Experts Agree: Watch for Roddick in 2007
Jan. 22, 2007 — -- The year's first Grand Slam event, the Australian Open, is the unofficial kickoff to the 2007 season. Will Roger Federer's dominance continue? Can anyone beat Rafael Nadal on clay? And will we see the Williams sisters win another tournament? ESPN analysts Patrick McEnroe and Pam Shriver and TENNIS.com's Peter Bodo answer those questions and more about the 2007 season.
Question: Which men's player not named Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal will be the next to win a Grand Slam, and which Grand Slam will it be?
Patrick McEnroe: You heard it here first … Andy Roddick will win the second major of his career. No, not at Wimbledon, but at the Australian Open, and in doing so, will make the tennis season real interesting. I love the way he turned the corner in the second half of 2006, and having Jimmy Connors in his corner has helped big-time. Andy had Federer on the ropes in Shanghai; it was the first time he outplayed Federer for a couple of sets (although it's considerably more difficult to beat Federer in a best of five). I like his physical fitness, and he has the strength to go deep in a tournament like the Australian. Getting to the U.S. Open final was a big boost for his confidence.
Pam Shriver: I think Andy Roddick will be next to win a major other than Fed and Rafa. It will not be at the Australian or the French, but the U.S. Open. It is hard to imagine many other men winning majors right now, but tennis always has a surprise around the corner.
Peter Bodo: Andy Roddick will win the Australian Open. He finished 2006 on an incredible high and has continued his successful partnership with Jimmy Connors. The Australian surface will be faster this year, and this is a tournament that has thrown up a fair number of big-player upsets in years past.
Q: Who is the player with the best chance to end Rafael Nadal's 62-match clay court win streak?
McEnroe: I'm going out on a limb on this one. It's going to be Nicolas Almagro, another young Spaniard, and it will happen in the early rounds at one of the smaller clay-court tournaments, like Valencia or Barcelona. Almagro is a big hitter off both sides; he is the type of player who can give Nadal trouble. But will it happen at the French? Uhhh … No!
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