Mardy Fish opened his post-Irene U.S. Open campaign on Monday with a routine 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 win over Germany’s Tobias Kamke, kicking off what may be his best chance at a Grand Slam title in his decade-long pro career.
The 29-year-old Floridian, who carries some momentum into Flushing Meadows after having won the Atlanta title, reaching finals in L.A. and Montreal, and knocking off Rafael Nadal en route to the Cincinnati semis, appears to be getting used to his newfound status as the top-ranked American man. The world No. 8 replaces Andy Roddick, who has been the best U.S. hope every year since 2002.
“[It’s] certainly different pressure than I’ve ever felt,” Fish confided. “But it’s a great feeling. It’s just one of those experiences that not everybody can go through. I can understand just a little bit of what Andy has gone through every single year for the past 12 years, probably, and respect the job that he’s done with it…how well he’s handled the expectations with his play. For most of his 10, 12 years here, he’s done extremely well, and so I can respect that a ton and lean on him and James [Blake] a little bit to ask some questions and hopefully take away a little bit of the pressure that Andy has had to deal with…I’m happy to help in that aspect.”
Fish, who has never advanced beyond the quarters in NYC, has some work ahead of him. He finds himself in the same quadrant of the draw with 16-time Slam champ Roger Federer. But to even have a shot at a possible quarterfinal against the Swiss, he would have to get by the likes of Spaniard Fernando Verdasco or Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (who’s now beaten Federer on back-to-back occasions). But Roddick’s onetime roomie says he’s a different player, and therefore has different expectations.
“I’ve got a real good grasp on my fitness right now,” he said. “Last year, I came in, I was extremely fit at the time, but I was almost…too skinny. The stamina maybe wasn’t there quite as good. I sort of ran out of gas at this tournament against [Novak] Djokovic. Not that that really would have mattered the way he played that match…I’ve got a great grasp on how to leave last week’s tournament in last week, leaving Montreal in Montreal and trying to separate myself from that and go to Cincinnati and start over again and hopefully leave Cincinnati there and start over here and sort of forget all the matches I’ve played in, the mental side of it, the mental sort of fatigue you can get from playing quite a few matches to starting over and trying to get as fresh as possible. I think I’ve done that and am trying more and more, and it’s a good problem to have, obviously, but something that I’m not used to throughout my career.”
“I expect to see myself in the second Saturday of the U.S. Open because I’ve never done that before,” Fish added. “I’ve been close once, but I’d like to get there now. I’d really like to get there now, because I really feel like I can belong there. I can get there. I can get to a really big spot in a Grand Slam. And if I were to pick a tournament, a Grand Slam that I could do that in, it would be this one.”
