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  • Roddick to Skip Olympics, Defend D.C. Title

    3/12/08 4:33 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - The tennis event at this year's Summer Olympics in Beijing will take place without Andy Roddick, the top-ranked American and No. 6 player in the world. Roddick has opted to defend his title at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington, D.C. instead.


    In a headline-making revelation that definitely comes as a bit of a surprise, Andy Roddick has said that he will defend his Legg Mason title this summer rather than venture over to the grand stage of Beijing, China for the Olympics. Both events take place August 11-17.

    While defending the Washington, D.C. championship is important to Roddick in itself, it looks like his primary motive for the decision is U.S. Open preparation. “My goal every summer is to win the U.S. Open,” he said in a statement released on Tuesday by Legg Mason organizers. “I have won the Legg Mason Tennis Classic three times and feel defending my title in Washington best prepares me for another grand slam title.”

    Roddick won the U.S. Open back in 2003 and has not won a Grand Slam title since. He's had much better luck in D.C., where he is three-time champion, having won 2001 and 2005 in addition to last season's triumph. The most recent victory was capped off with a win over compatriot John Isner, who took the tournament by storm with five straight wins in third-set tiebreakers before falling to Roddick.

    Roddick will be missing out on what should be an exciting and intense Olympic tennis tournament in Beijing. The 2002 even featured a shock gold medalist in Chilean Nicolas Massu, not to mention plenty of other surprises. Mardy Fish won the silver and Chilean Fernando Gonzalez took the bronze, while American Taylor Dent lost to Gonzalez in the bronze-medal match. Gonzalez and Massu also teamed up in doubles to win yet another gold medal for Chile.

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