With Andy Roddick announcing early last week that the 2012 US Open would indeed be his swan song from the game of tennis, one can't help but look back and reminisce on what was a solid career, from one of the most overhyped players of this generation.

PHOTO CREDIT - Zimbio.com

Edmonton - September 2, 2012 - With Andy Roddick announcing early last week that the 2012 US Open would indeed be his swan song from the game of tennis, one can't help but look back and reminisce at what was a solid career. Some might say that suggesting a player that owns a US Open title and was briefly ranked the top tennis player in the world, as "overhyped", is a being somewhat over critical but in my mind, it best describes the career of the Austin, Texas native.

Thought by some to be the "next great" American tennis star, Roddick never quite lived up to the "potential" that many saw in his game. To be fair, it was a title that he never seemed comfortable with and ultimately had no business wearing. In a country that loves the game as desperately as it does, American tennis fans have had many highs and lows over the past thirty years.

The arrival of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi into their prime years and the departures of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors from their dominant years, was a low point for men's tennis in the USA. Yet all seemed good once more, when the likes of Agassi, Sampras and Jim Courier all collected multiple Grand Slam Titles from the early 1990's on. With that being the case, many felt Roddick would be the guy to carry the torch as the next American great, into the new millennium. Unfortunately, that never happened.

Outside of winning the 2003 US Open, in what was a watered down period for the game...especially considering what had preceded it and was about to follow it, Roddick was never able to take that step into Tennis Royalty. In his defence, he has played in an era that has arguably produced three of the top all round players to have ever picked up a racket but those were the cards he was dealt.

To say his career was a "disappointment" would be unfair to Andy, as he was a top ten player for much of his career, winning over 600 matches and 32 titles. That being said, he will not go down in the history books as one of the Greats of the Game.

Now had he been able to pull off another Grand Slam title or two over his twelve year career, he would be looked upon in a very different light but that never happened. His best chance of leaving that "mark", was likely the 2009 Wimbledon final, in which he lost an epic five set marathon to Roger Federer.. It was the third final that Roddick had dropped to Federer on Centre Court and also marked the final time he would reach a Grand Slam final or semi-final.

Roddick never recovered from thar crushing defeat at Wimbledon and has been on a downward spiral, in the rankings, ever since. To his credit, he has been able to win at least one event a year over the last three, matching Federer's mark of capturing one ATP title for twelve consecutive years, but that is about all that has gone right for the 30 year old in the last three years.

Ultimately, he may not have reached the heights some thought he might but he can proudly leave the game knowing he gave it his all. Andy Roddick will go down in history as one of the greats of the game but in all honesty, how many really do? There is no shame in being remembered as a solid all around player...which is exactly what he was.