Roddick Secures Tennis Masters Cup Berth
© Getty Images Shanghai, China – Top American Andy Roddick received his fifth straight invitation to the prestigious Tennis Masters Cup—to be held at Shanghai’s Qi Zhong Stadium from November 11-18—leaving three spots open in the elite eight-man field with less than three weeks remaining in the regular ATP season. Roddick’s qualification was confirmed after Tennis Masters Cup contenders, with the exception of Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, fell in early action at the Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid this week.
Roddick, currently No. 5 in the ATP 2007 Race, is on course to finish in the Top 10 for the sixth consecutive season. The 25-year-old American won an ATP title for the seventh straight year as he hoisted the Queen’s Club trophy for the fourth time, and he followed during the summer’s US Open Series with his fourth Washington title. Roddick also compiled a perfect 5-0 record in Davis Cup play, clinching the semifinal tie against Sweden last month as he led the U.S. to its second Davis Cup final in four years.
Roddick finished as a semifinalist in his first two Tennis Masters Cup appearances, in 2003 and 2004 in Houston, and made his Shanghai debut last year with a 1-2 round robin record after withdrawing from the 2005 tournament with a back injury.
Qualification also means Roddick will join the seven other qualifiers by having a larger-than-life Terracotta Warrior sculpture created of himself by award-winning artist Laury Dizengremel, to celebrate the Tennis Masters Cup. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko are the other four players to have already secured their berths in the prestigious circuit finale.
The top seven players in the ATP 2007 Race and the top seven teams in the Stanford ATP Doubles Race following the BNP Paribas Masters qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup, with one spot reserved for Grand Slam champions finishing within the Top 20.
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