In Luo Guanzhong's famous Zhang Hui novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", it is said that Zhou Yu was jealous of Zhuge Liang and tried his best to get rid of it, but he was never able to succeed, and finally he could only die with hatred. Before his death, Zhou Yu shouted three times on his sickbed: "Since he is born yu, why is he born bright?" Zhou Yu's dying cry also revealed his resentment and incomprehension about the heavenly arrangement.
This so-called Yuliang complex, even in tennis, has similar love affairs. Although it may not be as intense as in the novel, in the history of tennis, how many famous players, because they were not born at the right time, just in the era of being dominated by one person or some people, resulting in his achievements on the book being discounted.
And since the beginning of the twenty-first century, no one has experienced this feeling of grief better than Andy Roddick.
Ten years ago, on July 5, Roddick, the former American champion, came to Wimbledon's Centre Court in an attempt to win his long-coveted Wimbledon Championship Gold Cup. He also had a major responsibility to defend the unprecedented record of fourteen Grand Slam titles by fellow countryman Pete Sampras and prevent his nemesis Roger Federer from winning the historic title against his nemesis Roger Federer, who was 2-18. At the moment of the great enemy, the battle situation is inferior, and Roddick seems to be once again smiling bitterly and taking the plate.
Andy Roddick, a famous player from the United States, is not actually known for his outstanding talent. Through hard work and hard work on the field, it has won the appreciation of many fans. During Federer's reign, he played the leader of the Lost Generation. During his time at the helm of the Big Three, he became one of the most stable and difficult opponents to deal with. Although he was born at an inopportune time and was cast in the shadow of the Big Three, if you turn over his career record, it is actually quite outstanding. He won one 2003 US Open title in five career Grand Slam finals, five in nine Masters finals, and thirty-two in a total of 52 career finals. He was in the top 10 for nine consecutive years from 2002 to 2010, and at least one championship a year between 2001 and 2012 before his retirement.
And Roddick, who has a strong serve, has also achieved quite well on the grass. Roddick's career has been 86-22 on grass and five titles in eight finals, even better than his record on the hard courts.
However, his three runners-up in the meadows happened to be at the most important Wimbledon. And the reward for his defeat was the same person, Roger Federer. Also because of Federer's presence, Roddick also has four less possible Wimbledon championships.
The following is to let you review Roddick's bitter struggle experience.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" >2003: The Beginning of Misfortune</h1>
Roddick first played at Wimbledon in 2001, when he was only eighteen, and it wasn't until the third round that he lost to Goran Ivanisevic, then a wild card in the world rankings of 125. Ivanisevic was also a famous player of the past, and he also reached the final three times at Wimbledon, but all of them returned in the final. After defeating Roddick, Ivanisevic went all the way to win the coveted Wimbledon Gold Cup. Perhaps this was a trick of heaven and an arrangement of fate, and Roddick also took over the title of King of Wimbledon Plates from Ivanisevich, starting his tragic career at Wimbledon.
Two years later, Roddick, who had just reached the final four of the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, decided to end his partnership with his original coach and hire Former Coach Brad Gilbert of Andrew instead. Gilbert, a player and coach known for his tactical design, began to discuss with Roddick as soon as he arrived at Roddick's team how to have a better breakthrough in the next Wimbledon. After all, Roddick's strengths in ball power and serve should be better at Wimbledon. Under Gilbert's guidance, Roddick began to know how to match the ball and how to play his ball more stably. At the same time, Roddick is finally willing to play more actively, more willing to intercept in front of the net, even if its interception ability needs to be strengthened.
In the Queens Club men's tennis tournament before Wimbledon, Roddick won the first grass championship of his career, and he also beat his predecessor Andrew at that time, which was a strong momentum. Roddick also entered the game as one of Wimbledon's title favourites that year. Roddick was in the first five rounds, continuing the feel of being at the Queens Club, all the way through the level. By the final four, Roddick and Federer, two popular candidates who were hailed as successors to Sampras, competed for tickets to the first Grand Slam final of their careers. One is the new generation of American cannons that are gradually breaking out of the cocoon, and the other is a talented teenager who became famous for defeating Sampras two years ago, which everyone believes is the beginning of a classic old enemy confrontation.
After the first set began, the two sides played their own strengths and were on a par with each other. Roddick's ferocious attack, Federer's steady response. In this way, the two sides exchanged exchanges with each other, glued to the point of grabbing seven. In a five-to-five ratio, Roddick faced Federer who served the net, and swept the opponent's T-point serve directly into Federer's body with a positive shot, causing the opponent to make a mistake in hanging the net. Roddick, who has the final point in his hand, can take the lead in his own serve. An out-of-the-box serve drew Federer's short cut back, and Roddick saw that Federer's center of gravity had shifted to the front and immediately hit the ball behind him.
As a result, this powerful positive beat hanging net. Just like that, the opportunity was gone. Federer then took control of the pace of the game. As the minutes and seconds of the game passed, Federer's advantage in shifting gradually became apparent, and no matter how wild Roddick bombarded, he was always counterattacked by Federer with a more sharp angle. In the end, Federer won the tournament 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-3, and advanced to the final and won the first of his twenty Grand Slam titles.
Although when we look back on this history, we will find that Wimbledon's defeat may have driven Roddick's hot feeling in the North American summer hard courts that summer, allowing him to win the first and only Grand Slam title of his career. But in this game, we also saw the food chain relationship between Federer and Roddick in the future and the trend of the script.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-center-line" > 2004: Fateful Duel</h1>
Roddick, who lost the title of king at the 2004 Australian Open, finally found his long-awaited touch at Wimbledon. After a year, Gilbert and Roddick's collaboration finally came to fruition. Roddick used the strategy of ball power and initiative in the first six rounds, all the way to the final.
However, he had to face Federer again. At this time, Federer had officially started his dynasty. This time, his performance in the first six rounds of Wimbledon was also very brave and overwhelming. These two of the world's top two players, in this way, launched the Battle of Tennoyama in Wimbledon.
In this game, Roddick started the game and played, not giving Federer a chance to master the rhythm. Compared to the previous year, Roddick planned to suppress Federer's counter-shooting this time. Roddick did just that, taking the first set in the Wimbledon final.
However, Federer did know how to abuse Roddick. After the first set, Federer began to slowly adapt to Roddick's speed, and when Roddick's feel cooled down slightly, Federer immediately counterattacked, directly down at the beginning of the second set to take four consecutive sets. However, roddick is bound to win today, and all he can think of is the picture of holding up the Wimbledon Gold Cup. Roddick rushed four innings in a row, directly extending the line to the twelfth inning. In this inning, both sides deuce the case, Federer a counter-shot back serve, actually bounced the net belt, directly fell on the other side of the net. In the face of the opponent's break point, Roddick did everything right: a sharp serve, a fierce second-beat front-shot attack counter-shot, a front-shot with an angle and then went online, Federer's entire score was now in the middle of being beaten, he rushed to his forehand, rodick's push made the gap on the net narrow...
The ball flew past Roddick and fell into the bounds to score. Federer roared in excitement. The race returns to square one.
But at this time, Roddick was not discouraged, but continued to fight. However, after Federer won the second set, it seems that he has also improved the grade. In this way, the quality of the game in the third set of the two was completely upgraded, so that the audience could not look at it.
But the minutes and seconds passed, and although Roddick had several opportunities to break through, they were all in vain. In the end Federer won the third set. After the start of the fourth set, no matter how Roddick resisted, he still could not escape the fate of defeat. In the end, Federer defended his title 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Although ultimately defeated, Roddick seems to be one step closer to the Wimbledon Champions Gold Cup than last year. Under Gilbert's suggestion, Roddick has rapidly improved to become the best above ten thousand people and below one person. If it lasted longer, Roddick would sooner or later touch the golden cup and taste the sweetness of victory.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-center-line" > 2005: Facing the harsh truth</h1>
However, in December 2004, Gilbert and Roddick ended their partnership. Opinions differed on why the two sides parted ways, including rumors that Gilbert and the rest of Roddick's team members had different ideas about Roddick's training. All in all, the relationship that was expected to last for a long time was over.
Roddick's performance, while not degraded by Gilbert's departure, did not actually grow in 2005. Roddick managed to reach the final at Wimbledon, but because of the struggle and the fact that his opponent Federer was at his peak, Roddick's chances of winning seemed slim.
Sure enough, the war situation was as expected, completely dominated by Federer. The dramatic tension of the competition is also far less intense than in the past two years. Perhaps because of the psychological shadow that has been created for Federer, or the gap between the strength of the two has really widened, Roddick has no strength in the whole game and is completely left to Federer to kill. With Federer at his peak and his own stagnation, it's hard to imagine how Roddick would win the title at Wimbledon.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-center-line" >2009: The last insistence</h1>
After Wimbledon in 2005, Roddick began to experience some declines. Aside from occasional injuries, the worst problem was Roddick's physical strength and endurance. In addition, although he has one of the best serves in the world, Roddick's overall skills still have many flaws, including his ability to backshoot and return serve, which are problems that need to be corrected urgently.
These problems are getting bigger and bigger, and they are also affecting Roddick's performance. In order to make a comeback, Roddick hired former American champion Jimmy Connors as a coach in the second half of 2006, hoping that the old man would guide him back to the ranks of the Grand Slam. Between 2006 and 2007, Roddick also seemed to have found some of his skills back, but a series of injuries followed. These injuries also allowed Roddick to be overtaken by Federer, Nadal and even Djokovic. The former king of the ball has now become the best spokesperson of the lost generation.
At the end of 2008, Roddick approached a coach, Larry Stefanki, hoping that the veteran coach who had coached several famous players in the past would help him get back to the top. When Stefanki took office, he asked Roddick to lose weight and strengthen his physical training. After the gradual slowdown on all the courts, men's tennis paid more attention to the physical fitness and endurance of the players. So if Roddick wants to get back to the cutting edge of men's tennis, he has to be able to adjust the subject as quickly as possible.
In addition, Stefanki also reinforced Roddick's technical delicacy in front of the net and his thinking on the ball. This change has also made Roddick's skills more comprehensive, no longer just relying on serves and front shots.
At Wimbledon in 2009, Roddick, who was the sixth seed, actually played ordinary in the first three rounds, but it also gave him more opportunities to practice his grass combat. In the quarterfinals, Roddick met past nemesis Leiden Hewitt. In a game of spear and shield, a sharp serve against a sharp return, Roddick won after a five-set battle, ushering in the opportunity to face landlords and good Player Andy Murray in the final four.
In the final four, Roddick, who was not optimistic, resisted the clamor of the landlord audience and repelled Murray after four sets, which broke the hearts of the landlord fans. But in the process, the fans also paid tribute to him. The good player, who had returned to the final twice, now changed his playing style, improved his physique and so on in order to win the wimbled Wimbledon Gold Cup, which made them quite admirable. But they also know that Roddick is about to face Federer, who has broken her heart three times in the final, and the future may be more sinister.
However, on this day ten years ago, Roddick completely burned the small universe and applied all his strength to the field. The backhand that was suppressed by Federer in the past has repeatedly surprised Federer with a strong return ball or a sharp angle. The progress of many pre-net processes also makes Federer unable to give him a request. And the power of the serve is also at the highest level, and the whole game almost makes Federer unable to cross the thunder pool.
Roddick took advantage of Federer's small turbulence in the twelfth set and successfully broke to win the first set. In the second set, the two sides entered the grab seven, Roddick held a 6-2 lead, four end points, can give him a 2-0 absolute advantage.
At the end of the first match, Federer mastered Roddick's shorter back-racket cut and swept the front shot at Roddick with a forehand. Roddick's return was strong, but Federer hit the winning ball with a very sharp backhand half-cut, 6-3.
In the second and third final points, Federer scored directly through two outer corners of the serve, including an Ace. 6-5
In the final point of the fourth match, Roddick served on the outside corner, and Federer cut the ball with a back-racket and barely returned to the field. Roddick was batting straight into the neutral, and Federer could only hit the ball high on the run. Facing Federer's shorter high, Roddick had a great interception opportunity to end the second set.
After the racket collided with the small yellow ball in the air, the small yellow ball flew behind Federer... Flew out of the course line. Roddick's end-of-the-set points all disappeared and the tide reversed.
Federer then relied on a changeable backshoot to cause Roddick's backhand mistakes in front of the net and on the bottom line, respectively. The two sides fought 1-1, but the situation of the game, for Roddick, was almost reversed.
But Roddick was not discouraged. Roddick faced many Federer's advances in the next three sets, and defused the crisis one by one through good goals at key moments. It was successfully broken in the fourth set, pulling the game to the fifth set.
However, no matter how Roddick resisted, he could not get rid of the clutches of fate. At the end of the game, in the face of Federer's direct backhand on the bottom line, Roddick's front-of-the-field shot off the beat, the small yellow ball flew into the sky, the fans stood up and cheered, the winning Federer jumped excitedly, and the whole Wimbledon fell into a carnival... Lonely roddick gradually walked from the shadows to the net. Disappointed, Roddick threw the racket into his seat and greeted his opponent in front of the net. Although the victorious Federer sincerely comforted him, what appeared on Roddick's face at this moment was not tears of sadness, but full of helplessness.
When the two accepted the award, Roddick, who put his hat back, slowly walked to the middle of the field and picked up the silver plate symbolizing the runner-up with one hand. Although this was not his first silver plate, the plate he took this time was filled with regrets. The distance between him and Federer's gold cup is actually only one or two points. But tennis matches are inherently changing rapidly, and the exchange of points between them often determines the outcome of the game.
But Roddick didn't show any resentment. Even though his heart was bleeding, he graciously thanked the audience for their support and congratulated Federer on stealing his trophy again. He also humorously apologized to Sampras, who was there, for not being able to keep his record. Federer returned to the lounge after the game, met the lonely Roddick, and reminded his team not to celebrate in a big way to show respect and respect for Roddick. He also mentioned many times in the interview that although he was happy to win, but he had played rodick many times in recent years, and this time Roddick really forced himself into a desperate situation, Federer expressed the highest respect for the defeated player from beginning to end. Unfortunately, there can only be one winner in a tennis match, and I was lucky enough to win. But he also comforted Roddick, saying that he would definitely have a chance to win the Gold Cup.
However, Federer's expectations never came true in the end. Although Roddick used this Wimbledon, he was able to get back to the second spring. However, as the physical pain gradually accumulates, the psychological effort and motivation are also exhausted. Unfortunately, Roddick officially said goodbye to tennis fans around the world at the U.S. Open three years later, in front of his fathers and elders in the United States.
In Wimbledon's history, Andy Roddick is just one of those legends who didn't win the Wimbledon title. However, his experience at Wimbledon for more than a decade is definitely a story that is sadder than sad.
However, the reason why Roddick's story is moving is not because of the result, but how he maximizes his potential in the process, how to try to change, and so on.
Whether it is sports or other fields, talent is often only an auxiliary, and what really defines a person is actually the effort made.
Andy Roddick, on the other hand, is the best example.