Can Roddick Win Again? SI’s L. Jon Wertheim Answers That, And Other 2010 U.S. Open Questions

Last week, he kindly answered a few tennis questions for us. Below is a transcript of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.

SB Nation: So let’s start with a tough one. The video of Roger Federer hitting a soda can off a guy’s head. Real or fake?
L. Jon Wertheim: Somebody made a good point: Think of the liability issues. Think about Roger Federer’s net worth. You don’t need to Zapruder it to know it’s fake.

SB Nation: Have there ever been two athletes at the top of a sport, especially a sport like tennis, who are so fond of each other? Both Federer and Nadal both seem so likable, too.
L. Jon Wertheim: It’s one of these things where X years from now we’re going to recall this rivalry and kick ourselves for not making a bigger deal out of it. It’s great. I’ve never seen anything like it, where you have two guys -- it’s not just like “Oh they have mutual respect.” They genuinely have fondness for each other. It’s pretty cool. I always say if the guys at the top are that cool, and that civil to each other, you really look dumb when you’re No. 31 and you act like a jackass.

SB Nation: I’ve read about a dozen different theories on why American men’s tennis isn’t what is used to be. What do you think?
L. Jon Wertheim: I’d love to see someone sort of...do the analytics on it. You take income, you take opportunity, you take population, and tell me definitively if [American tennis success] is disproportional or proportional [to what it should be]. I don’t know, I mean there are four Americans in the Top 20.* They play tennis everywhere now. It’s the X most popular sport here, but it’s second or third in a lot of other countries. If your basis is 1990, you have a drop off. But I’m not convinced. ... I’d love to see someone do the math. Forget about the sociology. Give me the data.
*As of Monday, Andy Roddick was No. 9, John Isner No. 20, Mardy Fish No. 21 and Sam Querrey No. 22.

SB Nation: Andy Roddick is still the most popular American player. Has he maxed out his ability?
L. Jon Wertheim: The one thing about tennis, you only need seven good matches and you’re a Grand Slam winner. I think he’s definitely on the back nine here, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he put together two weeks of great tennis. Is he going to go down as one of the all-time greats? No. But I think we’ll see him playing great tennis and winning one more Slam.

SB Nation: Serena Williams is out with a foot injury. I know she’s a big draw, but considering what happened last year, are there some Open executives who don’t mind not having to deal with all the hoopla?
L. Jon Wertheim: I think in another time, the answer would be yes. People have come to the realization that you ain’t selling tickets on Caroline Wozniacki. If this were five or 10 years ago, when you had [Monica] Seles, and [Jennifer] Capriati, and [Martina] Hingis and [Justine] Henin, when you had this great cast -- you look at that women’s draw and you certainly feel Serena’s absence.

SB Nation: Of all the matches you’ve seen, which was your favorite?
L. Jon Wertheim: I saw the Pete [Sampras] and Andre [Agassi] match [in 2002], the Capriati and Henin match in ‘03. But a lot of times the best matches are two guys just battling their guts out at 9 o’clock at night on a back court in front of 150 people. A lot of the fun at The Open is what goes on away from guys who are talking about Nobu.

Wertheim’s new book, Why We Win: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played, will hit shelves in January. Also, his recent SI cover story about Joey Votto is worth checking out.