I added a bunch of HQ pics to the site. Including from the 2nd round of the Sony Ericsson Open

069 x Bloomingdales Celebrates Lacostes 75th Anniversary With Andy Roddick
002 x Press Conference: 2008 Sony Ericsson Open
031 x 2008 Sony Ericsson Open: 2nd Round - Against Viktor Troicki

Andy Roddick Interview - Miami, Mar 31
Q. From People Magazine.
ANDY RODDICK: Oh.

Q. It’s begun. It started.
ANDY RODDICK: Thanks for breaking the news. Appreciate it.

Q. We wanted to know how you popped the question, where you were? Did you get down on one knee and what kind of ring you had. Just little details like that?
ANDY RODDICK: Just little details I’ll probably keep to myself. It’s our business. It was nice.
I got down on a knee, but I think the details we’ll keep close to our family and friends. Thanks.

Q. Do you have at least a date that you did it?
ANDY RODDICK: Couple weeks ago.

Q. So does it feel any different to be an engaged man other than, you know, questions in People Magazine and all that?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. I think so. I think it’s a life choice, so it is a bit different. I think I lost half my fan base today.

Q. You did. I think so.
ANDY RODDICK: No, but, you know, I’m happy, and, you know, Ivo Minar played the same way. I don’t think he really cared. (laughter.)
That was my main concern today.

Q. I think he was trying to give you an easy win.
ANDY RODDICK: Then I’ll take it. Apparently I should have done it sooner, then.
THE MODERATOR: Are there any tennis questions, by chance?

Q. Yes. How do you feel about making the fourth round and your match tomorrow night?
ANDY RODDICK: I feel good. You know, I still feel like I could probably hit the ball a little bit better, but it was pretty windy out there and the conditions weren’t easy.
You know, whenever you play someone who’s won I think five matches in seven or eight days, whatever it is, including quallies, he’s got to be hitting the ball well.
I said the other day that that doesn’t happen by accident. So I knew it was going to be tough. He plays pretty high risk, and a lot of times there’s not a lot you can do besides let him take his swings and hope eventually he might punch himself out.

Q. Why did the second set look so much different than the first? Was there some kind of pattern that you cracked?
ANDY RODDICK: I started serving a little better. I didn’t serve well again, which I’m going to have to fix. I felt I was solid all around. If he was going to win points it was maybe six or seven shots as opposed to two or three and over the course of a set that makes a difference.

Q. How much do you know about Benneteau?
ANDY RODDICK: I know a lot. I forget how many times ?? I think we played three times as pros. Yeah, three times, and I think I lost the last time. We’re similar in age, so I’ve seen him since juniors.

Q. You know what the ups and downs are of being in the spotlight, and I know Brooklyn has been in the spotlight herself. But do you feel like she knows what she’s in for?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. You know, she’s a very, very smart girl, so I think ?? I think so. But, you know, to be honest, I think it’s big news today. I don’t know if it will be big news next week.

Q. Are you and Mardy going to share wedding planning tips and stuff?
ANDY RODDICK: Hopefully that’s ?? I was just trying to take heat off Mardy. Hopefully they can talk wedding plans and maybe we can go do golf or something.

Q. Who introduced you?
ANDY RODDICK: Guys, let’s get to tennis, please.

Q. At what point when the draws were published and everything did you notice that you and Federer are kind of on a path for each other in the quarterfinals?
ANDY RODDICK: I mean, I don’t know. I wasn’t really looking for it. Probably about the same time you saw that the draw was out.
You look at it, but it’s irrelevant. I’m not playing Roger Federer. I’m playing Julien Benneteau. If that match comes to fruition, then we’ll talk about it then.

Q. You’re a fan of all sports. Do you think tennis belongs in the Olympics?
ANDY RODDICK: Umm, yeah, I think so. You know, it’s just ?? it’s just unique, because I don’t think any other sport plays 11 months a year and all of a sudden every fourth year has to put the biggest sporting event in the world smack dab in their season.
So I think if you’re going to have the Olympics you have to make some adjustments. I don’t know if you can fit four pounds of dirt into a three?pound bag.
You know, so I think the ?? playing tennis at the Olympics is a great thing. It’s just we have a full schedule on a nonOlympic year, so when it is an Olympic year, you know, and you do have to make a 20?, 24?hour trip, it is tough.
You know, I’m watching Sports Center last week and I’m getting a chuckle because I see where they’re debating whether the Red Sox or the As are going to have jet lag and that’s going to affect them six months down in the season.
I said, You’ve got to be kidding me. We do that three weeks in a row. But it is pretty extreme. Unfortunately this year I had to make a decision.

Q. Do you get the sense most of the top players are excited about the Olympics, it’s something they really want to do?
ANDY RODDICK: Sure. And being at the Olympics was an honor in ‘04, and I’m really glad that I got to experience it, and really glad that I went. It’s one of the neatest things that I’ve done.
That being said, maybe let one of the other guys have the experience. At this point in my career I’d like to put another major on the board, and that’s my focus.

Q. Was it a tough decision for you?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it was extremely difficult, yeah.

Q. You brought up just now that you want to get the talk on tennis and everything. How much would winning out the rest of this do for that?
ANDY RODDICK: Sorry?

Q. You talked just now about wanting to bring the attention away from maybe your love life and back to tennis. How much can you do toward that this week?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, I don’t know if me winning here would bring up my love life more or if I lost and disappeared for a couple of weeks I wouldn’t have to talk. It’s kind of maybe a little bit of a Catch?22, but it is what it is. I’m here this week to play a tennis tournament.

Q. When you talk about tweaking your serve, what do you mean exactly? What are you trying to fix?
ANDY RODDICK: I know how to serve. I was almost overthinking it. When I kind of got back and just let it go it worked a little bit better.

Q. They’re not going to have a five?set final here anymore. How do you feel about that?
ANDY RODDICK: I like that, just because I feel like if you start a tournament one way you should finish it one way.
I feel like a three?out?of?five set tournament is a totally different beast than a two out of three set. So it’s almost changing the dynamic. If someone’s hot and then all of a sudden ?? it’s a different dynamic, and I think it should be consistent across the board, so I like it.

Q. There’s always been talk that this tournament is considered like the fifth Slam. How is it among the players? Do you feel the same, or do you feel something the media is hyping a little bit?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, I mean there is no question there’s a lot of hype around events. It is in Miami, and there’s a certain vibe that goes along with that. There’s a lot of attention that goes along with that maybe from outside the sport here.
Yeah, I think it is ?? I think it is a big event. You don’t see very many of the past champions who haven’t gone on to be really successful in other events, and in Grand Slam events, and I don’t think that’s coincidental.

Q. How would you assess Etienne’s job after two and a half years?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, I think there are really good things. I mean, he’s not scared to make a move. Tennis had been the same for a hundred years, and changes isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The thing is, if you’re going to step up and make decisions, you can’t ask a guy to change things and then if he does and there’s something in particular that you don’t like you criticize him for it.
I think a lot of the players were asking for change, and he came in and is swinging for the fences and isn’t apologizing for it. I can respect him in that regard.

Q. Although you’re not playing the Olympics because of your concern for the US Open, you’re probably aware some athletes feel very uncomfortable playing in China because of the human rights issue. I just want to know, is that part of the factor, or was that any consideration at all for you?
ANDY RODDICK: No. That wasn’t ?? that wasn’t a factor in my decision at all. It was purely from a tennis standpoint.
Source!

It’s love - love for Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker ? they’re engaged!

The tennis star is officially off the market after popping the question to Decker last Tuesday, sources, including Decker’s rep, confirm to PEOPLE.

On Roddick’s official Web site, andyroddick.com, a statement tells fans, “The couple wanted to tell their family and close friends first but good news travels fast. By the time Andy arrived in Miami for the Sony Ericsson Open, the tournament was bustling with the news.”

The pair, who have been dating since 2007, first met after Roddick, 25, asked his agent to track down a number for Decker, 20, a model who has appeared in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

“With their hectic travel schedules, Andy and Brooklyn plan to enjoy their engagement and will wait to set a wedding date,” adds Roddick’s online statement.
Source: People.com

Well, congrats to Andy!

I added more than 40 HQ pictures of Andy in the 1st round of the Pacific Life Open against Tommy Haas

I added HQ pics of Andy in the semi-final and final of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships

I added some HQ pics of last yesterdays match against Rafael Nadal

053 x Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships: Semi Final - Against Novak Djokovic
047 x Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships: Final - Against Feliciano Lopez

Pacific Life Open: Andy Roddick, March 14, 2008
Q. Got to be feeling good after that tournament win, Andy? Took down a couple big scalps there?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I feel really good. I hit the ball real clean. I told you in San Jose I thought I was close to playing really good tennis, and that came around in Dubai. So it was a good week.

Q. What made you feel you were close to playing really good tennis?
ANDY RODDICK: You know, you wish you could put a finger on it. It’s something about you’re in a match, even when you’re in a tough one, when you feel like you’re about to play well you play well and you feel like you’re going to win it.
When you’re not you just feel like you’re just hanging on. Even in San Jose I felt like I was going to get through those matches, and I was able to get through a couple tough ones not playing my best. When you do that you give yourself an opportunity to play well.

Q. You seemed a little feisty today during practice. Is that the right word?
ANDY RODDICK: I’m feisty most days during practice.

Q. You know Charlie thinks that these courts really suit you here at this tournament. He also thinks you maybe haven’t played your best at this tournament even though you’ve had good results. What you are your thoughts about this tournament? Does it suit you?
ANDY RODDICK: I don’t know if it suits me per se. I mean, it’s really slow and kind of very high bouncing.
I don’t think it’s surprising that Nadal won this last year. But it’s — I mean, it’s all right. He’s probably right with saying I’ve played okay but probably not my best here. So I probably would agree with most of what he said.

Q. The story about you and Jimmy splitting came the day or right around your victory in Dubai, and I’ve only seen stuff on the wires. Are you making comments on it? Has it affected you mentally? Do you have a new coach? Obviously you’ve changed coaches over the years. Is this just another change?
ANDY RODDICK: That’s a lot to process (Laughter.)

Q. That’s a lot, but it’s true.
ANDY RODDICK: Which part of that do you want me to go for?
Read more!

Roddick ready to rumble again
One degree of separation. Andy Roddick has split with Jimmy Connors. Or rather, Jimmy Connors has split with Andy Roddick. As if there’s any difference.

Jimmy goes back to walking his dog and knocking wedges onto greens. Andy goes on to, well, we can only hope it’s the place predicted a few years back.

Roddick inhabits that slightly bizarre world of high-class tennis, the one where great athletes mix with celebrities and, as became obvious the other day when Andy was being interviewed as part of the Pacific Life Open, with individuals of somewhat questionable character.

Andy is now 25, already four and half years away from that momentous U.S. Open victory that led us ? or misled us ? to believe he would be the next Pete Sampras, a winner who also was an American.

Part of his problem was he didn’t progress. Part of his problem was that people such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic did. So from briefly being ahead of all, ending 2003 No.1 in the rankings, Roddick slipped and tumbled, at the moment standing sixth.

That doesn’t mean he no longer can play. At the moment, in fact, he’s the hottest male player around, the last month alone winning two tournaments, while Federer and Nadal have not won any.
Read more!

Andy just beat Feliciano Lopez in the final on the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in 3 sets 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. So congrats to Andy! I’ll be back when I get my hands on some HQ pics of the match.