After his flight looked to possibly be snowed in, Andy Roddick has landed in Brisbane ahead of his title defense which starts in the new year. Roddick arrived with wife Brooklyn Decker to adjust to the hot Australian climate and get some practice in on an out door court.
Roddick, who spent most of last year dealing with mono, has worked hard in his down time, particularly since the world tour finals in London, to get fit and ready to make a challenge for a Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
“For me it’s just a matter of getting right, getting healthy – I battled sickness for a big part of last year and from there I just felt like I was playing catch-up. You train hard and you get hurt in training coming back. You don’t train you rest and you try and come back and your body is not right and it shows.
I think it’s the first time I’ve felt right since last May so when you are fit it takes a lot of the mental pressure off. You feel like you can play any way you want so I feel fresh and I feel enthused and ready.
I came in last year and hadn’t been playing much so this was a really good springboard into the year for me. I like being in the same country but also I like this event – my wife enjoys coming here so let’s not pretend I make any decisions.”
