Roddick to play on hard courts before Olympics

 

Originally published on: 11/07/12 00:00

While many of the top players are taking a break after Wimbledon and will then start practising on grass again in time for the Olympics, Roddick will play in Atlanta before heading back to the All England Club.

The 30-year-old American said he felt comfortable switching from grass to hard courts and back to grass again. “The schedule and everything is always a little weird during an Olympic year,” he said. “It’s not stressing me out too much because I’ve played a lot of grass-court tennis and I enjoy it. Same for hard courts. It doesn't take me a lot of time to switch between the two. I'm looking forward to it.”

Had Roddick considered taking a break between Wimbledon and the Olympics? “Yes, you consider all your options. At the end of the day, I felt like it was beneficial for me to come home after Wimbledon, to get into some of the heat in Atlanta and the match conditions. I thought to have that preparation going in was the best-case scenario for me.”

Roddick said that playing in Atlanta would not affect his mental approach. “My mentality is you play what is in front of you, regardless of what else is going to happen. If I play great in Atlanta, that can only help me going into the Olympics. It doesn't change my mindset going into the Atlanta tournament at all. Like I always try to do, I'll be there 100 per cent.”

Playing in the Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto in the week after the Olympic event could be a bigger challenge. “All the players are in the same boat,” Roddick said. “It's not like I'm the only person who is going to have to go from the Olympics to Toronto. It will be a little bit of a toughness test, which I think is fine. I've enjoyed playing in Toronto. I’ve played a bunch of finals there. I'm really excited to get back there.”

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