Andy Roddick handy, but Tigers are ace
Sunday Herald | Jackie Epstein | January 18, 2009
AMERICAN tennis star Andy Roddick discovered yesterday Aussie footballers know far more about tennis than he does about the skills of our code.
Roddick took time out at Melbourne Park with Richmond's Nathan Brown, Jack Riewoldt and Adam Thomson, but after showing his wares with a gridiron throw, he needed tutoring from Brown in the art of handballing.
However, when it came to tennis, he quickly realised Brown and company were more than adept at the caper.
"They were a lot better at tennis than I was at Aussie rules," Roddick said.
"They surprised me, they can actually play a bit of tennis. They weren't taking it easy on me. I asked them before 'do you guys play tennis' and (Brown) comes out and serves about 120mph (200km/h) on the first one. It was a fun little event," he said.
Seventh seed in the Australian Open, Roddick says he is happy to be slipping under the radar after completing a solid preparation.
"The people who they're talking about as favourites, deserve to be talked about," Roddick said.
"They've put up the results in the last 6-8 months, more so than I have. I'm not slighted, I'm getting talked about as much as I deserve to considering my results."
Brown, meanwhile, has warned against expecting Ben Cousins to be the instant catalyst to finals this season.
Cousins is on a modified program but Brown said all players were benefiting from training alongside the former Eagles star.
"He's not going to be the be-all and end-all," Brown said of Cousins.
"He's going to play good football but the rest of the side has got to lift and make sure our game plan is spot on.
"He's just brought a bit of confidence and enthusiasm to the club. The young guys sit there and look at him in a bit of awe and they watch him train and that's certainly fantastic for those young guys."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24925547-3162,00.html
