Roddick Jacks Up Djokovic

Andy Roddick put on another gutsy performance to knock out world No. 3 and Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic 7-6(5), 6-3 in an electric semifinal in Dubai.

With his victory over Rafael Nadal yesterday, this becomes the first time in Andy's career that he's defeated the No. 2 and No. 3 players in the same event. And neither of them could break Andy's serve.

I guess Jimmy Connors' resignation from Andy's camp has proven to be a positive thing. After the 2006 US Open final, I thought Connors' mere presence put too much pressure on Roddick.

Clearly, I'm over the moon. But the tennis from both sides of the net was outstanding. And I'll give credit where credit is due: the sportsmanship from both of them was top notch, especially with the political strain between America and Serbia over Kosovo's independence.

When sports figures can rise above politics, it's a beautiful thing.



(Yeah, this victory deserves another picture.)