Tennis Masters Cup News
Alix Ramsay  |  November 18 , 2004

From the mathematical wilderness that is the round robin phase of the Masters Cup, two men have emerged as semi-finalists. While the others work out who will provide the supporting cast, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick are through to the last four without dropping a set. Gosh - what a surprise.

What is raising the eyebrows of the pundits is the manner of Roddick's progress. The muscle and the power is still very much in evidence but now there is brainpower and a little finesse involved, too. As Federer has set the standard with his all-court game and inventive play, so those who wish to challenge him are trying to follow.

Roddick reached the semi-finals with an impressive 7-6, 7-6 win over Marat Safin who had arrived in Houston as the hottest property in town. The winner of the Madrid and Paris Masters, he had been almost clinical in the way he had sliced through the fields in Europe. Against Roddick he played in much the same vein but America's young hero was just one step ahead in the tiebreaks.

Just as he had against Tim Henman in his first match, Roddick was showing off his backhand - supposedly his weaker flank - and coming forward whenever it seemed wise. Given that he has shown neither the inclination nor the talent for all this leaping about at the net before, it is a remarkable change. And an extremely effective one, too. But why now?

"I played Johansson at the US Open," Roddick explained, "and at the end of it I had been to the net, I think, six times in five sets against someone who's not known for his return. So, you know, there were a lot of times where I would look at stat sheets and there wasn't enough net approaches, but that one really stuck out. You can talk about it for so long but, you know, there comes a time where you just have to suck it up and try to implement it. This is kind of where I wanted to give it a chance. Fortunately, I've been doing it well this week."

When he first teamed up with Brad Gilbert, Roddick improved dramatically in the space of a few weeks. All that the man in black told his charge was to play to his strengths. Now, it seems, Gilbert has decided to refine those talents and add a few new ones.

"Brad came in last week and definitely made it a point that every practice we were going to work on transition game," Roddick said.

At the same time, the off-court training that fills his weeks during the off season is finally beginning to pay off. Fitter, faster and more nimble, he can get into position quicker which makes the hitting of that backhand a littler easier.

"I feel like I really do a lot of off-court work," he said. "It's starting to show a little bit. It feels good out there. You know, I'm going to take a lot of positives from these first two matches. I feel like there's a lot of good stuff going on right now.

"Marat likes getting the backhand rallies where he can just pick a spot and pull the trigger up the line. I mean, that's what he's good at. He's better than I am at that. There's no reason to get into that contest. So, you know, the easiest way for me to mix it up is a slice, so I tried to move it around a little bit and, you know, give him as little chance as possible to play in his comfort zone."

Having reached a new level, Roddick is determined not to let it slip. His final round robin match against Guillermo Coria matters not one jot but he will still be out there, grafting away for the win.

"I still want to keep the momentum going," he said. "I want to continue to do the things that I feel have worked positively for me this week. I feel I'm in a good place in my head and in my game right now, so I definitely want to try to continue that."

And all of this would never have been possible with Federer. For all that Roddick has taken some fearful poundings from the Swiss in the past, gradually the message is beginning to sink in: if you want to beat Federer, you are going to have to play the game his way. It may not have seemed like it at the time, but Roddick will thank Federer for those beatings in the long run.

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