The Times of London Sports Editors Simon Barnes and Neil Harman got Sunday’s Wimbledon story right. Andy Roddick was not just the ragged warrior but also the hero of the match – unfortunately, the tragic hero. For no country is quite like the US in Sports.
To finish second is equivalent to finishing thirtieth or to being consigned to the ever Limbo of Undistinguished. And so Andy will have to live the hell that is Not Quite in US Sport. Yet in his play and in his defeat Andy showed true heart. I had always liked Andy from his early days in tennis. Now he becomes a constant favorite – the one to pull me into games like the retiring French man Fabrice Santoro – each playing the game with distinctive verve and heart.