Andy Roddick Loses To Juan Martin del Potro, Goes Into Retirement

Andy Roddick, 30, concluded his professional tennis career with a fourth-round defeat to Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro at the U.S. Open Wednesday; 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-2.

After the match, Roddick took the microphone and addressed the crowd. “For the first time in my career I'm not sure what to say. Since I was a kid I've been coming to this tournament,” Roddick said. “I've felt lucky to sit where all of you sit … to see the champions who have come and gone, and I've loved every minute of it. It's been a road, lot of ups, lot of downs, lot of great moments, and I've appreciated your support along the way. I love you guys with all my heart. Hopefully I'll come back to this place someday and see all of you again. Last, I want to say thank you to my family, my mom and dad who gave me every chance. One thing I'm not scared about retirement is the people I go home to.”

Roddick closes his career with a record of 612-213. He won a total of 32 tournaments, with his only Grand Slam tournament win coming at the U.S. Open in 2003, when he defeated Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final. In addition, Roddick was a runner-up to Roger Federer in four Grand Slam finals, losing in 2004, 2005 and 2009 at Wimbledon, and again in 2006 at the U.S. Open.

Roddick, who is married to Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker, has stated that he would like to focus more on his foundation for underprivileged children. He also co-hosts a sports radio show on Fox Sports Radio. —Chris Camacho

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