As far as attributes go, Andy Roddick, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport on Saturday, has always been world-class. His all-time great serve, which helped him win 32 tour-level titles and finish in the year-end Top 10 nine straight years; his competitive personality, which endeared him to millions of fans; and his leadership – the American carried the U.S. flag for years, hauling the burden of sky-high expectations after the preceding generation of Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and Jim Courier. But Roddick, more than anything else, was methodical. He was one of the hardest workers on the ATP World Tour, a relentless professional who did everything to max out his abilities....
On the ATP Challenger Tour, some of the most successful tournaments are those that integrate local community and culture into the fabric of the event's identity. The Hague Open has embraced this concept since the tournament was founded in 1993, evolving into one of the premier Challenger destinations for not only the players, but Dutch fans in the surrounding region. This week, the tournament is celebrating its 25-year anniversary, having remained a staple on the circuit with a commitment to growing the game and cultivating the talent of its rising stars. With world-class competition including Marat Safin, Marcelo Rios, David Nalbandian, Nikolay Davydenko, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet, some of the game's greats have walked through its doors. Located in...
Andy Roddick has had a busy start to his induction weekend at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. He toured the museum on Friday, checking out his own exhibit as well as the rest of the museum, which is divided into three sections: The Birth of Tennis (1874-1918); The Popular Game (1918-1968); and The Open Era (1968-present). Roddick also took time to talk with ATPWorldTour.com about a variety of subjects, including what exactly happened to his trophies and Roger Federer's continued dominance. Has it started to sink in yet, that you're inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame? I don't know that it will ever be real, walking through here and seeing my superheroes... It's just insane and...
Second seed John Isner continued his bid to reclaim the Newport title, advancing to the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over fellow American Dennis Novikov on Friday afternoon at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open. The top seed fired 20 aces and did not face a break point in the 73-minute victory. "Just one of those matches on a surface like this, with two pretty good servers, that's how it can go – you just get one break and you try to hold onto it. That's what I did," he said. "I felt like in the second set I could have extended it to a two-break lead but a lot of times one break is all I need...
Ivan Dodig used home soil to his advantage, ousting top seed David Goffin 7-5, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Friday. The 32-year-old Zagreb native fired five aces to advance in 92 minutes. Goffin was making his Umag debut this week after missing the entire grass-court season due to an ankle injury. “I tried to be aggressive from the first point and tried to play shorter points,” said Dodig. “In the end, today was my day. I really felt good on the court and I was really aggressive.” Dodig will next face #NextGenATP’s Andrey Rublev, who entered the draw as a Lucky Loser and has now reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final....
