LONDON, July 7: Andy Roddick knows better than most how it feels to suffer the bitter taste of defeat at Wimbledon, but the American insists he will never give up on his dream of winning at the All-England Club.
Roddick's hopes of ending Roger Federer's four-year reign as king of the grass courts ended on Friday when he lost a thrilling five-set quarter-final against Richard Gasquet.
The third seed looked to be cruising into the semi-finals when he led by two sets and then moved a break ahead in the third. But Gasquet defied the odds to claim a dramatic 4-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 8-6 victory that earned the French youngster a meeting with Federer in the last four.
What seemed to be Roddick's destiny had been ripped away from him in the most agonising fashion.
But while the opportunity to avenge his two Wimbledon finals defeats against Federer is gone for another year, Roddick is confident he will get another shot at the Swiss world number one.
“It's another lost opportunity at Wimbledon,” he said. “I'd love to make you try to understand what it feels like in the pit of your stomach right now, but I don't know if I can do that. I don't know if I'm articulate enough to really put that into words for you.
“I'll probably wake up tomorrow with a better sense of perspective. I'm sitting here feeling pretty bad right now. But I promise you I'm aware in the grand scheme of things I'm still pretty blessed and very lucky and very fortunate.
“That being said, when you put your blood, sweat and tears, everything you have into something, and you can almost taste it, you envision something and it doesn't work out, it's not easy.
“But that's what makes you addicted to the competition, the feeling when you do win. That's what gets you back on the horse.”
Roddick was in total control until Gasquet decided to throw caution to the wind midway through the third set. The 12th seed had never been beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam before so it was no surprise he was a little tight early on.
But when the 21-year-old started unleashing a series of thunderous backhands with increasing accuracy, Roddick was unable to come up with an equally forceful response.
He insisted he was happy with his gameplan, although his tendency to feed Gasquet's backhand right up until the final point could hardly have pleased his coach Jimmy Connors.
I had opportunities and I didn't take 'em,” Roddick said. “But he definitely played to his potential or maybe even more so today.
“Credit to him. He had 90 something winners and his errors were in the 20s. I'd probably take that most times.
“If I can get someone running and hitting passing shots off their shoe tops, then I'm never going to sit here and say that's a bad play.
“I played okay. It's tough when you double your winners to unforced errors and lose.”—AFP