The blonde who inspired Andy Roddick's return to form

Former model Brooklyn talked the American out of quitting the sport and convinced him that he could realise his dream

Kevin Eason

For a woman who professes to know little about tennis, she made the best decision of Andy Roddick’s life. The American was on the verge of quitting the sport after being dumped out of Wimbledon a year ago. He fled London for the United States, trying to escape the images of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer fighting over a trophy he had dreamed of lifting all his life.

Then Brooklyn, his wife, intervened. She convinced Roddick to keep trying. Tomorrow, Andy Roddick will play in the Wimbledon men’s singles final. “I was probably leaning towards not really playing that well,” Roddick said last night. “She didn’t know much about tennis — she thought I was playing really great. Anyway, she thought I looked cute in shorts.

“Brook has been a calming influence and someone that I can confide in and not have to put on a super-brave front to. And you know, she makes the players’ box better-looking.”

It is one of those heart-warming stories, laced with Roddick’s wry humour, that could be plucked from the pages of a magazine, much as Roddick plucked his wife from the pages of Sports Illustrated. Brooklyn Decker was a swimwear model and, Roddick, lonely and bored and flicking through the magazine to kill time, stopped at her picture — and fell in love at first sight.

They married in April, part of the life change that has seen Roddick, 26, transformed from an also-ran competing in the shadow of Nadal, Federer and even Andy Murray — the man he vanquished yesterday — to a player on the brink of winning another grand-slam title.

Nobody would have given him a hope two weeks ago but Roddick’s electrifying performance against Murray has got the pundits wondering whether he could add to his US Open title of six years ago, when he was the world No 1.

But just as big an influence on yesterday’s match was Larry Stefanki, the coach he hired seven months ago. Stefanki ordered a new regime of fitness, diet and concentration that proved its worth on Centre Court as Roddick blocked out the 15,000-strong crowd screaming their support for Murray and played with an astonishing intensity that blew the Scot away.

Murray had won six of their past eight matches; the ninth meeting proved to be the one that counted.

“I knew that getting all hyped-up, especially in an atmosphere that probably wasn’t going to be super favourable to me, wasn’t the way to go,” Roddick said. “I just wanted to stay the course. ”

Despite his defeat at the hands of Nadal in the final last year, Federer will start the match as the red-hot favourite, not least because of his 18-2 record against Roddick.

Yet the American has already proved in the semi-final that records do not count when you walk out on court and Decker has allowed her husband to dream again — specifically that dream he had for years of lifting the historic trophy in front of a packed Centre Court.

“I know how tough it is,” Roddick said. “But I am excited about this one. I didn’t know if I was going to get to play in a final at Wimbledon again. I am certainly thankful to have the opportunity.”

“Brook and I had lots of talks [about whether] I could still play at the top of the game. I openly questioned it.

“[But] I worked real hard and have been committed to everything from diet to sleep. So I gave myself every opportunity to succeed.”

If opportunity knocks tomorrow, Roddick will know who to thank.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article6633632.ece

Larry STEFANKI, coach (photo taken from EPSN website)

The story was taken from Times Online. The copyright remains with its original owner. The Times is not involved with, nor endorse the production of this blog.

顯示文章地圖

我要檢舉