The Golden 'Bryan' Slam in Pictures

The Golden brothers won the London Olympics beating Frenchmen Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

In the US Open final, the Bryans revenge their Australian Open final defeat to Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek.

At Melbourne, Bob and Mike won their sixth Australian Open title, beating unseeded Dutch pair Robin Haase and Igor Sjisling.

In Paris, the American greats overcame home hopes Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut 7-6 in the decider, collecting their second French Open title.

They completed the Golden 'Bryan' Slam by overcoming Croatian Ivan Dodig and Brazilian Marcelo Melo to win their third Wimbledon crown.

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The Unstoppable Flying Brothers

Doubles legends, Bob and Mike Bryan, were on a mission at this year's Wimbledon. Having won the previous three Slams, as well as the Olympic gold medal in London, the twins were looking to complete the Golden 'Bryan' Slam, thus becoming the first team to hold all four majors, plus the Olympic gold at the same time.

With many of their rivals choosing to part ways at the end of last season, the Bryans found themselves unbothered as they cruised through 2013, winning eight of the eleven tournaments they've entered. While the newly formed teams are still in the process of accommodating with each other, the accomplished twins, aged 35, are completely in sync. This helped them reach some unbelievable heights throughout their career. "I think that's the reason why we've been playing so well, is because we have everything," said Bob. "Everything now feels like a bonus. It just feels like we're adding nuts and whipped cream and cherries to our great career. We said that a few years ago: if we retire today, we feel like we've done it all. Let's go have some fun and add to whatever this is."

Riding on an incredible 18-match winning streak, the Bryan brothers proved unstoppable at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. They've advanced through to the semifinals without dropping a set, withstood a tough challenge from Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Indian Rohan Bopanna, to then end the dream run of Croatian Ivan Dodig and Brazilian Marcelo Melo to clinch an historic title.

"It's hard to even dream that we'd have the slam, all four at one time," said Mike Bryan. "It all started back after we won the gold. It just felt like a huge pressure was released. Went on to win the Open and had a great summer. This year we've been on an amazing tear. Never had a streak like this. Especially at 35, I feel like we're hitting our peak.
"In the context of our career, it is probably up there at the top. I didn't think anything could feel as sweet as the gold medal, but this one just feels like there's a cap, a lid, or a ribbon around our career. It's pretty cool. It's something we never dreamed of, to try to win four in a row. It's too hard to dominate in doubles. Maybe we had a little luck involved along the way. We just took one at a time. It just added up. Now we got to try to suit back up for the calendar slam."

Next goal for the 'flying' brothers: winning all four majors in a season. They can do that by successfully defending their US Open crown. Let's go #BryanBros!

Although they lost the first five games of the final, the Bryan brothers came back strong, winning the final 3-6,6-3,6-4,6-3 to complete the Golden 'Bryan' Slam. The American twins now hold all four Grand Slam trophies, as well as the Olympic gold medal.

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Azarenka Proves to the World

Although she was the stand-out player of 2012, Vika Azarenka was missing something from what has become an impressive resume: a victory over her nemesis, Serena Williams. The two have been battling hard throughout the last nine months, with the American winning most of those disputes relatively easy. The only exception was the US Open final, where the edgy Belorussian served for the title, before being pegged back by her extraterrestrial opponent.

With Williams clearly dominating the rivalry in 2012, Vika was eager to get a new start in 2013. However, after her doubtful withdrawal from Brisbane 30 minutes before their semifinal clash, there were many voices accusing her of deliberately avoiding her biggest rival out of fear. Then Serena's surprising defeat to teen sensation, Sloane Stephens, delayed a mouth-watering match between the two in Melbourne. In Serena's absence there aren't many players who can beat Vika and she proved that by winning her second straight Australian Open crown. As a matter of fact, the world No.1 has only lost four matches to someone other than Serena since the start of the 2012 season (i.e. once to Bartoli, twice to Sharapova and once to Cibulkova). 

The inevitable finally happened in Doha, where the duo qualified for the final, Serena leapfrogging Azarenka as the new world No.1 courtesy of her quarterfinal win over Kvitova. Deprived of her status, Victoria came out firing, forcing he opponent into numerous mistakes of her right side. While the American struggled to find her booming serve, Vika showed a much improvement service to stun a visibly irritated Williams. The set went to a tie-break and the Belorussian proved just how tough mentally she is, holding off a set point to eventually close out the proceedings. Serena came back strong in the second act, winning it 6-2 to level the dispute. Azarenka was not ready to surrender though and she fought back. She broke early in the decider and served superbly to seal off an extraordinary victory to defend her title.

What I loved most about Victoria's performance was her stellar mental strength. She didn't go away in the first set when Williams levelled and, most importantly, she didn't choke when serving for the match, as she did at Flushing Meadows. I think in her case, what's bigger than her tennis is her attitude, an attitude that took her to the top of the game. Compared to Safina, Jankovic, Radwanska or Wozniacki, she isn't afraid of a fierce battle. She is utterly confident in herself, she genuinly believes she can beat anyone and she has the weapons to do so, even when it comes to the intangible Serena Williams. With so many questioning her legitimacy, I am really glad to see Vika turning the tables on her nemesis. Although she dropped to No.2, she is the biggest winner of this week in Doha.

Williams and Azarenka will continue their rivalry for the No.1 ranking in Dubai, where the latter can reclaim her spot if the results work in her favour.

Although she lost the No.1 ranking to Serena this week, Azarenka showed she's the leading female player of the moment, beating the American 7-6,2-6,6-3 to successfully defend her Doha title. This was Vika's just second victory over her nemesis.

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Serena Makes an Official Return to No.1

It's been a long time coming, but Serena has finally made an official return to No. 1 following a marathon win over former Wimbledon champ, Petra Kvitova, in the quarterfinals in Doha. The victory was enough to see her overcome current leader, Victoria Azarenka.
The American was the dominant figure in women's tennis for the past year, winning all the big prizes. Following a shocking first round exit at the French, the all time great went on an outstanding 52-2 win-loss match record, which comprised titles at Wimbledon, the Olympics, the US Open, and ultimately, the Season's Ending Championships. However, the other stand-out player of 2012, Victoria Azarenka, endured a longer schedule and her consistent results eventually did enough to maintain the year-end no.1 spot. At the start of the season though, the edgy Belorussian was under immense pressure to retain her status, but a successful defence of her Australian Open crown kept Williams away. It wasn't to be for long however, as a semifinal berth in Doha would automatically see the American return to the top of the rankings for the first time since 2010.
Visibly nervous and struggling to find her best form, Serena found herself in trouble against the powerful Czech. Kvitova won the first set and was up 4-1 in the decider, but in the trademark Williams style, she hit back. I've always believed that one the stiffest tests in women's tennis is winning that final point against Serena. She is such a great competitor and has such a strong belief in her game, that she can overcome any deficit against any player, so only a selected few can close her off. Unfortunately for Petra, she couldn't and Williams sealed off a marathon 3-6,6-3,7-5 win to officially recapture her undisputed credentials as the world's best player.
"I'm so sensitive nowadays, I'm always crying! I've just been through so much and never thought I'd be here again," Serena confessed during her on-court interview. "I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to get back to No.1. It has been a long road back and it's a great feeling. It has been a lot of hard work but I don't want to stop here."

At 31 years, four months and 24 days, she becomes the oldest woman to top the ranking, eclipsing compatriot Chris Evert, who was 30 years, 11 months and three days when she last held the ranking in 1985. On Monday, February 18, Williams will begin her 124th non-consecutive week at No.1.

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The Legendary Brothers

The world's most popular doubles team wrote history once more at this year's Australian Open, as they cruised past the Dutch pairing of Robin Haase and Igor Sjisling to collect a record-breaking 13th Grand Slam title. The Bryan brothers now stand alone as the most prolific doubles team of all time, breaking their previous record, one they shared with Aussies John Newcombe and Tony Roche. 

Asked to comment on the team's amazing results, Mike said: "We never really think we're that good. We've put our head down every day. We just don't let each other slack off. If one guy is playing a little worse, the other guy is on him. We just don't let our level drop. We just let [the media] talk about how good we are. We don't really go, ‘We're amazing.’ We don't go home and talk about our records. It's fun to look at our trophies once in a while, but we're always just trying to push the bar a little higher and get better. To be a part of history is pretty special. We weren't thinking about it much out there, but now that we have it, it's going to be fun to look back on our career and say we have the most Grand Slams."

Although they've won every Grand Slam at least once, the twins have always felt most comfortable Down Under where they contested nine of the last ten finals and won sixth crown. Talking about their special connection with the 'Happy' Slam, Mike said: "I think we're so successful at this tournament because we spent the offseason mainly in the same spot working toward the new year. We come into these tournaments with momentum." 

After finishing at number 1 for seven of the last eight seasons, no one can argue the Bryans are probably the most dominant force in men's doubles of all time. In 2012 they achieved their biggest dream by winning the Olympic gold medal in London, and they immediately announced they plan to defend it in Rio in 2016. So, although they've won basically everything, it seems they have no plans of hanging up their racquets just yet. According to Bob: "As far as records, there's not much left to achieve. But like we've told you before, we're competitors. We hate to lose. We want to finish No. 1." And judging by the perfect start to the 2013 seasons, i.e. they've lifted titles in Sydney and Melbourne, the Americans show no signs of giving up their position anytime soon.

The Bryan brothers became the most prodigious doubles team of all time, winning their 13th Grand Slam title after defeating Dutch duo, Robin Haase and Igor Sjisling in the Australian Open final.

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Introducing Sloane Stephens

One of the breakthrough stories of the 2013 Australian Open was written by American Sloane Stephens. The world's best teenager played unbelievable tennis throughout the fortnight, upsetting the odd en route to her first Grand Slam semifinal. 

Stephens started the week strongly, quickly dismissing Romanian Simona Halep 6-1,6-1 in the first round. She followed that up with another comfortable win over fellow teen, Kristina Mladenovic, 6-4,6-3. Hoping to reinforce her credentials as the best youngest on the tour, Sloane took on Briton Laura Robson. Laura, coming off a huge triumph over Petra Kvitova, could not find a way to break the American's solid game and ended up losing the battle 7-5,6-3. After the match, Stephens said she hopes the two will emulate the 'Federer-Nadal' rivalry one day: "Laura and I are good friends. She's obviously a good player. We're going to have a rivalry, all that good stuff. We're turning into the Fed-Nadal rivalry."

Playing in the second week of a Slam for the second time in her career (she reached the fourth round at last year's French Open), the American delivered her best tennis, coming from behind to eventually overcame another bright prospect, Serb Bojana Jovanovski. She won a tight three-setter, 6-1,3-6,7-5 to book her place in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. 

Although no one fancied her chances against the great Serena Williams, Sloane was confident she can cause the upset. Taking advantage of her opponent's back injury, she turned the tables in the second set, pushing the match into a decider. As Serena struggled to serve, she basically annihilated her biggest weapon. This opened the door to her younger compatriot who seized the initiative serving out a tremendous 3-6,7-5,6-4 success against her idol. "This is so crazy," a shocked Stephens said in a post-match TV interview. "Oh my goodness. I think I'll put a poster of myself (up) now."

Her popularity hit sky-high after the victory, her twitter followers doubling immediately after the match (from around 17k to approximately 40k). Her newly gained supporters comprised some famous figures. John Legend offered to sing at her wedding, Shaquille O'Neal messaged her saying "When u defeat a legend you become a legend", while Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki was amazed by her "amazing defence".

Sloane is a really mature player for her age though. Not letting fame get in her way, she got back to business in her semifinal against world number 1, Victoria Azarenka. The defending champion started strong, cruising through the first set, 6-1. However, Sloane was not done yet. She fought her way back in the second set, saving five match points at 3-5 on Azarenka's serve before saving the game. Visibly irritated by her inability to close out the match, the Belorussian suffered a 'panic attack'. She called out the trainer, accusing chest problems that prevent her from breathing. The lengthy medical time out turned the momentum in her favour and she was able to break Stephens decisively when the play resumed. She won the match 6-1,6-4 to book her place in her second consecutive Australian Open final.

Gracious in defeat, the American refused to get caught in the controversy, opting to take out the positives from her sensational adventure Down Under. "I've obviously had three losses in three weeks, but Serena is one of the greatest players to me, and Vika, No.1 player in the world, not bad - and Vesnina, who won the tournament in Hobart last week. I'm obviously coming out of the Australian summer with amazing momentum, knowing I can pretty much hang in there with anybody out there and even beat some of the best players in the world."

Hailed as the next big thing, Stephens now faces the though challenge of confirming her fairytale run at Melbourne.

In the battle of the teenagers, Sloane Stephens defeated Laura Robson to book her place in the last 16th. The win marked the second time the American reached the second week of a Grand Slam. She also did so at last year's French Open.

The young American pulled off the biggest victory of her career, stunning a suffering Serena Williams to reach the semis. Serena, who is Sloane's idol, injured her back in the second set and was visibly in pain throughout the encounter. All credit goes to her younger compatriot though for closing out the win.

Following a controversial medical time out, Victoria Azarenka eventually closed out her match against Stephens, winning 6-1,6-4 to reach her second Australian Open final.

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Misery Strikes Snake-Bitten Brian Baker

Tennis can be really unfair sometimes, especially to someone like Brian Baker, a prodigious junior who made a sensational comeback last season just to be dealt a major blow a couple of months later at this year's Australian Open. 

After losing the 2003 French Open junior final to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, Brian looked poised to become the next big American tennis player. The former no.2 ranked junior made a quick transition to the limelight, recording his first top 10 win at the 2005 US Open. After upsetting then-no.9, former French Open champion, Argentinean Gaston Gaudio, in the first round, he would lose his next encounter with Belgian Xavier Malisse, his last ATP-level match since last May.

During his seven year hiatus, Brian battled never-ending injuries and medical issues. He underwent a series of extremely dangerous surgeries that could have potentially ended his career: left hip (2005), sports hernia (2006), right elbow reconstructive surgery (February 2008), left hip again (April 2008), right hip (June 2008).

Injury free and rejuvenated, Baker decided to give tennis one last shot in 2012. His breakthrough result came at the small clay-court tournament in Nice, where he reached his first career final. Ranked No. 216, he qualified for the main draw, where he took out home favourite, Gael Monfils, before succumbing to red-dirt specialist, Nicolas Almagro. His run of good form continued, and he obtained a more impressive performance at Wimbledon. As a qualifier, he went all the way to the fourth round, where he lost to German Phillipp Kohlschreiber.

With a ranking inside the top 50, Baker set his sights on a great follow-up in 2013. Things got off to an excellent start, the American winning his Melbourne opener against Russian Alex Bogomolov Jr. It was during his second round match though that misery stroke. Leading his compatriot, Sam Querrey, by one set to love, Brian injured his knee and was forced to retire immediately. The damage was so severe that he could barely strand. He was carried off the court in a wheelchair, while the Aussie crowd gave him a loud ovation. It was reported that a woman shouted from the stands, "Don't give up, Brian."

"He said he kind of just felt his knee almost buckle and kind of heard like a pop or a snap," Querrey said after the match. "He didn't know if it was bones or a tear, but he couldn't straighten it, couldn't walk." His opponent added: "He's the last person that deserves anything like that. He does everything right, treats his body great, just trying to come back, and then something like that happens, it's just so unlucky."

It was later confirmed that he tore his meniscus, an injury that is expected to keep him off court for at least four months. We genuinely wish Brian a speedy recovery!

Unlucky American, Brian Baker, had to be carried off the court in a wheelchair after injuring his knee during his second round clash with compatriot, Sam Querrey, at the Australian Open. Misery stroke early in the second set, with Brian leading one set to love.

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Time To Say Goodbye: The Last of the Mohicans

Labelled by some as a one hit wonder, Andy Roddick, the last mohican of the American squad, was one of the most popular players of his generation. A wonder kid who quickly reached worldwide stardom following his success at the 2003 US Open, Roddick spent most of his career in the shadow of his arch nemesis, Roger Federer. 

Even though he was a later bloomer, Federer quickly established himself as the dominant force in men's tennis winning almost every Slam, leaving the American desperately searching for another crown. He came close on four occasions, but every time he failed to achieve his goal. Responsible for his misfortune was none other than the extraterrestrial Federer, who always got the best of him in those finals. Probably the most heart-breaking of them all was that epic 2009 Wimbledon final when Roddick played the match of his life, but was unable to succumb the almighty Swiss. After a marathon five-setter, Roger won 16-14 in the decider crushing his opponent to pieces. 

It might be that he never recovered from the disappointment, or maybe his body just gave in, but Andy quickly faded into the background making room for new guns such as Nadal, Djokovic or Murray to steal the limelight. 

A constant top 10 figure, the American shone the brightest on the American hardcourts where he always felt at ease. He also performed brilliantly on grass, the surface he loved most dearly, but he never got another chance to the Wimbledon title. Following a series of injuries, Andy missed the beginning of the 2012 season, making an emphatic return to form with a title in Eastbourne. Although he added another crown by winning in Atlanta, he struggled with a lack of motivation, which ultimately led him to announce his retirement at the start of the US Open. Cheered by the partisan crowd, he reached the last 16th, but his run was eventually ended by Argentinean Juan Martin del Potro, who won their clash in four sets. 

Benefitting from his immense popularity, Andy is set to follow on his wife's footsteps, making a transition to television and radio. He married actress Brooklyn Decker in 2009. His retirement leaves a huge void in the American tennis with no one really up to take his place. Following generations of fabulous champions like Connors, McEnroe, Courier, Chang, Sampras or Agassi, the Americans have failed to give another Grand Slam champion since Roddick. Mardy Fish or John Isner can be extremely dangerous, especially on hardcourts, but they are yet to reach the same heights as their predecessors. Consequently, Roddick's retirement is more than a sad news for his numerous fans, it marks the end of an era. 

A look back at Andy's golden career

North American season 2003: A former Australian and US Open junior champion, Andy Roddick made a glorious transition to the ATP tour. The American  quickly establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with, winning back-to-back Masters titles in Montreal and Cincinnati in 2003. 

US Open 2003: Andy's ultimate moment of glory came after a sensational 2003 North American hard court season. Riding on an impressive run of form, the new American wonder kid claimed his sole Grand Slam of his career by defeating Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the Flushing Meadows final.

2003: Quickly after winning his first Grand Slam trophy, Roddick rose to the top of the ATP rankings. The American maintained his position till the end of the season, securing the year-end number 1 finish.

Wimbledon 2004: Andy's dynamic game made him a very dangerous opponent on grass. Relying on a vintage serve and volley display, Roddick fought his way to his first Wimbledon final in 2004. He was unable to stop Federer from a successful defence though, as the Swiss proved too good for his American opponent.

Wimbledon 2005: Desperately seeking a Wimbledon crown, Roddick got another shot a year later. Unfortunately for the American though, he run into his extraterrestrial nemesis, Roger Federer, again. The Swiss prevailed once more, leaving his opponent broken hearted as he witnessed another opportunity go by. 

US Open 2006: Andy played another Grand Slam final in front of his home crowd, but once again came out empty handed, being defeated relatively easy by Roger Federer.

Davis Cup 2007: Andy established himself as the best American player of his generation, winning all six matches to lead his country to its most recent Davis Cup success in 2007. Roddick also brought in a vital point in the final against Russia, defeating Dmitry Tursunov.

Wimbledon 2009: Probably the saddest memory of Andy's career came on his beloved London grass. In an epic final against nemesis, Roger Federer, the American gave it his all, but he was unable to subdue the powerful Swiss. Having been so close to collecting his first Wimbledon trophy, Roddick was left broken-hearted after losing a nail-biting marathon, which ended 16-14 in the decider. The final will always be remembered as one of the most dramatic battles of all time.

Miami 2010: Andy's last big victory came in front of his home crown in Miami. The American produced a vintage performance managing to overcome Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the semis and powerful young hope, Czech Tomas Berych, in the final to clinch his 5th and final Masters 1000 title.

Miami 2012: Roddick got the sweetest victory of his late career in Miami earlier this year,  defeating nemesis, Roger Federer, to end their legendary rivalry on a high.

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Serena's Great Escape

Coming into the US Open, she was everyone's tip for the title and after her ruthless display early on she seemed to be cruising toward achieving her objective. Since her stunning first round loss at the French there was not an inch that Serena did wrong. She won Wimbledon and quickly after that the Olympic gold medal, signalling her return to top form.

After a pretty successful North American swing with a title defence in Stanford and a semifinal appearance in Cincinnati, Serena was bursting with confidence coming into her home Slam. She stormed through the opening rounds, defeating compatriot Coco Vandeweghe and Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, before gaining revenge over Ekaterina Makarova, the Russian who shocked her in the last 16 of the Australian Open in January. As times passes in a Slam and the competition gets fiercer, Williams only gets better. Shaking off any signs of rust, the American blew Czech Andrea Hlavackova off the court with a merciless double bagel. She followed that up with a powerhouse performance to destroy Ana Ivanovic in the quarters and Sara Errani in the semis to book her place in the grand finale against world number 1, Victoria Azarenka.

Serena holds the upper hand in her disputes with the Belorussian, winning all their recent fights easily. Consequently, many were expecting a relaxed day at the office for the American superstar. Victoria is not one to be denied easily though and although she lost the first set, she came back swinging serving for the match at 5-4 in the decider. 

Pulling off the kind of magic that got her out of troubles so many times before, Serena managed to reel off four consecutive games to seal a huge victory, collecting thus her 15th Grand Slam crown. "I honestly can't believe I won. I really was preparing my runner-up speech, because I thought, 'Man, she's playing so great,' " said an ecstatic Williams during the trophy presentation, "I'm really shocked."

Although she lost, Victoria is showing signs of just why she deserves the number 1 ranking. Serena might have the edge at the moment, but Azarenka is more consistency and, relying on an extensive schedule, she can surely challenge the American powerhouse in her quest of regaining the top spot.

Pulling off the trademark Serena comeback, the American outlasted a brave Victoria Azarenka to claim her 15th Grand Slam title after a fierce 6-2,2-6,7-5 battle.

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The Bryans' Magic Makes History

Riding on an incredible run of form that got them the Olympic gold medal, the Bryan brothers capped another magnificent season by claiming their fourth US Open title after a pretty straightforward 6-3,6-4 final win over Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek. The victory is even more important as it marks another huge milestone in men's tennis, the American twins becoming the most prolific doubles team with 12 Slams to their name. The duo was tied with Aussie legends Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodford with 11 trophies since 2011. 

The Bryans came very close to equalling the record hold by another Australian pair, John Newcombe and Tony Roche, earlier this year, but they lost the finals of both the Australian and the French Open. This time around they weren't to be denied though as they secured their place in the history book to the delight of a partisan crowd. "We looked up to the Woodies, and to steal all their records is unbelievable because we idolize those guys,'' said Mike. "They're one of the reasons we play doubles.'' "My dad gets a real kick out of the records,'' continued Bob. "He has a spreadsheet on his computer. I'm sure he's updating it right now.''

Having already won everything in their illustrious career, the American greats have no intention of stepping away from the game. "Hopefully we can snag a couple a year, one or two,'' Mike said. "We got one this year. You do the math.
Next up on their list is the Davis Cup semifinal tie with Spain. Following Nadal's withdrawal, the Bryans will be looking to bring an important point for their country.

The Bryans avenged their Australian Open final defeat to Paes and Stepanek, beating the Indian-Czech duo 6-3,6-4 to claim their fourth US Open crown and take their tally to a record 12 Grand Slam trophies.

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A-Rod Turns Off All of the Lights

Since shocking the world with his announced that this would be his last tournament before stepping into retirement, Andy Roddick experienced a pretty emotional run at Flushing Meadows. Although he won comfortably his first round tie with compatriot Rhyne Williams, many were fearing for him during her second round clash with young gun, Bernard Tomic. However, Roddick produced a vintage performance to dispose of the Australian 6-3,6-4,6-0, proving he is not done just yet. He carried the good form going forward and even though he showed some nerves against Fabio Fognini, he was still too strong for the Italian, claiming a hard-fought 7-5,7-6,4-6,6-4 victory.

Cheered on by an entire nation, A-Rod went on to tackle former champion, giant Juan Martin del Potro in the last 16. Although he won two titles this season, at Eastbourne and Atlanta, the American looked pretty much like a spent force during the past 12 months or so. He just doesn't have enough fuel in his tank to challenge the big guys and this showed during his battle with del Potro. Although he won the first set in a tiebreak, Juan Martin came back strongly and, after levelling the dispute, he run away with the victory.

The loss marks the end of Andy's career, a sensational career that is, the American being one of the leading figures in men's tennis for more than a decade now. "For the first time in my career I'm not sure what to say," Roddick told his supporters during the on-court interview. "Since I was a kid, I've been coming to this tournament and I felt lucky just to sit where all of you are and watch this game and see the champions that have come and gone. "And I've loved every minute of it."

With Kim Clijsters' departure and Andy's sudden retirement, this year's US Open saw the exit of two of tennis' brightest stars. It will be extremely difficult to fill the void they leave behind.

In the place he loved the most, surrounded by friends and family, an emotional Roddick took time to thank the Arthur Ashe crowd for all the support they have given him throughout his career. His retirement leaves a huge void that will be very difficult to fill.

Disputing his last match, Andy Roddick was beaten 6-7,7-6,6-2,6-4 by Argentinean Juan Martin del Potro in the last 16 of the US Open. 

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