Even pros have bad days
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ByEurosport
Published 20/11/2004 at 19:45 GMT
Sometimes even the pros have a bad day! On Saturday, Andy Roddick's game was non-existent and even his coach Brad Gilbert was shocked into silence. Lleyton Hewitt, a player who loves to scrap, crushed last year's world champion 6-3 6-2 for a place in the
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"As soon as the bell rang I was up for it, ready to play my best tennis," said Hewitt, who committed six unforced errors in the entire 58-minute encounter.
"I just felt like I was on his serve right from the start and made it hard for him to dictate play."
Roddick, who this week became just the third player to serve more than 1,000 aces in the season, fired seven missiles past Hewitt in the opening set.
But a relentless Hewitt, the Masters champion of 2001 and 2002, would not be intimidated, weathering the assault and patiently waiting his chances.
The first would come at 3-3, Hewitt lofting a pinpoint lob over a charging Roddick to get the break and go up 4-3.
When Hewitt held serve to take the opening set, Roddick slammed his racket onto the court in frustration.
The hometown crowd rallied around their fellow Texan in the second set but Roddick would never come close to matching the intensity of his inspired opponent.
When Hewitt broke to go up 3-2 it sucked any remaining energy from Roddick, the Australian storming through the final five games by winning 20 consecutive points.
"Plain and simple, I didn't play well and he took his chances when he had them," said Roddick. "I didn't step up.
"You have to make things happen against Lleyton to beat him and I didn't do that today. Not a lot went right."
The Australian improved his record to 4-1. Roddick had won their only match at the Queen's Club semi-finals in June.
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