Andy Roddick bid a tearful farewell to his tennis career when he was beaten by Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the fourth round of the US Open on Wednesday while defending champion Novak Djokovic eased into the quarters.
The face of US men’s tennis for most of the past decade, an emotional Roddick went into retirement after losing 6-7 7-6 6-2 6-4 in the fourth round.
“I’ve loved every minute of it,” he told the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “It’s been a road, a lot of ups, a lot of downs, a lot of great moments.”
His farewell provided an poignant touch to a day which saw Djokovic sail into the quarter-finals with some help from his opponent while Maria Sharapova clawed back to reach the women’s semis for the first time since she won the title six years ago.
Djokovic was in complete control of his fourth round match against Stanislas Wawrinka, leading 6-4 6-1 3-1, when the Swiss 18th seed said he was unable to continue so called it quits.
“I really don’t know exactly what it was but by the look of it, I think it was probably a dizziness or something,” said Djokovic, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament.