playing style seemed to embody all hopes for a new top-10-ranked player and, eventually, a champion who would help America preserve its honor in men's tennis.
Rise and first victories
In Roddick's case, there was no such thing as the struggle of a young tennis player against growing pains, but the development of skills necessary for coping with an increasing amount of responsibilities. From an early age, he demonstrated an ability to succeed on fast courts, but the problem of extending rallies in order to weaken the boy's performance was also solved perfectly by him. Besides, Roddick enjoyed good tutelage during the time he was coached by the famous expert Brad Gilbert.
This period also helped the player not to remain a simple 'serve-and-hope' specialist but to develop a great variety of shots that use serve as the starting point rather than the only method.
All these factors resulted in a breakthrough year. Having won many notable competitions, becoming much more consistent and advancing to the deep stages of top events, Roddick became one of the symbols of modern American men's tennis thanks to his game, which is quite distinctive and impossible to confuse with anybody else's. Few athletes of his generation possessed such an explosive combination of pace and aggression as he did. During matches when Roddick performed well, it sometimes seemed like a race to see who could finish a rally with a serve or a powerful forehand earlier.
Grand Slam peak and other achievements
But there is one Grand Slam competition which is usually considered to be the peak point of any tennis player's career. Such an occasion occurred for Roddick in 2003, as he managed to win a title at the US Open. This achievement confirmed his high position among American players because victory in one of the major competitions on his homeland is always very prestigious due to the long history of successful performances by Americans there.
Of course, Roddick's Grand Slam experience cannot be limited to one tournament and one victory because he also reached the final in 2004 at Wimbledon – an event considered a testbed for players who possess Roddick's abilities. He also reached the final stage of the US Open in 2006 and again came close to repeating that success in 2009. Even without any additional victories, it is evident that he possessed a high level of longevity, as participating in a number of Grand Slam finals in different years is already enough to be called a competitor of the highest order.
It is worth noting Roddick's great rival Roger Federer because he could always cope successfully with his rivals. Their game styles were absolutely different, as Roddick relied upon serving and fast rallies while Federer was the master of defense. Roddick could provoke and exhaust his top tennis-player rivals mentally, but his rival found ways to overcome him. However, this rivalry made great memories for fans and increased dramatically the interest in competitions during the middle of the 2000s. Besides, the presence of Roddick could not allow Federer to show his dominance easily.
Legacy and contributions
But there are some other accomplishments of Roddick which made a huge contribution to the history of his country's tennis team. Roddick participated actively in the USA's success in the Davis Cup in 2007 when the team managed to capture the cup. As the tennis fan should understand, it is a big event, as the victory of a team unites many players into one cause. It means that Roddick is a person not of selfish goals in life, but also one of the teammates who helps his country's tennis team. As such a kind of success can occur only once during the career of each top-10-ranked player, this achievement deserves special mention.
After a long career, Roddick announced his retirement at the 2012 US Open. Such an ending of a player's career was typical mostly of players who possessed a very special set of skills. And indeed Roddick was not only a serve specialist, but he also showed readiness to develop his skills, learn how to perform in certain conditions and became one of the great players of that time thanks to his personality and skills. Recognition of his place in history and his contributions to tennis appeared much later.
Conclusion
Thus Andy Roddick's career and achievements as a player deserve special appreciation from fans as he has a wide range of them. The American tennis player captured a Grand Slam title, reached the finals of several tournaments of similar level, helped his country win Davis Cup and for many years served as one of the most recognizable competitors. What is important in him, it is impossible to find any secret about Roddick's playing style, his skills and his behavior on the tennis court as everything about him is open for fans and opponents and he is always aggressive and ready to compete on any level.