Andy's Onus

onus: n.
1. A difficult or disagreeable responsibility or necessity; a burden or obligation.
2. A stigma; blame.
3. The burden of proof

(from Dictionary.com)

After holding a match point in the second set, Andy Roddick let the chance to close out the match slip and ultimately was felled by the giant Ivo Karlovic in his second round match at the Madrid Masters. This was Andy's first tournament match since his first-round loss at the US Open, and it was widely expected that the big-serving American would come out firing on all cylinders. Sadly, it was not to be.

The burden of proof has been on Roddick's shoulders since he won the US Open in 2003. There were questions surrounding the buzz his win generated: Is he just a one-Slam wonder? He's got power, but is his game versatile enough to handle the players in the Top Ten? Is he just a serve and a forehand?

Making the final at Wimbledon in 2004, Roddick seemed to have proven that he was legitimately #2, just the second-best player behind Roger Federer who won that final. However, Roddick's US Open quarterfinal loss to Joachim Johansson left him in tears since he was expected to defend his title.

This year, there seemed to be more urgency in trying to get this burden of proof off his back. Could this be the year that Andy wins his second Slam title?

As Andy fell behind Lleyton Hewitt and the rising Rafael Nadal in the rankings after the Australian Open, there was still some confidence left that he could make up the deficit with a strong showing in the summer hard court season. Never mind that he lost first round in a tournament he was defending champion at (AMS Miami). Never mind that his clay court season results were poor. He would make the final at Wimbledon, and hopefully win it. Roddick did make the final of Wimbledon 2005, but this came only after three five-set matches that could have been won by the player on the other side of the net. Federer's title clearly was uncontested as he rolled over Roddick in straight sets.

Then Andy lost in the first round against Paul-Henri Mathieu at AMS Canada. This was considered his best chance at winning a Masters Series event after the draw was left wide open with Federer's absence. Roddick still made up for it by playing well the rest of the summer, winning the US Open Series and beating his other nemesis Lleyton Hewitt in an AMS Cincinnati semifinal. Hopes were again high that Andy would make a good run at the US Open title.

There a punishing blow fell on both Roddick and his fans, with lower-ranked Gilles Muller booting Andy out in the first round. And now this early-round loss to Karlovic.

I don't think it's his coach's fault; Dean Goldfine has probably done what he can to tighten up the technical aspects of Andy's game (serve-and-volley, backhand). The psychology part of it, however, is something out of Dean's expertise. Andy should take a page out of Robby Ginepri's book and hire a sports psychologist. Those mental blocks have FEDERER and OTHER BIG HITTERS chiseled on them.

That Federer is a mental block for Roddick is a given. However, Andy also can't seem to get past other players who have weapons such as a big serve or go-for-broke strokes (see Gonzalez, Fernando; Acasuso, Jose; Mathieu, Paul-Henri, and Muller, Gilles). Unfortunately for him, these are the same players he's encountered early in tournaments this year. Losing to them doesn't make his burden any easier to bear.

posted by Noelle De Guzman @ 5:11 PM