If you read the news reports yesterday, you might have gotten the perception that Andy Roddick was denied the full spoils of his quarterfinal triumph here when Novak Djokovic waved the white flag and walked off the court in the fourth set, trailing two sets to one. A line of questioning from reporters broached the subject of whether Roddick felt somehow “deprived” of his moment when a dizzy, cramping Djokovic folded in the heat.
Roddick answered judiciously. “No. It is what it is. That's sports. That's what makes it fun. There's no script. I'm extremely satisfied with what I've done so far in this tournament. How you get there is details.”
The New York Times added some fuel to the deprivation fire with these comments from Roddick's agent, Ken Meyerson. “Andy would never, never have done the same thing,” Meyerson told the Times. “He would have finished the match. I like Novak, and I know him pretty well, but this particular match, you would have had to shoot my client to get him off the court at 2-1 down in the fourth. He would have done the right thing.”
The implied morality behind these comments and questions highlights a major fallacy about retirements: the idea that recipients are anything less than tickled pink to have advanced into the next round without the satisfaction of winning match point. When play resumed after a Djokovic medical timeout, the always-antsy Roddick seemed to bound out of his chair with extra energy, apparently demonstrating that he was feeling dandy. When the defending champ quit, I seriously doubt Roddick felt that his victory was diminished.
When I played competitive tennis (I was a nationally ranked junior and Division I college player), I felt relief and satisfaction when an opponent threw in the towel (unless it was a severe injury, and I don't ever remember being on the receiving end of such a win). A retirement meant I was going to play another day. It meant a better ranking or a point for my team. It meant that my opponent had wilted, or gotten tired, or couldn't match my will. The same goes for Roddick, whose offseason work has left him 10-15 pounds lighter and able to withstand the antipodean summer's brutal heat for five sets. Djokovic could not.
Patrick McEnroe, the U.S. Davis Cup captain, agreed. Over his long career in juniors, college (he's a Stanford alum) and in the pro ranks, McEnroe said he never looked a gift retirement in the mouth. “I was always happy to take a win whatever the circumstances,” he said. He pointed out that Roddick deserves credit for putting himself into position to beat Djokovic. “Trust me,” he added. “Andy's not worried about any lost glory.”
Situations differ, however, and in the case of a final, the same standards don't necessarily apply. At the 2006 Australian Open, Amelie Mauresmo led Justine Henin 6-1, 2-0 when the Belgian retired with a stomach ailment. She hadn't twisted her ankle, pulled a hamstring or dislocated a shoulder. She didn't feel well, and she was losing badly. Many observers rightly called Henin out for robbing the Frenchwoman – whom many considered the best player of her era never to have won a Slam – of experiencing the satisfaction of winning her first major outright. (Mauresmo, too, later expressed her displeasure.)
“In a final, you want to finish the match,” said Martina Navratilova, who is in Melbourne commentating for the Tennis Channel. But the 18-time Grand Slam singles champ also said it's silly to keep playing if you risk further injury. Neither seemed to be the case with Henin or Djokovic.
Djokovic's capitulation underscored a growing perception that he's too willing to roll over when things aren't going his way. In the last three seasons, he has called it quits during matches seven times, including four times in Grand Slam play (and three times in the quarterfinal stage or later). Navratilova said she retired only once (once!) in 1661 matches. Maybe the point isn't whether Roddick experienced the full pleasure of his quarterfinal win. Maybe the issue is Djokovic's propensity to retire, a disconcerting trend.
“You have to question how tough Novak is because he's done it so many times,” Navratilova said. “It's a pattern. Maybe his body just can't handle it.” She added that Roddick's win should be seen in the same light as any other.
“He got beaten mentally,” she said of Djokovic, adding his pullout is “not a slight” to Roddick at all. The only slighted ones are fans, who don't get their money's worth when players fail to go the distance.
Douglas Robson is the lead tennis writer for USA Today.