Wimbledon men’s quarterfinal: Andy Roddick vs. Lleyton Hewitt
An American man hasn’t made much of a splash at Wimbledon in the past few years, but two-time finalist Andy Roddick has a chance to change all that if he can beat former champ Lleyton Hewitt in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
Roddick, the sixth seed, reached the quarters by beating Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Monday. Berdych had not dropped a set in three matches going into the match. Roddick served at 70 percent, had 24 aces and didn’t face a break point. He is in the quarterfinals for the fourth time but first since 2007.
“I’m having so much fun… I love playing here, it’s an honor and something that is never lost on me,” Roddick said. “I know that so far I’m happy with the way I’ve been going here. That’s probably my concern.”
Head-to-head, the Aussie Hewitt leads Roddick 6-5. But the American has won the past four matches, including two this year. Roddick has dropped just one set in those four matches, and he has opened as the WagerWeb.com betting favorite.
“It doesn’t get any easier from here,” said Roddick, who has only faced Hewitt once on grass – the Queen’s Club warm-up tournament for Wimbledon in early June. “I have loads of respect for Lleyton, what he’s been able to accomplish. Everyone knows he’s certainly capable of playing very, very, very well on this surface.”
Hewitt, 28, is ranked No. 56 in the world and in the quarterfinals of a major for the first time since 2006.
Of course he won Wimbledon in 2001 on the way to being the No. 1 player in the world.
In the second round this year, Hewitt defeated the No. 5 player in the world, Juan Martin Del Potro, in a one-sided performance. In the fourth round, Hewitt rallied from down two sets to love to defeat Radek Stepanek. Hewitt did suffer a left thigh injury which required on-court treatment in that match, but he says he will be fine for Wednesday.
Hewitt has returned to full health after potentially career-threatening hip surgery last September. He is prepared for the big-serving Roddick.
“You know you’re going to get aced out there,” Hewitt said. “You know he’s going to come up with big shots. You’ve got to weather the storm and take those small chances when you get the opportunity.”
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