THE SCOOP: US OPEN, DAY 1

Henman reveling in role as underdog against Roddick

By Eleanor Preston
Special to tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc.

FROM THE US OPEN – Few people can imagine the pressure that Andy Roddick is currently under as he starts his US Open campaign. Competing at an event you visited as a child is one thing, but going into a tournament which means more to you than any other with the whole world expecting you to win it is quite another.

A select group of past and present players understand what it is to walk onto a stadium court for your first match at your home Grand Slam and hit the wall of cheering that greets you when you get there, a reminder that thousands of your fans in the stands and millions more watching on television are willing you not to fail.

Ironically Roddick's first round draw at the US Open has pitched him against one of the few people has been in his shoes. Tim Henman has played eight Wimbledons under just that pressure but while he can empathize with Roddick right now, he is not planning to offer him any brotherly advice on how to cope with it. He plans on going mano-a-mano with Roddick on Tuesday.

"If this was Wimbledon and I was playing somebody like me who wasn't seeded I'd be feeling pretty uncomfortable about it," said Henman, reflecting on a first-round matchup which has the neutrals drooling.

"I think it's a tough match for both of us but there's definitely a lot more pressure and expectation on him. I know that having beaten him in Washington and with the way I've been hitting the ball lately I really don't feel like I've got anything to lose. It's a bit of role reversal," he said.

HENMAN HAS BIG SUMMER VICTORY
That win in Washington, during which Henman needed to save a match point before taking the honors in a third-set tiebreak, has taken on massive significance ahead of the rematch at Flushing Meadows.
It has turned out to be Roddick's only defeat since Wimbledon and the one blip on an otherwise flawless 20-1 win-loss record during a US hard court swing that has seen the 20-year-old pick up three titles (Indianapolis then back-to-back Masters Series events in Montreal and Cincinnati).

Roddick's coach Brad Gilbert will be doing his best to deflate the bubble of hype around his player, not least because he knows what it's like to come in as champion-elect and bomb out early. He notched up 20 wins in the 1979 summer hard court season only crash and burn at the US Open.

There's little doubt Roddick is currently the best player hard court player in the world and both he and his game have matured beyond recognition since he joined forces with Gilbert in June. Under Gilbert he has lost only twice in 34 matches. But Henman still feels he has reason to be optimistic.

A closer look at Roddick's summer tear shows he is vulnerable to attacking players like Henman who force him to come up with passing shots time after time. Federer's all court game stumped him in the Wimbledon semifinals, Henman did for him in Washington and his old friend and compatriot Mardy Fish, who is an avowed serve and volleyer, nearly caused a huge upset by pushing him all the way in the Cincinnati final.

No wonder Henman is, in a typically understated way, quietly optimistic about his chances of toppling the tournament favorite in the first round.

"It's a bit of role reversal," he said brightly, reveling in being the underdog for a change. "It's going to be fun to play a match of this mature away from home. I've played so many matches like this at Wimbledon but I haven't played that many matches at this level away from home, so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm very excited about it. If you're going to play a big seed and try and take his place in the draw, then it's probably better to play them in the first round that later in the tournament when they're got more matches behind them. Okay, I could probably get an easier match but then I quite like it this way because I'm ready for this match and I think it's going to be a lot of fun."