America should’ve been disappointed with its players at the opening round of the Australian Open but Roddick changed all that. Andy Roddick stepped into the Australian Open with a slimmer and trimmer physique. While Roddick’s fellow Americans started making opening-round exits such as Robby Ginepri, John Isner, Robert Kendrick and Bobby Reynolds, Roddick continued to rush forward.
It turns out that Roddick’s trimmer physique helped him win in the opening round. Roddick was up against Bjorn Rehnquist and won with impressive scores of 6-0, 6-2, and 6-2. The Roddick and Rehnquist match-up was supposed to lead to a stand-at-the-edge-of-your-seat game since it would become a battle between two former Australian Open junior champions. Rehnquist was the junior champion in 1996 while Roddick was the junior champion in 2000. However, as the game started, it was clear who had the upper hand. Roddick’s shots carried more weight and he clearly had no problems running to and fro the court from the sound of his feet moving rapidly on the court.
Larry Stefanki was responsible for this new image and fresher perspective for Roddick. Under Coach Larry, Roddick has been practicing his groundstrokes and has been drilling for hours. Roddick hopes that with a trimmer physique, he will be able to handle the heat and play longer matches more effectively. Though Roddick states that he is not used to dieting, he is hoping that his effort will be worth it. From the looks of it, his diet and hard work is already starting to pay off.