Roddick's 2010 Dream to Win Wimbledon is Rudely Shattered

Andy Roddick (on the left) Congratulating Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan

on his stunning five set upset victory (Courtesy of Sang Tan/Associated Press)

Roddick is still chasing his first Wimbledon championship. The three-time runner-up fell yesterday to a virtually unknown player Yen-Hsuen Lu of Taiwan, ranked 82 in the world. The upset victory was 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 9-7.

Last year, in the summer of 2009, Roddick gained international fame in playing the longest match and longest fifth set (in number of games) in Grand Slam final history. According to Howard Fendrich's Associated Press article: "Roddick served almost impeccably and was broken only once in the 77th and last game of Federer's 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 victory." According to Fendrich, it was Roddick, the runner-up who was given the audience's acclaim despite Federer's claiming his sixth title at Wimbledon, his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title and vanquishing Roddick for the third time in the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Tournament.

Records are meant to be broken. Barely a year later, the epic match of Isner versus Mahut (played from Tuesday June 22- Thursday June 24) took title to the longest match in terms of games: a record shattering 183 games-- far eclipsing Roddick's glory of last year. See my June 24th blog, The Greatest Match Ever.

Keep a stiff upper lip, Andy; there is the US Open coming up. You won it in 2003, you are currently ranked number 5 in the world and you can do it again. Remember records are meant to be broken.