June 8, 2000
SportsLine.com wire reports:
PARIS -- Andy Roddick became the last American to tumble out of the French Open on Thursday when he lost his quarterfinal junior boys match against France's Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.
Roddick did not comment after his defeat, but with his fledgling pro career taking off, he is sure to be back in the tennis spotlight soon.
As the last American competing in the singles in Paris, the world's top-ranked junior found himself the center of attention. He tried to not let the hype go to his head.
"When you hear people say, 'next great American hope,' it's nice, it's flattering, but it doesn't put the ball in the court," he said Wednesday.
Roddick made his debut on the pro circuit in February and the matches he has played have taught him a lot.
"I'm going to have to keep at it. I think their fitness is a lot better than mine right now, the way they play five sets of 20-ball rallies. I couldn't do that right now," he said.
Roddick has already had a glimpse of the world of tennis superstars. He was Andre Agassi's practice partner at the Davis Cup quarterfinal against the Czech Republic.
"Agassi is an animal in practice. When you see him practicing, it's like he's playing the finals in the Grand Slam every day," he said.
Roddick has requested wild cards to most of the tournaments before the U.S. Open. But he knows the size of the gap between juniors and pros.
"Juniors, you'll see them hanging out in the locker room twiddling their thumbs. Those guys are no-nonsense, they're all business," he said of the pros.
June 8, 2000