Roddick Qualifies for Masters Cup

For the fifth consecutive year, Andy Roddick has qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup to be held in Shanghai. His position in the elite eight was certainly solidified by the draw drain in Madrid earlier this week. Andy withdrew from Madrid before the draw ceremony citing a knee injury.

Roddick started the year strong with a run to the Australian Open semifinals, then fell off a bit before rebounding just before Wimbledon where he won Queen's for the fourth time. He took some tough defeats in his summer hardcourt campaign, but managed to win Washington for the third time to bring his career title count to 23. Two other Slam quarterfinals and runs to at least the quarters of every other event he played outside of clay this year are the kind of consistent results that have characterized his entire career and will guarantee him a Top 10 year-end finish for the sixth straight year.

Andy has advanced to two Masters Cup semifinals in three appearances, losing to Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt in the first two. In 2005, Roddick gave up his spot to David Nalbandian due to injury and Nalbandian went on to win the title. Last year, Andy held two match points over Federer in round robin play, threatening to end Raja's perfect record in round robin competition, but choked them away and, ironically, flamed out in the very next match to the very man he helped take the Cup the year before.

Andy will now have his head sculpted and placed atop one of the remaining five Terracotta Warriors by artist Laury Dizengremel. Nikolay Davydenko's likeness is already drying.


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