Andy Roddick is flying high this week with a title in Dubai. Let’s see why.<\/b><\/p>\n
Our reader Gabs has been trashing us forever because we gush over Roger Federer<\/b> and give home-grown Andy Roddick<\/b> a hard time. We\u2019re trying to change our ways Gabs, honest we are, but you know, Andy hasn\u2019t give us a whole lot to crow about except for Davis Cup and I, for one, sat there in tears as the boys ran around the arena in Portland celebrating a Davis Cup title.<\/p>\n
Now we have something to crow about.<\/p>\n
I told you Andy Roddick<\/b> could beat Rafael Nadal<\/b> if he played a bit better from the baseline and served a few more aces. Well, it worked. I would have said no such thing about his next opponent – Novak Djokovic<\/b> – but Andy is on a roll and he rolled all the way into the Dubai final against Feliciano Lopez<\/b> and the two of them played an inspiring match.<\/p>\n
The crowd was crazy the whole evening. The entire female population \u2013 and some of the men, hopefully \u2013 screamed when Andy changed his shirt late in the second set. Lopez played an inspired tiebreaker to win the first set 8-6 but Andy has his own mojo working this week and he was undeterred. He took the second set 6-4 then broke Lopez to start the third set.<\/p>\n
Andy outsteadied Lopez from the baseline and ripped off passing shots like nobody\u2019s business. One of those passing shots gave him his second break in the third set after which the crowd broke out again, this time with chants of \u201cRODDICK RODDICK RODDICK\u2026\u201d Andy had won his second title of the year by the score of 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-2.<\/p>\n
To what do we attribute Andy\u2019s resurgence at a tournament usually dominated by the top two or three players? Two things: the coaching bump and temblor theory.<\/p>\n
Andy announced this week that he\u2019d split with his coach, Jimmy Connors<\/b>. Players often get a bump in their performance after separating from a coach. If they fired the coach they want to prove to themselves that they made the right decision. If the coach resigned, they want to show the coach that he gave up too soon.<\/p>\n
In this case, it appeared to be a mutual decision. Connors didn\u2019t want to travel as much and Andy couldn\u2019t talk to him about a match that Connors hadn\u2019t seen on TV. What\u2019s the matter Jimmy, you don\u2019t have streaming video :0). I think Connors did give up too soon and that brings up temblor theory.<\/p>\n
A temblor is an aftershock to an earthquake. After the big earthquake, the earth rumbles up smaller earthquakes for days after to complete the process of releasing the pressure built up by shifting tectonic plates. It\u2019s not a tremor or a rumble but a combination of the two \u2013 a temblor.<\/p>\n
Andy Murray<\/b>\u2019s victory over Roger Federer<\/b> was an earthquake and Roddick\u2019s and Lopez\u2019 victories are temblors \u2013 the sounds of upset and reorganization that come after confirmation of a deep reorganization in the structure, in this case, Roger Federer<\/b>\u2019s current vulnerability.<\/p>\n
Novak Djokovic<\/b>\u2019s victory over Federer in the Australian Open in January wasn\u2019t the earthquake because Federer had food poisoning preceding the tournament and couldn\u2019t prepare properly, but he was totally prepared for Dubai, now his home tournament, and he still went out in the first round and now every player has some of that little voice in his head that says, \u201cI can do it, I can beat Federer.\u201d Especially Roddick, one of Federer\u2019s most hapless victims. (Sorry Gabs but it\u2019s true.)<\/p>\n