Archives for September 2012

Murray's head was spinning in the corridors of Flushing Meadows last night.

"I feel very relieved, happy, proud and also very tired..."

Every now and then he would smile, keen to confirm this was, indeed, the best moment of his life, but otherwise this was the classic case of the man needing time for it to sink in.

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Laura Robson has matured as a tennis player before our eyes over the past few days here in New York.

Greats of the game such as Chris Evert, Billie Jean King and Lindsay Davenport were all saying the same thing: here is a player with a big future in the game and the potential to be a future Grand Slam winner. They should know.

Having sat by the side of Court Four here at Flushing Meadows in recent years and seen Robson blow commanding leads in the final round of qualifying, heartbreaking to witness at close hand, it's so encouraging to see the development in her game.

We mustn't forget that the British teenager is still only 18.

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Until my dying day I will remember that game. One game, five shots, 46 seconds. That 46 second game which saw Andy Roddick serve out the US Open of 2003.

There are so many Roddick moments to recall from a distinguished career - I loved the quality and sportsmanship of his epic quarter-final with Younes El Aynouai in Australia earlier that year - but nothing tops that sprint finish to the line at Flushing Meadows.

On a totally green hard court in 2003, before the blue was introduced, Juan Carlos Ferrero managed to get his racket on just one of Roddick's four serves. It was the freedom of an all-American sport-mad kid, just doing his thing.

Roddick, 21, had become a Grand Slam champion and a new American idol, who would end that year as the world number one, had arrived on the international scene.

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