Andy Roddick has no regrets about his retirement from tennis but admits that could change when the 2013 season begins. Roddick said farewell to the sport after the US Open, amid emotional scenes at Flushing Meadows and has since been spending time working on his golf handicap. The popular American has not taken himself away from tennis completely, though, beating Andy Murray in an exhibition match in Miami earlier this month and spending time helping out James Blake in practice.
“To be honest, I don’t know that it will really affect me until January comes around,” Roddick told ESPN. “The last 13 Januarys I’ve been in Australia. I haven’t experienced the eighth of January in the United States for 15 years.
“You start to identify certain months with certain places, that’s where you are. I wasn’t jealous of the guys going on a 15-hour flight to Shanghai or wherever else. Once I see the guys over (in Australia), obviously I’ll miss it a little bit.
“I’ve played 50-60 rounds since the US Open. My game’s okay, but I look at things in the grand scheme of sports. Someone who’s okay at golf. “I imagine the guy playing next to me in some tennis centre that I was judging and I think I’m that guy in golf now. I can hit the ball a little bit, but I definitely don’t want to say I’m any good at it at all.” “Tennis is still fun. That’s the thing. Some people leave because they resent the game or they just can’t play anymore.
“I don’t know that was the case for me in either scenario. I always said I wanted to go out on my terms when I could still play a little bit. I still enjoy hitting balls. “Tennis is a full-time job and not just the two hours that people see when we’re on the court. The recovery became hard. “I’m not graceful like Roger Federer. I have to use a lot more effort and a lot more of my physical tools. And what you see when I play is what I did in every practice. My body kept asking for more and I’m not sure I had more to give.”