Washington Post: And Now Comes the Hard Part

Whether NFL cornerbacks, Olympic gymnasts or professional tennis players, the most successful athletes have a knack for taking a bad play, a poor performance or a lousy match and setting it aside. Sports psychologists refer to it as compartmentalizing — not dwelling on mistakes but erasing the mental slate and plowing ahead with new vigor and a positive outlook.

It’s easier said than done, of course. And it would be nice, Andy Roddick joked yesterday, if there were a “delete button for your thoughts,” adding, “If you figure out how to do that, let me know.”

Until then, Roddick finds himself plowing on after his quarterfinal loss at Wimbledon the only way he knows how: by hitting the American hard-court circuit, where the surface that best suits his game tends to restore whatever confidence the sport’s grass-court season saps.

In that regard, Washington’s Legg Mason Tennis Classic couldn’t come at a finer time, despite the sweltering humidity and heat in store this week.

As the tournament’s 2001 and 2005 champion, Roddick said he’s happy to be back in friendly environs, having missed last year’s event with an injury suffered at a tournament in Los Angeles the week before.

And Legg Mason tournament officials are thrilled to have his star wattage back this summer, particularly after local favorite James Blake bowed out. Other than Roddick, the event has only one player ranked in the top 10 — Germany’s Tommy Haas. Local favorite Paul Goldstein of Rockville returns and opens play tonight against Somdev Dev Varman of India. Former world No. 1 Marat Safin also returns.

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