Andy Roddick is feeling the effects of a gruelling hardcourt season but says he will be ready for the start of the US Open later this month.
The American claimed his third title in four tournaments and back-to-back Masters Series crowns with a 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 victory over compatriot Mardy Fish in the Cincinnati final on Sunday.
PHOTO: REUTERS
It was his 20th win in 21 matches, took him to No. 1 in the Champions Race and confirmed his status as a leading contender for the year's final grand slam.
"I'm a little tired right now," he told reporters. "Injury-wise, I'm fine -- just fatigued.
"I've played a lot of tennis in the last month, so it's going to be a good couple of days off now. I probably won't even touch a racket for the next two days. Everything that has happened this summer is out the door when you start a grand slam."
Central to his preparations will be coach Brad Gilbert, under whose tuition Roddick has a 30-2 record.
"When we first worked together [in London in June], he said, `Okay, we're here to win two tournaments,'" Roddick said. "So I won Queen's Club and he said, `You're 50 percent there.'
"For someone to come in and tell me what he expected from me was quite shocking. I knew I wanted him to be my full-time coach straight away," he said.
The other tournament in that equation was Wimbledon, where he lost to Swiss Roger Federer in the semifinals.
His victory on Sunday drew him level with Federer, however, for titles won this season -- five.
It looked a distant prospect when Fish, Roddick's friend and former high-school colleague, took the first set.
But there was no doubting Roddick's temperament as he fought back from a set down to clinch two tiebreaks, saving two match points in the process.
"It's tough to play against someone you know ... as he was walking off I felt for him," Roddick said. "Mardy has improved so much even in a short space of time. I was proud of him."
The consolation on the day Fish, 21, failed to scoop his first ever title was the knowledge he will rise from 41 to around 25 in the world rankings.
That means he will be seeded for the US Open.
"I'm sure in a couple of days I will look back on this as a great tournament for me," Fish said.
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