Andy Roddick called it the "best shot I've ever hit in my life." Considering it was a tournament-winning, Boris Becker-style, all-out dive for a winner that gave him his 30th career title and a tense victory over an up-and-coming star, it's not just hyperbole.
The miracle shot capped a thrilling 7-6 (5), 6-7 (11), 7-5 Roddick victory over Milos Raonic in the finals of the ATP 500 event in Memphis. If Roddick doesn't get to the ball or hit it in play, Raonic, the big-hitting 20-year-old Canadian would have been serving at deuce to get into a decisive tiebreak.
But, oh, did he get to it: Nobody was as surprised at the end result as Roddick: "I played a pretty good point before that. Just making the return, you get disheartened when he doesn't miss the next ball because it's tough to get a serve back. He had a great volley there. I don't really remember much else besides the fact that I went for the ball, I hit it, I didn't really think much of it. Then I heard people cheering. I was like, ‘No, there's no way that went in.' I guess it did."
Raonic was equally impressed. After the match he said he was proud to be on the receiving end of such a spectacular point and that he looked forward to seeing himself on YouTube as a result. With bloody knees and elbows, Roddick accepted the winner's trophy in Memphis for a third time. On Monday, he withdrew from a scheduled tournament in Delray Beach. I'd say he deserves the rest.
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