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America's next hope
Posted: Wednesday June 07, 2000 06:45 PM By Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated
With that bleak backdrop, Roddick's matches in the junior event here are being followed with watchful eyes. The lone American left in Paris, he didn't disappoint today, advancing to the quarters with a hard-fought 7-6, 6-4 win over Russian Dmitry Vlassov. Though Roddick's power game was blunted by the slow clay and his serve -- which clocked more than 130 mph in a match against Andre Agassi at the Ericsson this spring -- was giving him fits, he showed considerable toughness. "It's hard to come over here and win against guys that have having been playing on clay their whole lives," he admitted afterward. "I just found a way to win." You hate to saddle anyone too young to vote with lofty expectations, but it's hard not to get excited about Roddick's potential. He may not be done growing, but he already hits a big serve, possesses a rapier for a forehand and he has a malleable game. He can serve-and-volley, he can play from the baseline. He can hit flat, he can lace his shots with spin. He has a hard court in the backyard of his home in Boca Raton, Fla. But his coach, Tarik Benhabiles, a former French pro, prepared Roddick for the clay. "I try to do a little bit of everything," he said. Above all, Roddick appears to have a good head on his shoulders. Born in Omaha, Neb. -- when we say he's American, we mean it, dammit -- he has resided all over the country but never lived the burnout-inducing academy life. He just graduated from Boca Prep High School, he played on the basketball team there, he likes to hang out with his friends and read Steinbeck. Particularly since he won the junior title in Australia, he's heard the "Great American Hope" tag all too often, but he's in taking it in stride. "It's nice and flattering," he said. "But it doesn't put the ball in the court." No, it doesn't. But we can dream, can't we? Half volleysSpeaking of Roddick, down 5-4 in the first set he served an ace on the T that was called out. Without so much as glancing as the mark, Vlassov conceded the point and moved over to the next deuce court. I've seen countless points played over the week, and despite some blatant missed calls this was the first time I witnessed a player taking the high road. ... Mary Pierce and Martina Hingis, who face each other in the money match Thursday, had an easy day at the office. They advanced to the doubles semifinals when Pat Tarabini and Conchita Martinez, their opponents, retired early in the second set of their match. PaTa, as Tarabini's called, apparently suffered a calf injury. ... Agassi has taken a wild card into a Wimbledon tuneup. ... The Martina Navratilova dress rehearsal played its last run Thursday in Paris. She and Mariaan De Swardt lost to Alex Fusai and Nathalie Tauziat 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Overall, Martina acquitted herself awfully well here, but she was the player whose serve was broken late in the third set. ... Navratilova was still seething about being forced to take the court after 8 last night. "It was unconscionable, pretty much," she groused. "There was no excuse for that." ... Leander Paes, the nicest player you could ever hope to meet, is on his way back to Orlando, where he will spend the next three months trying to rehab the torn tendons in his hand. ... From the rumor mill: Was that Hingis seated in Magnus Norman's box during his four-set quarterfinal win over Marat Safin Thursday?
Sports Illustrated staff writer Jon Wertheim is covering the French Open for the magazine. Check back each day for a new report from Paris.
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