Reuters
Andy Roddick looked lethargic in the second and third sets, rare chasing down shots and walking slowly between points with his head hanging down.
By DENNIS PASSA
updated 10:14 a.m. ET Jan. 19, 2012
MELBOURNE, Australia – Andy Roddick’s bid to win another Grand Slam singles title nearly a decade after his first hit a roadblock Thursday when a hamstring injury forced him out of the Australian Open.
The former No. 1, whose lone major singles win came at the 2003 U.S. Open, was trailing Lleyton Hewitt 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 when he called the trainer to his courtside chair. He then walked over to Hewitt and shook the Australian player’s hand.
Roddick had fallen to the court in the second set, but played despite being in obvious pain from the leg injury.
“It’s a miserable, terrible thing being out there compromised like that,” Roddick said of his attempt to play with the injury. “I wanted to see what I could do. You don’t really have much time for clarity in that situation. He’s a tough guy to play … he knew what was going on.”
Trailing 2-0 in the second set, Roddick moved suddenly to his right to retrieve a Hewitt forehand, and seemed to overstretch his right leg, rolling over on his right ankle. Hewitt won that point and the next two for a 3-0 lead, then Roddick took a medical timeout.
Hewitt said the injury was “a nightmare for both of us.”
“Obviously, he stretched something,” Hewitt said. “It’s not easy for the person up the other end of the court. It’s hard to concentrate when they’re having injury timeouts.
“Andy’s a great competitor … he’s similar to me. He plays with his heart on his sleeve, has that never-say-die attitude as well. It’s never easy to play injured or to pull out of a match. It’s not a good feeling.”
Roddick looked lethargic in the second and third sets, rare chasing down shots and walking slowly between points with his head hanging down. He threw his racket into the wall at one point and argued with the chair umpire after a video replay showed that one of Hewitt’s shots – originally called out – actually hit the line.
The 30-year-old Hewitt, who has won two major titles and was a finalist here in 2005, will play 21-year-old Milos Raonic of Canada in the third round.
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic advanced earlier Thursday, overcoming an early service break against Santiago Giraldo in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 victory at Melbourne Park.
“I maybe started a little too defensive because he was hitting the ball very strong,” said Djokovic, who won three of the four majors last year. “But then after, it was the other way around.”
A title in Melbourne would put him in select company. Only four players – Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – have won three straight Grand Slam singles tournaments, and Djokovic could join them following his wins at last year’s Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
Second-seeded Nadal and third-seeded Federer, who are in the other half of the draw here, play back-to-back matches at Rod Laver Arena on Friday.
Fourth-seeded Andy Murray, who lost to Djokovic in the final here last year, also advanced Thursday, beating Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Murray is playing his first Grand Slam tournament since hiring eight-time major champion Ivan Lendl as his coach.
“It’s been good, he’s obviously one of the greatest players ever,” Murray said. “He’s got so much experience and he’s a very funny guy. You wouldn’t probably expect it by the way he was on the court, similar to myself.”
In the men’s draw, sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who lost the 2008 final to Djokovic, advanced 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 over Ricardo Mello of Brazil, while No. 5 David Ferrer struggled early against American Ryan Sweeting before coming back to win 6-7 (4), 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic, No. 23 Milos Raonic of Canada, No. 24 Kei Nishikori of Japan and No. 27 Juan Ignacio Chela also progressed. Frenchman Michael Llodra beat No. 32 Alex Bogomolov Jr. 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 5-7, 6-4 and Portugal’s Frederico Gil beat No. 26 Marcel Granollers in four sets.
In a night match, No. 14 Gael Monfils beat Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 2-6, 6-0, 6-4, 6-2 and will play Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazkakhstan in the third round. Kukushkin earlier beat No. 19 Viktor Troicki of Serbia 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
In an all-French match, Julien Benneteau beat 12th-seeded Gilles Simon 7-5, 7-6 (8), 1-6, 3-6, 6-2.
© 2012 . Published by X2 News.
Roddick out of Aussie with injury
Andy Roddick’s bid to win another Grand Slam singles title nearly a decade after his first hit a roadblock Thursday when a hamstring injury forced him out of the Australian Open.
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