Despite showing off some nice, conservative Lacoste polos and trendy plaid baseball caps, Roddick shows he still needs a new thinking cap out there on the tennis court.
So what do we get today at Roland Garros? A-Rod finds yet another way to lose a tennis match.
Perhaps he's still aglow with charity and love since "giving away" his match in Rome to Verdasco? Or perhaps he was in the mood to out-do his come-from-ahead loss to Massu in Hamburg?
So today, with fast and dry court conditions that favored him, Roddick decided being up two sets to love wasn't enough. He had to race out to a 3-1 break in set five -- and then lose.
Now that's art on the clay. Or maybe it's just a matter of sticking one's head in the crocodile's mouth!
Okay, enough having fun.
What I find sad about the whole deal is that Roddick failed to capitalize on Hewitt's 3-month abscence from the tour or his dream draw at the French. Even after Roland Garros, Roddick will still be 2 points behind Hewitt in the Champions Race going into Queens (Roddick trails Hewitt 251 to 253), meaning it's up to him do better at Queens than Hewitt to snag the No. 2 seed at Wimbledon. If I were on the Wimbledon seeding comittee, I don't think I'd protect Roddick with a No. 2 seed at this point.
What I find good about the Roddick situation is that he's not taking a Jana Novotna role and denying he's chocking. He confronts it and stands up to it: "I haven't [closed] one in the last couple," Roddick said. "The only thing I can do is keep working hard and try to prepare myself for it and turn the corner. It kind of goes in streaks like that sometimes."
You at least have to admire that.
Speaking of Lacoste -- Renee, that is -- here is some nice info on the man for whom Roddick is clad:
