The biggest news on Thursday at the 2012 U.S. Open wasn't a loss on the court: it was Andy Roddick announcing that he'll be retiring at the end of his U.S. Open run. Roddick announced the decision in a press conference on Thursday, his 30th birthday, and our SB Nation Studios crew reacted to it.
Roddick has just one major, the 2003 U.S. Open, and despite reaching the world No. 1 ranking early in his career, has been no better than a contender for much of it. That's sort of what happens when you play in the same era as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, though.
But the really surprising thing is that Roddick is going out before he is rudely shaken from the game's upper echelon. With some good tennis still before him, and two titles in 2012, Roddick has chosen to retire before he has to, saying "I don't want to disrespect the game by coasting home."
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