© Getty Images Sport – Paul Gilham
Andy Roddick‘s long-time trainer Doug Spreen reveals Roger Federer made his way into their locker room after the 2009 Wimbledon final to classily comfort the entire Roddick team. In 2009, Roddick and Federer delivered one of the most thrilling and epic finals in Wimbledon history.
Although Roddick played outstanding, it still wasn’t enough for him to win as Federer edged out the American 5-7 7-6 (6) 7-6 (5) 3-6 16-14. Previously, Roddick was also beaten by Federer in the Wimbledon finals in 2004 and 2005.
“I don’t think that people got the true sense of how much his heart was ripped out that day. He was back in the shower for twenty minutes, just sitting there with water running down him,” Spreen told GQ Magazine.
Roddick’s ex-trainer Spreen: Federer showed respect for us
“He said, ‘I feel really bad for you guys, and I feel really bad for Andy.
I hope he gets this one time.’ I think Roger realized on that day that it wasn’t right to have a big celebration, and his words when he sat down next to me were… He didn’t need to do that, and it was heartfelt,” Spreen recalled.
Unfortunately for Roddick, that was his last big Wimbledon run. In the next three years before retiring, Roddick once made the Wimbledon round-of-16 and twice suffered third-round exits. In the end, Roddick finished his career with one Grand Slam.
In 2003, Roddick won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open. At the time, Roddick was just 21 and the general expectation was that the American would win at least a few more Grand Slams before retiring. Over the next several years, Roddick was one of the best players in the game and he made four more Grand Slam finals – in every of those four Grand Slam finals he met Federer – he was also beaten by the Swiss in the 2006 US Open final.
