Blake Advances, But Roddick Is America’s Best

By Jim Ryan
James Blake is the last American man standing in the Australian Open, thanks to a straight-sets victory over promising Croatian teenager Marin Cilic in the round of 16 last night. Unfortunately, Blake’s next match is against the Federer express, so it’s unlikely Jimmy B will make his first Grand Slam semifinal.
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Meanwhile, America’s best male hope entering the tournament, sixth-seeded Andy Roddick, bowed out last week in the third-round. I mentioned this in a comments thread following the loss, but I’ll say it again: The guy receives a lot of unfair criticism.
Yes, this was a disappointing result for Roddick, and he can be maddening to watch when an opponent neutralizes his serve and forces him into rallies (as is the case every time he plays Federer). But to call Roddick overrated or a disappointment is to judge him by the accomplishments of his American predecessors, which is a bit unreasonable.
Roddick had the misfortune to start his career at the tail end of the greatest 15 years in American men’s tennis history. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier all were No. 1 in the world at some point, and Michael Chang got up to No. 2. The four of them combined for an astonishing 27 Grand Slam singles titles between 1990 and 2003.
Roddick will never be Sampras or Agassi, two of the top ten tennis players in history. But look at some of Roddick’s accomplishments in and of themselves: Reaching No. 1 in the world, winning the U.S. Open and leading the U.S. to a Davis Cup title. That’s a heck of a career that puts him on par with, say, Chang.
Furthermore, were it not for Federer, who will go down as the greatest player of all time, Roddick would probably have two or three more Slams (definitely Wimbledon). And he is only 25 years old. With some luck -- perhaps Federer gets injured or loses unexpectedly (it will happen at some point) -- Roddick is perfectly capable of going on a run and winning another Slam.
Compare Roddick to Blake, who is beloved for being a nice guy and making an inspirational comeback from a broken neck, shingles and the death of his father in 2004. I mean, I really like Blake -- who doesn’t? -- but he has never made it past the quarters of a Slam. He has never been ranked higher than No. 4. He has 10 career singles titles to Roddick’s 23, and he is 2-6 against Roddick head-to-head. Blake is a very talented player, but the gap between him and Roddick, while it has narrowed, is still significant.
Roddick’s game has its flaws, but quite simply, he’s the best male tennis player in America right now. Lament the current state of American men’s tennis all you want, but don’t blame its decline on its most accomplished player.↵