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Roddick Wins, Ferrero Takes His Turn at Slamming Masters Cup OrganizersView Comments (1) | View Discussions
Posted on November 16, 2003
 World No. 1 Andy Roddick will continue his growing rivalry with Roger Federer in today's semifinals at the Tennis Masters Cup after Friday edging Guillermo Coria 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3 in the final round robin match at the year-end championship.
"After that one break at 3-2, my confidence just kind of soared up from nowhere and I started hitting the ball pretty clean," said Roddick, who found himself on the opposite end of Coria serving at 3-2, 40-0 in the third. "I can't be too proud. My attitude was pretty bad for the most part of the end of the second and beginning of the third. So, you know, I'd be proud if I maybe played the whole match like that."
In the two earlier round robin matches of no consequence, Juan Carlos Ferrero put in a listless effort in a 6-3, 6-1 loss to Roger Federer, and Carlos Moya stepped up to beat Rainer Schuettler 7-5, 6-4.
While Ferrero tanked, Federer said he had no problem getting up for the match.
"I think if I win all my matches until the end of the tournament I can still end No. 2 in the world," Federer said. "That should have been motivation enough for this match. Especially because he's (Ferrero) ranked ahead of me and I lost to him in Madrid last time, it was really no problem to get motivated for this match."
The Spaniard will need to look hard for some motivation, as now he heads to Australia to prepare for the Davis Cup final on grass.
"I'm not feeling very good right now," Ferrero said. "I played three very bad matches. So I have to think right now about Australia and forget about this tournament."
Ferrero didn't leave Houston without getting in some final rips at tournament organizers, who were holding the year-end championships in Houston for the first time.
"This Masters Cup is not the same as I played before. There (at other locations) it was much better than here, the court, the organization," said Ferrero after players complained during the week about court conditions, bad food, poor conditions in the player's lounge, and a general lack of hospitality for the non-American players. "This tournament is not special. The Masters is always special and it was not this time. They need to improve for next year. It's a lot of things."
In the second doubles semifinal Friday, the Bryan brothers improved their career record against Argentines Etlis/Rodriguez to 5-0 after a 6-2, 6-4 beating to reach the final.
Today's singles semifinal match-ups (best-of-three sets) are Agassi vs. Schuettler (Agassi leads career head-to-head 2-1, splitting meetings this year) and Roddick vs. Federer (Fed leads 4-1, with A-Rod winning their last encounter at the TMS-Canada this year 7-6 in the third). "I go out there every match expecting a dogfight," Agassi said of his encounter with Schuettler. "I'll make him play a great match to beat me. That's for sure." Roddick says his semi will be no picnic either. "It's gonna be tough...he's definitely played the best tennis through the round robin," said A-Rod of Federer. "I'm still lucky to be here. That's the way I'm looking at it. He's probably playing better than me right now. I just have to try to find a way to scrap out a win."
The doubles final will be the Bryan brothers vs. Frenchmen Llodra-Santoro (brothers lead 2-1, all meeting have gone three sets) in a best-of-five sets match. "They are tough. Going in I consider it a coin flip. It's whoever executes," said Mike Bryan, who with brother Bob beat the Frenchmen days ago in three sets in the round robin. "Llodra has all the power and Santoro compliments him with touch and craftiness. This is definitely the toughest we've had to fight to win a title. We're going out as hard as we can. It would be very special to win this. It's like the fifth Grand Slam, maybe even tougher than a Slam."
FINAL ROUND ROBIN STANDINGS - SINGLES
Red Group:
(6) Rainer Schuettler 2-1 win-loss (4-4 sets) *
(1) Andy Roddick 2-1 (5-4) *
-----------------------------
(4) Guillermo Coria 1-2 (4-3)
(7) Carlos Moya 1-2 (3-4)
Blue Group:
(3) Roger Federer 3-0 win-loss (6-1 sets) *
(5) Andre Agassi 2-1 (5-4) *
-----------------------------
(8) David Nalbandian 1-2 (3-4)
(2) Juan Carlos Ferrero 0-3 (1-6)
* Clinched semifinal berth
UNDEFEATED YEAR-END SINGLES WINNERS
Roger Federer needs just two more wins to secure the No. 2 year-end ranking and add his name to the year-end champions who won without dropping a match in the history of the round robin format:
2001 Lleyton Hewitt
1993 Michael Stich
1987 Ivan Lendl
1986 Ivan Lendl
NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
Former Aussie Open winner Roscoe Tanner's troubles continue: According to the AP, Tanner was sentenced to 10 years' probation and ordered to repay a boat seller more than $102,000 in restitution and interest after being found guilty of grand theft and writing a worthless check, this after spending more than 100 days behind bars...Andy Roddick was amazed at the quick wardrobe changes during his stint hosting Saturday Night Live: "You literally are standing there while people are stripping off your stuff. One person is doing your shirt; one person is touching your face. Someone says, `O.K., lift your left foot.' So, you lift your left foot, and a shoe goes in. Literally, you're then sprinting across the studio to your next spot."...Andy Roddick has joined the chorus of players wishing to see a commissioner over all of professional tennis: "Every other sport has a commissioner. I'd like to see it unified. I think everyone wants what's best for the game, but they want what's best for themselves, as well. If we could just get everyone on one page."...If Schuettler and Federer win today, look for tournament head Mattress Mac to go on suicide watch...Martina Navratilova says doubles partner Lisa Raymond is pumped about making the trip to Moscow for the Fed Cup semifinals: "Lisa has been going crazy, shopping and getting ready for the trip. I keep getting e-mails from her, how excited she is about going there."...According to Reuters, the ITF will re-test players' urine samples taken from this year's slams to look for the newly-discovered steroid THG...Anna Kournikova has targeted March 2004 for her comeback to tennis from a back injury...Before the start of the evening session on Friday, Bob and Mike Bryan were presented with the ATP Doubles Race trophies by ATP CEO Mark Miles and US Open Chairman Alan Schwartz for clinching the year-end No. 1 doubles title. The Bryans are the first team of brothers to end the year No. 1 and the first Americans since 1989 (Rick Leach and Jim Pugh)...Bjorn Borg has come out as a fan of Andy Roddick: "The American has really deserved first place in the rankings. He will become very hard to beat in the next few years, he will dominate the sport. When he gets his tennis together it's not easy to take a set from him," Borg said in Friday's newspaper Dagens Nyheter. "Roddick simply plays at a higher tempo than the others."...Leander Paes has been appointed Indian Davis Cup captain after Ramesh Krishnan quit to travel with his tennis-playing daughter Gayatri and spend more time with his family...The ITF is not backing down in their decision of choosing Russia to host the Fed Cup semis and final, even with the Belgian boycott: "We value a lot the players participation but that participation should not depend on where the players want to play," ITF president Francesco Ricci "Itti" Bitti told Reuters. "Tennis is a sport and a business and we have to do what is in the best interest of the sport. I regret the Williams sisters are not able to attend and that Kim (Clijsters) and Justine (Henin-Hardenne) played only in the first part. We regret this but the competition has its own value."...Patrick Rafter says Lleyton Hewitt had an off year in 2004 because he slacked off on being an arrogant a-hole (or words to that effect): "He's a very humble kid, when you really get to know Lleyton," Rafter told Fox Sports. "He just doesn't have that real arrogance, that air of 'I'm going to do this and shove it in your face' sort of thing. He knows his limitations and I guess he didn't back himself this year. It's hard to stay at the top of the game. When you're No. 1 there's only one place to go. If we don't see big results from him next year, I definitely think the year after he'll develop more as a player and as a person." And as an a-hole..."Anti-Roddick" fans, was there ever any doubt Roddick would overcome a 3-2, 40-0 deficit to Coria? The only question was if he would ace Coria on matchpoint down the middle or out wide. Yawn...
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