American sixth seed Andy Roddick is unsurprised by the number of older players in Wimbledon's fourth round draw.
Sixth seed says older players handle the grass game better
American sixth seed Andy Roddick is unsurprised by the number of experienced players still in the hunt at Wimbledon.
Roddick, who at 26 is far from the oldest competitor in the last 16, believes that the grass court game favours the senior players.
Tennis has increasingly beeen seen as a young man's game, largely due to the rise of Rafael Nadal, 23, and 22-year-olds Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
But those in the hunt for a quarter final spot includeTommy Haas, Radek Stepanek and Ivo Karlovic, all in their 30s, while Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt and Juan Carlos Ferrero are in their late 20s.
Uncomfortable
"I think grass definitely takes some getting used to, unless you're (Boris) Becker or someone like that," said Roddick.
"Even (seven-time champion) Pete (Sampras), his first couple years admitted he was a little uncomfortable on it.
"If you've played on it for years and years and years and years, I think the adjustment period will be probably a little bit quicker."
Roddick faces 20th seed Tomas Berdych on Court One on Monday and, although he will start favourite, he will not be taking any chances.
The 23-year-old is notoriously unpredictable as Roddick has found out to his cost, suffering defeats to the Czech in two of their previous four meetings.
"Berdych is streaky," he added. "It's rarely middle of the road. He's either really good or not so good.
"Right now you expect to get the best of him with the way he's been rolling through the tournament so far.
"He's got weapons. There's going to be times during the match where it's going to be out of my hands.
"He can serve big. He's going to hit big from the baseline. It's just a matter of trying to weather what he's bringing."
Breezed through
Berdych has attracted little attention in the first week but has breezed through the draw without dropping a set and demolished Nikolay Davydenko in the third round.
"I beat him twice on the quite fast surfaces, one indoors and one in Tokyo, he said of his match with Roddick.
"So you never know, but he always plays well here in Wimbledon, two times in the finals.
"I think he likes the grass as well. So we'll see. But I think it's a good chance for me."
