Roddick’s Goal For Roland Garros - One Win

Tennis:

PARIS : Reigning US Open champion Andy Roddick, eliminated in his first match at last year’s French Open, has a simple goal at the Paris clay-court Grand Slam event this year - reaching the second round.

“My first thought is to get past the first round this year,” Roddick said Monday. “That’s one reason I have come over here early and been training every day at Roland Garros.

“There’s no real excuse if I don’t perform up to what is necessary.”

Roddick’s poor showing last May led him to drop his former coach, Frenchman Tarik Benhabilies, and begin working with Andre Agassi’s former coach, Brad Gilbert.

That switch began an impressive run for Roddick, peaking with his US Open triumph and culminating with a year-end world number one ranking.

The French Open’s clay surface works against his power-serving style, but Roddick has confidence he can be a threat if he is playing his best.

“For me it’s just a matter of being consistent on clay,” Roddick said. “When I’m not playing my best, it shows a little more on the dirty stuff.”

Pat McEnroe, Roddick’s US Davis Cup captain, named Argentina’s Guillermo Coria, defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain and Swiss reigning world number one Roger Federer, the Wimbledon and Australian Open champion, as favorites.

“Coria has had a great clay-court season,” McEnroe said. “You have to throw Federer in there obviously, having won Hamburg. He was one of the contenders. Now he’s one of the favorites. And Ferrero dominated last year.

“Andy certainly is in contention. I wouldn”t put him down as one of the favorites. It’s not his best surface, though I think one day he will put it together and play well in Paris.”