Roddick slumps to fifth French Open first round exit
Date published :
27 May 2012 - 19:46:52
Andy Roddick slumped to a fifth French Open first round defeat on Sunday when the injury-plagued American lost 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to France's Nicolas Mahut.
Former US Open champion Roddick, who has never got beyond the third round in Paris in 10 visits, came into Roland Garros having made his season's European claycourt bow only in Dusseldorf last week where he lost all three matches.
Now ranked at 29 in the world -- and 29 years old as well -- Roddick has been battling hamstring and hip problems for most of the year and admitted after his defeat Sunday that his footwork on red clay is horrible.
"You can't fake it out here," Roddick told jounalists. "My footwork on this stuff is really, really bad."
Roddick said he would skip the Nottingham Challenger next week but play at Queens in the run-up to Wimbledon and the London Olympics.
"I want to play the Olympics," he insisted.
Roddick, who was runner-up to Roger Federer three times at Wimbledon, said grass suits him far better than clay.
"You know, there are a lot of guys who know how to play on clay, and it's just second nature to them. I feel that way on grass, so, you know, hopefully I can turn it around there," he said.
World 88 Mahut has now equalled his best French Open performance having also made the second round in 2010.
The 30-year-old will tackle either Canada's Frank Dancevic or Martin Klizan of Slovakia for a place in the last 32.
