Andy Roddick will defend his title in the nation's capital in August rather than play for a medal at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Roddick, who registered a 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-2 conquest of unseeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez to capture his 25th career championship in his Dubai debut last week, will return to the Legg Mason Tennis Classic August 9-17 to defend his title.
The Olympic Tennis Event will be played from Sunday, August 10 through Sunday, August 17 at the new Olympic Tennis Center in Beijing, China. The competition will include 64-player men’s and women’s singles draws and a 32-team draw in men’s and women’s doubles.
The 2003 U.S. Open champion said in a statement his primary aim every year is to win the U.S. Open and believes defending his Legg Mason title provides the best possible preparation to contending for the Flushing Meadows major.
"My goal every summer is to win the U.S. Open," said Roddick, who fell to World No. 1 Roger Federer in the 2007 U.S. Open quarterfinals in a match that was a rematch of the 2006 final. "I have won the Legg Mason Tennis Classic three times and feel defending my title in Washington best prepares me for another Grand Slam title."
A year ago, Roddick powered past two of tennis' titanic servers in succession - Ivo Karlovic in the semifinals and John Isner in the final - to capture his third career Washington, DC title. Roddick has won 13 of his last 14 Legg Mason matches, defeating James Blake in the 2005 final.
Roddick finished 2007 in the top 10 for his sixth straight season, winning at least one ATP singles title for the seventh consecutive year. He led the United States to its first Davis Cup title since 1995, the first American player since Pete Sampras in '95 to go undefeated (6-0) and lead his country to the Cup final. This year, his record is 15-2, with titles at San Jose and Dubai. He beat two of the world's top three-ranked players — second-ranked Rafael Nadal and third-ranked Novak Djokovic — en route to the Dubai title.
"The biggest thing was the way I hit my forehand," Roddick said in Dubai. "But my backhand cross court was tactically controlling rallies, keeping it tight, without hitting it hard. It's probably not my best shot, but I don't know if it's a glaring weakness anymore."
The tournament also announced its 40-15 status: the 2008 DC tournament marks the 40th Anniversary for one of the longest-running professional American tournaments in men's tennis. Furthermore, Legg Mason has committed to
extend its sponsorship of the Tennis Classic for a 15th consecutive year and beyond.
The Legg Mason Tennis Classic presented by GEICO, an Olympus U.S. Open Series event on the ATP Tour, returns to the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park (16th & Kennedy Streets,NW), from August 9-17. For more information on the Legg Mason Tennis Classic please call (202) 721-9500, or visit the tournament website at www.leggmasontennisclassic.com.
