Roddick Rues Release, Another ATP Doping Suspension
Posted on February 9, 2006TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Call Andy Roddick "Pie Crust," because the actions of the former No. 1-ranked American just keep getting flakier and flakier. Last week it was unexpectedly showing up to play the Delray Beach qualifying event, then leaving in a huff with coach Dean Goldfine telling the local press that the tournament director had broken a trust by notifying the local media. Then yesterday Roddick's official website posted the story that Goldfine had been canned in favor of his brother John becoming his traveling coach, with Goldfine now in some vague supporting role. But by noon yesterday the story had been pulled from Andy's website, and Andy wasn't making himself available for comment -- nor was his website returning inquiries. Oops. The flaky-goodness Pie Crust saga continues today with one day remaining until Andy, James Blake and the Bryan brothers take on Romania. Is the best preparation for a big match firing your coach mere days before? "Andy felt that basically I wasn't able to help him play his best tennis," Goldfine told Charlie "Brick" Bricker of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I think, in general, coaches a lot of times get too much credit and too much of the blame. We can't hit the balls for them."
John McEnroe will be calling the U.S. Davis Cup action with Leif Shiras this weekend on OLN/The Tennis Channel: "John McEnroe is the most recognizable face in tennis commentary and his legacy in Davis Cup is in a league of its own," said Steve Bellamy, president and founder of The Tennis Channel. "It is our goal to make every broadcast spectacular and John is a perfect addition to a wonderful venue and an incredible U.S. team."...Brad Gilbert speaking to the BBC on Andy Roddick: "More than anything, his situation is about how much better [Roger] Federer has been since 2003. He's like the Tiger Woods of tennis. Without Federer, Andy would be winning a whole lot more tournaments." -- That may apply for the eight times they have faced each other from 2003-05, three times at Slams (all at Wimbledon), but what would account for all of Andy's other event/Slam losses? That's some Andy apology-PR going a little far -- you're not his coach any more Brad, get a little objective. His last four losses to Gilles Muller, Ivo Karlovic, Ivan Ljubicic and Marcos Baghdatis haven't had anything to do with Club Fed...Brother John is the third coach in the last 14 months for Andy Roddick...Murphy Jensen blogging for The Tennis Channel website: "Tommy Hass [sic] attended Delray for the first time with high school sweetheart Sandy who is currently a jewelry designer and hopes to launch a new line anytime. I don't think it will be called Tommy. He has been traveling with her since Australia and they seem to be the hot combination because Tommy acts and sounds happy and looks healthy again after a couple of years of nagging injuries."...Andy Roddick on the court speed and setting for the U.S. Davis Cup tie this weekend: "It's a very, very average court in every aspect. I don't mean 'average' as bad. I'm saying the speed, the balance, everything about it. I think it's a pretty intimate court out there, environment. Should feel pretty loud."...Worst/creepiest "question" from the U.S. Davis Cup press conference: "I got to the watch the match in Belgium that Andy [Roddick] played, brought terrific intensity to that match. Truly elevated your game. I hope you're going to be able to keep that intensity. You played a terrific match. Hope to see that intensity continue."...From the AP: "Argentine tennis player Mariano Hood has been suspended for one year after testing positive for a banned drug at the French Open. The International Tennis Federation -- the sport's world governing body -- announced the ban on Wednesday. The ITF's Anti-Doping Tribunal rejected Hood's defense that he was taking the drug finasteride to prevent hair loss. Finasteride can be used as an agent to mask the presence of other drugs and is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list." -- You've got to hand it to the doubles specialist Hood though, hair loss, that's a good effort. The ban is effective from last October...From Justine Henin-Hardenne's website: "Last October Justine revealed that Fed Cup was a huge possibility, but the decision was going to be made after the Australian leg of the tour in 2006. Justine has pondered this question, and has decided to be available for the Belgium squad on the condition that she must be in good health at the time of the Fed Cup meetings. Justine will be working with Fed Cup captain Carl Maes, and the French-speaking region's tennis president, Andrew Stein during the sessions. The first Fed Cup tie (or matches) for 2006 squad will be played in Belgium on April the 22 and 23, in Country Hall of Sart-Tilman, Southern Belgium at Liege. The Belgians will face off with the reigning title holder champions, the Russians."...Martina Navratilova plans to play a full schedule of doubles tournaments in 2006, including the three remaining Grand Slams, and may even play some singles: "I just feel like I'm not quite done yet," Navratilova said Wednesday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "When I feel like I'm done, then I'm done. And I don't know when that will happen. We'll see how the body's going...I might get on the grass again (in singles). Right now, that's so far away, I'm not worried about it or thinking about it. If it happens, it happens. If I'm ready, then I'll play. If I'm not, then I won't...I'm going to start patting my own back a little more, saying, 'You know what? What I'm doing is amazing.' It's maybe about defying age and showing Father Time, 'Hey, I'm still here.' I've always been the defiant type. That's why I left the country. I couldn't deal with the Communists." Navratilova had knee surgery at the end of last year, and looks to return later this month at Dubai and Doha where the under-the-table guarantees are bound to be delicious...From tennisreporters.net: "It appears that Aussie Lleyton Hewitt will definitely play San Jose, despite the heat he is receiving Down Under for opting out of his country's Davis Cup tie against Switzerland in Geneva. Hewitt's camp has made full arrangements with the tournament to take care of his wife, Bec, as well as their baby, Mia. Some members of the Aussie press are claiming that Hewitt's bum ankle is healed and that he's skipping the tie in protest of Tennis Australia's failure to speed up the courts at the Aussie Open." Ya think?...From Jon Wertheim at SI.com: "I wonder if the folks from JHH's camp and at the WTA -- make that the SONY ERICSSON WTA Tour -- have grasped the dimensions of this p.r. crisis. I easily got 250 emails from you guys, and they were running 95 percent against Henin-Hardenne. Tennis Nation is really cracking on her. This isn't the usual partisan rooting. These are sentiments like Ted's. "I used to admire her pluck, but I simply can't support [her] any longer."...Yahoo! Sport's tennis page is still running the ATP "Champions Race" standings, dubbed the "Latest World Rankings" at Yahoo!, where Marcos Baghdatis is No. 2 "in the world," and Nicholas Kiefer No. 4. Thanks ATP! Keep feeding them that outdated data, after pulling the Champions Race from the ATP site...Pat Rafter says he's going to do more junior coaching: "I'm looking forward to that. I've got to do something, I'm not doing a lot."...Next week's ATP San Jose event has taken away Sargis Sargsian's main draw wildcard, giving it to Mardy Fish and bumping Sargsian to the qualifying. Guess Andre Agassi's pull only goes so far...Henri Leconte says he wants to return to the tour to play doubles with Boris Becker...Best weird headline goes to the San Diego Union-Tribune for their U.S. Davis Cup coverage: "Romanians not here for us to patronize"...Mary Pierce has taken a wildcard into next week's strong Antwerp field...From the Sydney Morning Herald: "Lleyton Hewitt says accusations that he snubbed a Special Olympics fundraiser feel like a knife in the back given his commitment to Australia. He says he didn't know about the event, and couldn't have gone anyway because, had he not been sidelined by injury, he was due to be playing Davis Cup tennis in Switzerland. Special Olympics Australia has unreservedly apologised to the tennis champ for a misunderstanding that fueled reports in News Limited newspapers and on the Seven Network."...Sjeng Schalken is back in the quarterfinals this week of the Bergamo Challenger after being out for an extended period with illness and a foot injury.
Call Andy Roddick "Pie Crust," because the actions of the former No. 1-ranked American just keep getting flakier and flakier. Last week it was unexpectedly showing up to play the Delray Beach qualifying event, then leaving in a huff with coach Dean Goldfine telling the local press that the tournament director had broken a trust by notifying the local media. Then yesterday Roddick's official website posted the story that Goldfine had been canned in favor of his brother John becoming his traveling coach, with Goldfine now in some vague supporting role. But by noon yesterday the story had been pulled from Andy's website, and Andy wasn't making himself available for comment -- nor was his website returning inquiries. Oops. The flaky-goodness Pie Crust saga continues today with one day remaining until Andy, James Blake and the Bryan brothers take on Romania. Is the best preparation for a big match firing your coach mere days before? "Andy felt that basically I wasn't able to help him play his best tennis," Goldfine told Charlie "Brick" Bricker of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I think, in general, coaches a lot of times get too much credit and too much of the blame. We can't hit the balls for them."
John McEnroe will be calling the U.S. Davis Cup action with Leif Shiras this weekend on OLN/The Tennis Channel: "John McEnroe is the most recognizable face in tennis commentary and his legacy in Davis Cup is in a league of its own," said Steve Bellamy, president and founder of The Tennis Channel. "It is our goal to make every broadcast spectacular and John is a perfect addition to a wonderful venue and an incredible U.S. team."...Brad Gilbert speaking to the BBC on Andy Roddick: "More than anything, his situation is about how much better [Roger] Federer has been since 2003. He's like the Tiger Woods of tennis. Without Federer, Andy would be winning a whole lot more tournaments." -- That may apply for the eight times they have faced each other from 2003-05, three times at Slams (all at Wimbledon), but what would account for all of Andy's other event/Slam losses? That's some Andy apology-PR going a little far -- you're not his coach any more Brad, get a little objective. His last four losses to Gilles Muller, Ivo Karlovic, Ivan Ljubicic and Marcos Baghdatis haven't had anything to do with Club Fed...Brother John is the third coach in the last 14 months for Andy Roddick...Murphy Jensen blogging for The Tennis Channel website: "Tommy Hass [sic] attended Delray for the first time with high school sweetheart Sandy who is currently a jewelry designer and hopes to launch a new line anytime. I don't think it will be called Tommy. He has been traveling with her since Australia and they seem to be the hot combination because Tommy acts and sounds happy and looks healthy again after a couple of years of nagging injuries."...Andy Roddick on the court speed and setting for the U.S. Davis Cup tie this weekend: "It's a very, very average court in every aspect. I don't mean 'average' as bad. I'm saying the speed, the balance, everything about it. I think it's a pretty intimate court out there, environment. Should feel pretty loud."...Worst/creepiest "question" from the U.S. Davis Cup press conference: "I got to the watch the match in Belgium that Andy [Roddick] played, brought terrific intensity to that match. Truly elevated your game. I hope you're going to be able to keep that intensity. You played a terrific match. Hope to see that intensity continue."...From the AP: "Argentine tennis player Mariano Hood has been suspended for one year after testing positive for a banned drug at the French Open. The International Tennis Federation -- the sport's world governing body -- announced the ban on Wednesday. The ITF's Anti-Doping Tribunal rejected Hood's defense that he was taking the drug finasteride to prevent hair loss. Finasteride can be used as an agent to mask the presence of other drugs and is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list." -- You've got to hand it to the doubles specialist Hood though, hair loss, that's a good effort. The ban is effective from last October...From Justine Henin-Hardenne's website: "Last October Justine revealed that Fed Cup was a huge possibility, but the decision was going to be made after the Australian leg of the tour in 2006. Justine has pondered this question, and has decided to be available for the Belgium squad on the condition that she must be in good health at the time of the Fed Cup meetings. Justine will be working with Fed Cup captain Carl Maes, and the French-speaking region's tennis president, Andrew Stein during the sessions. The first Fed Cup tie (or matches) for 2006 squad will be played in Belgium on April the 22 and 23, in Country Hall of Sart-Tilman, Southern Belgium at Liege. The Belgians will face off with the reigning title holder champions, the Russians."...Martina Navratilova plans to play a full schedule of doubles tournaments in 2006, including the three remaining Grand Slams, and may even play some singles: "I just feel like I'm not quite done yet," Navratilova said Wednesday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "When I feel like I'm done, then I'm done. And I don't know when that will happen. We'll see how the body's going...I might get on the grass again (in singles). Right now, that's so far away, I'm not worried about it or thinking about it. If it happens, it happens. If I'm ready, then I'll play. If I'm not, then I won't...I'm going to start patting my own back a little more, saying, 'You know what? What I'm doing is amazing.' It's maybe about defying age and showing Father Time, 'Hey, I'm still here.' I've always been the defiant type. That's why I left the country. I couldn't deal with the Communists." Navratilova had knee surgery at the end of last year, and looks to return later this month at Dubai and Doha where the under-the-table guarantees are bound to be delicious...From tennisreporters.net: "It appears that Aussie Lleyton Hewitt will definitely play San Jose, despite the heat he is receiving Down Under for opting out of his country's Davis Cup tie against Switzerland in Geneva. Hewitt's camp has made full arrangements with the tournament to take care of his wife, Bec, as well as their baby, Mia. Some members of the Aussie press are claiming that Hewitt's bum ankle is healed and that he's skipping the tie in protest of Tennis Australia's failure to speed up the courts at the Aussie Open." Ya think?...From Jon Wertheim at SI.com: "I wonder if the folks from JHH's camp and at the WTA -- make that the SONY ERICSSON WTA Tour -- have grasped the dimensions of this p.r. crisis. I easily got 250 emails from you guys, and they were running 95 percent against Henin-Hardenne. Tennis Nation is really cracking on her. This isn't the usual partisan rooting. These are sentiments like Ted's. "I used to admire her pluck, but I simply can't support [her] any longer."...Yahoo! Sport's tennis page is still running the ATP "Champions Race" standings, dubbed the "Latest World Rankings" at Yahoo!, where Marcos Baghdatis is No. 2 "in the world," and Nicholas Kiefer No. 4. Thanks ATP! Keep feeding them that outdated data, after pulling the Champions Race from the ATP site...Pat Rafter says he's going to do more junior coaching: "I'm looking forward to that. I've got to do something, I'm not doing a lot."...Next week's ATP San Jose event has taken away Sargis Sargsian's main draw wildcard, giving it to Mardy Fish and bumping Sargsian to the qualifying. Guess Andre Agassi's pull only goes so far...Henri Leconte says he wants to return to the tour to play doubles with Boris Becker...Best weird headline goes to the San Diego Union-Tribune for their U.S. Davis Cup coverage: "Romanians not here for us to patronize"...Mary Pierce has taken a wildcard into next week's strong Antwerp field...From the Sydney Morning Herald: "Lleyton Hewitt says accusations that he snubbed a Special Olympics fundraiser feel like a knife in the back given his commitment to Australia. He says he didn't know about the event, and couldn't have gone anyway because, had he not been sidelined by injury, he was due to be playing Davis Cup tennis in Switzerland. Special Olympics Australia has unreservedly apologised to the tennis champ for a misunderstanding that fueled reports in News Limited newspapers and on the Seven Network."...Sjeng Schalken is back in the quarterfinals this week of the Bergamo Challenger after being out for an extended period with illness and a foot injury.