At about 6 p.m. ET Wednesday, six days after his blockbuster announcement that he was retiring after the U.S. Open, Andy Roddick's farewell tour came to an end.
Roddick won the first set and forced a second-set tiebreaker against seventh-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, but he ran out of steam from there, falling 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 to conclude a career marked by pace, resolve and charisma.
He rose to prominence by bludgeoning opponents into submission with his booming serve. He enjoyed some of his greatest success during a brief stretch as Roger Federer's primary foil until other rivals eclipsed him. And he fought valiantly to remain in the top 10 in the world for about a decade until injuries and age diminished his serve and forced him to rely more on his oft-inconsistent groundstrokes.
Roddick's career may never have reached the heights many expected, yet he generated many memorable moments during his decade-long run as the face of American men's tennis. Here are eight that will forever be part of his legacy:
1. 2009 Wimbledon Final: No match defined Roddick's career more perfectly than his heart-wrenching five-set classic against the man who always seemed to keep him from reaching tennis immortality. Roddick had lost to Federer convincingly in three previous grand slam finals and 18 of 20 matches in his career at that time, but he never lost his resolve. Trailing two sets to one, he rallied to win the fourth set 6-3 and held serve from behind nine times in the fifth set. Federer didn't exhale until his first service break of the match gave him a win 16-14 in the fifth set for his record 15th grand slam. "I couldn't break Andy until the very, very end," Federer said. "I really thought I had to play my very, very best to come through."
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