29/03/2012 00:22 CEST - Rassegna internazionale

Serena e Roddick, la strada è ancora lunga (Miami Herald)

It was not the script American tennis fans would have written.

Less than 24 hours after Andy Roddick proved he’s still got game with a stunning upset of nemesis Roger Federer, he lost 7-5, 6-0 to Juan “Pico” Monaco in the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open. Argentine fans in soccer jerseys waved flags and sang “Ole-Ole-Ole!” as dusk set in while Roddick trudged dejectedly into the tunnel.

Later Tuesday night, a frustrated Serena Williams rushed off Stadium Court after being bounced 6-4, 6-4 by Caroline Wozniacki in a battle of former No. 1s. Williams was aiming to win a record sixth title in Key Biscayne, but the relentless Dane — cheered on by golfer boyfriend Rory McIlroy — derailed her.

“There is no script in sports,” Roddick had said after beating Federer. “That’s what makes it the best entertainment in the world.” Roddick and Williams were both coming off injuries, and their lack of match time seemed to have caught up with them.

“There’s no real way around it, when you have to make a quick recovery, it will expose you if you’re not in shape,” said Roddick, who is getting over a torn hamstring. “Most people can play a match and it’s fine. It’s the recovery where it kind of defines you. … I just didn’t have it physically. I got to 4-all, and I’m out of shape. That’s it.’’
Williams said she played “at 20 percent” and blamed her loss on 36 unforced errors and Wozniacki’s elevated game: “Everyone I play always plays the match of the year. It’s no surprise. I think she knew that she had to play really well to hang in there. I didn’t step up to the plate. … I just made a tremendous amount of errors. I’m older, and I shouldn’t do that. There’s no excuse. I just gotta stop that. It’s silly.’’

Roddick shot down the suggestion that he might have been emotionally drained after his gutsy three-set win over Federer — only the third time he had beaten him in 24 tries. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I’m professional enough to take care of that. But you can’t lie to your body.”

Monaco sensed Roddick was physically spent and tried to capitalize. He said his strategy was to run the American from side to side. “I was exhausted from my match against [Gael] Monfils, but it seemed Roddick was even more tired,” Monaco said. “I wanted to make him move a lot to wear him out, because I knew he has such a dominant serve. When I won the first set, it gave me confidence.’’

Monaco, the 21st-ranked Argentine, calls Madrid, Tokyo, Miami and his hometown of Tandil his favorite four cities in the world. He surely will like Miami even more after this week. Had Roddick won, he would have faced close friend and eighth-ranked Mardy Fish in what he called “a popcorn match’’ quarterfinal. Fish played his best tennis of the season to get past Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3.

Roddick and Fish attended high school together in Boca Raton, and Roddick’s supermodel wife, Brooklyn Decker, was texting Fish from Germany on Monday night asking how to watch the Roddick-Federer match online.