Jim Courier expects Roddick to get better for Chile’s Open Tournament
Roddick left the Delray Beach ATP event Tuesday due to illness
US No. 2 ace, Jim Courier has expressed his hopes that American No.1 player, Andy Roddick gets better in time for the tournament in Chile.
The upcoming tennis tournament in Santiago from Mary 4 to 6 marks Roddick’s debut as a captain for the US Davis Cup. The Agence France Presse said that Roddick was named as the US team captain Tuesday and he will work in partnership with John Isner and the twins, Bob and Mike Bryan, the World’s top doubles squad.
"Hopefully Andy is going to get healthy. He's got a little bit of the flu," Courier was quoted as saying by the AFP.
Courier has expressed confidence that Roddick can get his power up, after quitting Delray Beach ATP Tuesday due to an unexpected flu.
Courier added, "But these guys are tough and we're not excuse makers. We will be ready to play and ready to battle when we get down there."
America’s no. 2 ace emphasized however, that Roddick does not only need to get his physical condition in place, adding the need to build on his confidence in Chile’s event.
"So for him to get rested and ready to go, I think that makes sense. But his confidence should be very high," Courier said, according to AFP.
Courier clarified that he understood Roddick’s choice for the much needed rest for Davis Cup.
"Andy is definitely excited about Davis Cup," Courier said, describing Roddick’s sentiments on the upcoming tennis tournament. "Davis Cup was something that he wasn't ruling out long-term, it was just something that he looks at it on a year-by-year basis. And the second that I was named captain and called him, he said, 'I'm in and let's go to battle.'
Roddick left the $442,500 ATP Delray Beach International Championships Tuesday complaining of suffering from an unidentified illness, which turned out to be some kind of flu. The No. 1 ace of America said that he woke up in bed soaked with sweat. The top ace attributed his weakened physical condition to the battle he had fought the day before.
As earlier reported by the IBTimes also citing the AFP, Roddick ‘pushed himself to the limit’ and struggled in his 7-6 (9/7), 6-7 (11/13), 7-5 win he battled with 20-year-old Canadian Milos Raonic. Roddick was seen on Monday’s game ‘smacking a diving forehand passing winner on match point’ which he described as ‘the greatest shot of his career’.