A Roddick's chances of getting rid of his tag as a one-shot, one-slam wonder suffered a further blow when he was forced to quit the Cincinnati Masters due to injury yesterday.
"I fell asleep last night and woke up with the lights still on," Roddick told reporters yesterday. "I kind of passed out and I'm guessing I was in the wrong position.
"I woke up this morning with something in my neck and shoulder and any kind of activity is causing it to flare up. It's kind of a helpless feeling."
The former US Open champion has worked hard to add more controlled groundstrokes and volleying to his record-breaking serve.
But his persistent shoulder injury, which contributed to his withdrawal from the $2,615,000 Ohio event, has raised doubts about whether his decision to miss the Olympics will pay off.
Roddick would like to take advantage of the tiredness Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and others may suffer on their return from Beijing to the US Open, which starts a week after the Games.
Roddick beat all three grand slam titleholders early this year, Nadal and Novak Djokovic in Dubai, and Federer in Miami, raising hopes that he might also get the better of them on similar hard courts in New York.
But the world number six has suffered a series of disappointing results since, including a second-round loss to Janko Tipsarevic at Wimbledon.
Roddick still hopes to compete in tournaments in Los Angeles and Washington next month.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily July 30, 2008)