Farewell, Andy Roddick

Andy Roddick's decision to retire at this fortnight's U.S. Open was an appropriate one. Roddick is brash, foul-mouthed, passionate, talented, and married to a beautiful woman, like most New Yorkers. His racing pulse was much like that of the tournament -- tennis' coarsest and most vivacious. He also did a good job of balancing humor and emotion at the press conference where he announced his retirement and in his interview after the last match. It made me a bit emotional too, even if Roddick was never one of my favorites.

It's a shame that Roddick couldn't execute a deep, magical run like Pete Sampras did in 2002, winning his final tournament, though Roddick was never quite as good as Sampras at their respective peaks or at their respective ends. But something makes me think that if Roddick's fourth-round match against Juan Martin del Potro had happened at night, instead of being delayed by rain to the next afternoon, Roddick would've hung around for at least another round. Strange things happen on the Flushing courts at night, where tennis is played into the tiny hours, just like how New York is lived, and the atmosphere is electric. Roddick always fed off it.