Roddick misses Monte Carlo (ALL US Big Names Withdraw!?)

BBC Sports ^ | 04/20/04 | BBC Sports

[theFIRMbss]

Roddick misses Monte Carlo

Top seed Andy Roddick has pulled out of this week's Monte Carlo Masters.

Roddick, who lost the US Clay Court final on Sunday to Germany's Tommy Haas, withdrew for "non-medical" reasons, according to organisers.

The clay court tournament's top seed is now Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, who is seeking his third Monte Carlo title.

Roddick joins world number one Roger Federer plus fellow Americans Andre Agassi, Mardy Fish and James Blake in pulling out of the event.

Organizers said Federer cited fatigue for his withdrawal but that Agassi had not immediately stated a reason.

However, Agassi said earlier in the year that he was considering missing most of the European clay-court season before returning for the French Open.

French teenager Richard Gasquet also forfeited, after a wrist injury forced him out of the qualifying rounds.

[Monte Carlo Tennis Masters site]

[theFIRMbss]

Agassi never
was scheduled to play. Blake, Fish
and Roddick were all

in the draw as of
early Monday, and pulled out
after play started.

This is pretty strange.
Also, the press is hardly
reporting the news.

Could there be big time
threats against US celebs
that can't be countered?!

(Over in Europe,
this event is a big deal --
starts the clay season . . .)

[truthandlife]

Probably got some intel info from U.S. on this one.

[1Old Pro]

Threats were probably made and it's clear that France cannot protect anyone.

[nypokerface]

It's more like these American players didn't feel like going over to Europe and playing on clay.

[Seruzawa]

Tenniszzzzzz....... wake me up when Serena Williams shows up.

[TheBigB]

Roddick's luck has been all bad since he dumped Mandy Moore.

[theFIRMbss]

>Roddick's luck has been all bad since he dumped Mandy Moore.

First of all, there are rules. I'll look past it this time, but next time: picture! Secondly, have you seen Roddick? Have you seen her? We know who dumped whom . . .

[jungleboy]

Read theFIRMbss post again. He said they pulled out AFTER play had started. "AFTER" being the key word.

[theFIRMbss]

>wake me up when Serena Williams shows up.

The Williams sisters *
have gone on record saying
they're concerned about

security in
Europe. They were speaking on
the Olympics, but

I remembered their
comments when our guys pulled out
of Monte Carlo.

It makes me wonder
if behind the scenes there's talk
we don't know about.

(And, for what it's worth,
the WTC attacks hit
the Tuesday after

the US Open
tennis tournament wrapped up.
Players might worry.)

----------------------------------------------------
*

Tennis star says terrorism may keep her away from Olympics By The Associated Press (3/29/04- Key Biscayne, FL) — An American tennis star says she might skip the Athens Olympics because of terrorism fears. Serena Williams says she wants to compete -- but that her personal safety is more important than her career. Williams says she won't go to Athens in August if she feels it won't be safe. Williams and her sister Venus won the gold medal in women's doubles in the 2000 Sydney games. At least 800 (m) million dollars is being spent on security for the Athens Olympics. But U-S officials have expressed concern about whether the security will be adequate. (Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[nypokerface]

My point was that these guys were playing in Houston last week and waited to the last moment to see if they felt like going to Europe to play in a tournament they probably won't win. If they actually went to Monte Carlo and dropped out of the tournament, then I would say there is something wrong. Although there seems to be a lot players dropping out, this is not an odd event in tennis.

All these guys are best friends outside the game, they probably decided to go out and party instead of playing in France.

[TheBigB]

Sheesh. Relax, willya? Is this better?

[King David]

This isn't France. Monte Carlo is part of Monaco; a city-state. With the enormous wealth it posesses, you would think they could afford the best security money can buy. This sounds like a code-red level threat for so many of our athletes to withdraw so suddenly.

[theFIRMbss]

>If they actually went to Monte Carlo and dropped out of the tournament, then I would say there is something wrong

I can't say if they
did or didn't fly to France.
But they all appeared

in the main draw when
play began. In fact, Roddick
was even mentioned

in the tournament's
official first round preview. *
I have seen -- of course! --

players withdraw. But
I've never seen a whole group
withdraw just for rest.

-------------------------------------------------------------

* Main Draw Preview

"... Should American No. 1 seed Andy Roddick advance to the second round, he could face big-serving Croat Goran Ivanisevic, who plays a qualifier in his opening match. Ivanisevic is playing in his 11th Tennis Masters Monte-Carlo, having first played here in 1989. ..."