Andy Roddick announced at a Thursday press conference that he will retire from professional tennis following this year's U.S. Open. The 30-year old Roddick was arguably the best American male tennis player for a decade. He won the 2003 U.S. Open and became the world's No. 1 ranked player soon after. He also played in three Wimbledon finals and four Australian Open semifinals, and won 32 ATP tour events over the course of his career.
Roddick told reporters he knew his time had come and gone:
"Whatever my faults were, I've always felt like I've never done anything halfway. This is probably the first time in my career that I can sit here and say, I'm not sure I can put everything into it physically and emotionally. I don't know if I want to disrespect the game by coasting home."
Roddick was born in Omaha, Neb., but spent his childhood in Austin, Texas, where he currently lives, and Boca Raton, Fla.
Roddick, seeded No. 20 this year, faces Bernard Tomic on Arthur Ashe Stadium Court at 6:00 CT Friday. Television coverage will be on ESPN2.
For more tennis coverage, be sure to check out SB Nation's tennis hub.