Is Andy Roddick’s Fitness Enough for a US Open?

Andy Roddick is at an inflection point as far as his career is concerned. The 2009 US Open could dictate where his career goes from here.

On one hand, he has seen the rebirth of his talents, leading him to arguably his best season in a while thanks to being as fit as he was when he won his only major in 2003.

At the same time, Roddick is aging and the clock is ticking on his career. His role in men’s tennis is crucial right now, as he’s really the only player who stands a chance to bring the US its first grand slam since Roddick captured the championship in 2003.

At year’s end, he’ll be 27 years old. While he currently stands 5th in the world, three of the four ahead of him are four years younger or more. The other? Roger Federer, who has had a rebirth of his own to coincide with Roddick. In fact, Federer has been the thorn in his side for years.

Roddick came oh so close to winning Wimbledon 2009, taking Roger Federer the distance and nearly defeating him in the 5th set to strip the crown away from the kind of the grass.

Realistically, he might only have seven legitimate chances left in his career. By the end of 2011, he’ll be on the verge of 30 years old, which might as well be 60 in tennis years.

He got a slight taste of what he is capable of at Wimbledon, now it is up to Andy Roddick to close the deal and hush any critics he may still have.

There would be no better place for Roddick to win than in front of a home crowd in New York. Time will tell if he has what it takes.