Andy Roddick loses opener at key Biscayne
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-26 14:11

Andy Roddick's tender right wrist looked fine when he angrily swatted a ball into the upper deck, then slammed his racket to the hardcourt. But the wrist hurt too much for Roddick to finish his opening match Friday at the Nasdaq-100 Open. Frustrated and fearful of risking further injury, the defending champion retired trailing Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (9), 4-3.

Roddick received treatment twice during the second set but struggled in the final games, especially with his second serve. He said the injury, diagnosed as a mild sprain, occurred when he hit a forehand at 5-all in the opening set.

"I just caught something the wrong way and jammed it a little bit," he said. "Right now they don't think there's anything long-term, but it's going to take some rest."

ATP official Per Bastholt raps Andy Roddick wrist during the second sets against Fernando Verdasco of Spain at the Nasdaq 100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., Friday, March 25, 2005. Roddick retired from the match 7-6, 4-3 with a wrist injury.[AP]

The tiebreaker made it clear that Roddick wasn't right. He failed to convert three set points and lost half of his service points, three on double faults.

The tantrum came after Roddick hit a 96-mph second serve long to lose the set, and he stomped to his chair with a broken racket. He said the wrist made it difficult for him to hit kick serves and topspin forehands.

"I don't know if there's anything more frustrating than trying to do something, being expected to do something, and not really feeling like you can do it to the best of your abilities," he said.

When Roddick retired, he handed the mangled racket to young fans clustered along the railing as he exited. The last defending men's champion to lose his opening match was Andre Agassi in 1997.

While Roddick departed, Justine Henin-Hardenne made a successful return from a six-month layoff. The three-time Grand Slam champion, who had been sidelined by a virus and knee injury, beat Abigail Spears 6-4, 6-3.

"It feels very good," said Henin-Hardenne, seeded 19th. "It's still hard at the beginning to find the rhythm and everything. But just the fact that I'm back on the courts, it's great."

Third-seeded Serena Williams opened her bid for a fourth consecutive Key Biscayne title by beating Vera Douchevina 6-3, 6-0. Three-time Key Biscayne champion Venus Williams, seeded eighth, needed just 50 minutes to beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-2, 6-0.

Second-seeded Maria Sharapova lost only eight points in the opening set and beat Eleni Daniilidou 6-0, 6-4.

In the day's final match, No. 3 Marat Safin rallied from deficits of 4-1 and 5-3 in the third-set tiebreaker and beat Irakli Labadze 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5). Labadze pushed a forehand wide on the final point, then broke his racket and ripped his shirt in anger.

Also advancing to the third round was Carlos Moya, who erased three match points, sent James Blake into a painful tumble in the final rally and won 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6).

On the last point of a 2 1/2-hour match played in 85-degree sunshine, Blake got a cramp in his left thigh chasing a shot and went rolling in the corner of the court. As he lay face down on the hot concrete, Moya walked up to check on him, and Blake extended his hand.

"I wish I could have gotten up to tell him congratulations more sincerely," Blake said with a smile.

No. 12 Tommy Robredo beat Jonas Bjorkman 6-4, 6-0 and then withdrew, citing shoulder inflammation that has bothered him for six months. No. 24 Jiri Novak eliminated Kevin Kim 6-1, 6-2 and advanced to the fourth round because of Robredo's withdrawal.

Xavier Malisse, seeded 32nd, was defaulted for cursing a linesman while leading David Ferrer 6-3, 5-5. Former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero beat No. 11 Guillermo Canas 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

With many seeded players yet to take the court, Roddick found himself facing an unanticipated lull in his schedule. He said he'll head home to Austin, Texas, and stew over how poorly he's faring in his NCAA basketball tournament pool.

He had his wrist taped during a second-set changeover, but that failed to help. Roddick said the trainer told him he could aggravate the injury if he continued.

"I think that's what all tennis players are scared of: doing something major, where you're out months," Roddick said. "That's always scary and in the back of your mind. It's tough to concentrate on playing a match when you hear those voices."

Roddick said he's optimistic he'll to be able to play in his next scheduled event at Houston beginning April 18. The injury is the second to sideline him this year — he withdrew from a semifinal in Memphis last month because of a sprained left ankle.

"A little unlucky," he said. "For any athlete who competes 11 months a year, stuff is going to go wrong."

His record this year is 18-4, including a three-set victory at Indian Wells two weeks ago against Verdasco. The Spanish left-hander is 21 and ranked 45th.

"He has a lot of upside," Roddick said. "You haven't seen the best of him yet."

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