26 Miles

Roddick Stunned By First Round Upset at U.S. Open

// August 31st, 2005 // Life

2003 U.S. Open Champion and #4 seed Andy Roddick was stunned yesterday after his first round upset to Luxembourg native Gilles Muller, ranked No. 68.

Roddick lost three straight tiebreak sets at 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (1). After what he described as his “best practice week ever”, Roddick was ready to roll through the early rounds as he had in the past, but was left scratching his head and staring at the lines where Muller’s aces and ground strokes had left their marks.

Interestingly, the two competitors described their own frame of mind quite differently, which I think is telling in retrospect.

Roddick, understandably, had high expectations for himself: “I’ve never cared so much as I care now, which makes it tough. I’ve been working very hard. It’s tough for me to have much perspective right now.”

Muller, who is the first men’s player from his country to play in a Grand Slam, was thinking differently before the match: “For me, it was just unbelievable to come out here today,” Muller said. “I told myself to enjoy it and I did every minute.”

There’s little doubt in my mind that their expectations and mental preparation played heavily into the outcome of the match.

I’ve experiened both of these emotions in my competitive shooting, with similar results. In 2003 I was attending my first USA Shooting National Pistol Championships. I had no expectations, I just wanted to enjoy the experience and shoot as well as I could. I ended up placing 9th in Free Pistol, just three points out of finals. At the Fall US Team selection that same year, riding the solid performance from Nationals and the elevated expectations I had for myself at this match, I struggled and did poorly.

Clearly as a professional athlete Roddick has many more opportunities to work on his mental game than I did, but I think it’s a good lesson for all athletes to understand the supreme importance of the mental game in all athletic pursuits. There is a balance to be had. Prepare as well as you can, then on match day, let your expectations go, have fun, and let your solid preparation and strong mental game carry your performance.

Read more at Sports Illustrated.com.