Is Roddick the Man to Beat?

I didn't know this, but it seems that Andy Roddick has been in England for around two weeks now, after existing the French Open early. To me, this is highly sensible for a guy who ought to structure his whole year around the two events where he has enjoyed the most success, Wimbledon and the US Open. Honestly, I don't ever see A-Rod contending for a title at Roland Garros, so why not parachute into the UK a month or two before Wimbly and get down to business? Clearly, his main competition, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, are going to be beat down after the French, and furthermore have to adjust to the different surface. As they both get older, this gets tougher. Personally, I think this gives Roddick a big advantage, even if Fed does tend to "resurge" once he returns "home" to his favorite tournament.

Anyway, I'm picking Roddick as the man to beat this year. Really, he's among the men to beat every year. But how many more years does he realistically have? If he wants to rack up his share of Slams, I say start the year officially at the All England Club.