Winning Ugly

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Andy Roddick of the USA poses with the trophy after winning his final match 7-6(2), 7-6(7) against Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic during day eight of the Brisbane International 2010 at Queensland Tennis Centre on January 10, 2010 in Brisbane, Australia.

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I'll let the horse's mouth tell it:

“I didn’t expect to come in and win my first tournament after a pretty extended layoff,” Roddick said. “You could focus on the last 20 minutes of stress or look at the whole week … overall I feel pretty good about it.

“It was weird. I don’t think I have squandered a lead where I have been putting in first serves and making approach shots. And in the breakers it was the same deal. I kept making first serves so that was helping me hold on to the last shred of sanity I had.

“But at the end of the day the only thing that will be remembered is the ‘w’ (win).”

Excellent attitude. He had certainly forgotten how to win and thankfully, as another fan wrote last night, Radek Stepanek helped to remind him.

I'm reminded of the old high-school basketball cheer, "You gotta fight to win and we will not give in."

Whatever else Andy does on a tennis court, he fights as hard as any competitor out there, including his opponent last night. That fight was rewarded with his first victory on the continent of Australia in his first ever final Down Under.

Under the circumstances -- the anguish, the injuries, the months-long absence from competition, the forgetting how to win since last winter -- it was a tremendous ‘w’.

Now I'll try to convince myself these words are true.

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France's Jeremy Chardy, left, and Marc Gicquel hold their trophy after beating Leander Paes of India and Lucas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-6 in their men's doubles finals at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010.

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Reuters

Croatia's Marin Cilic holds the trophy after defeating Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6(2), 7-6(3) in their singles final match at the Chennai Open ATP tennis tournament in the southern Indian city of Chennai January 10, 2010.

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