What's next for Andy Roddick?

Roger Federer collected his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title today in a spectacular Wimbledon final that will not be easily forgotten by any of us who saw it. Major congratulations to the man who most pundits feel comfortable calling the Greatest Tennis Player of All Time.

On the downside, Sunday's four and a half hour final will be hard for Andy Roddick to forget also. Roddick, a major underdog who had lost to Federer 18 times in 20 meetings, looked poised to pull off the huge upset. He took the first set. He had four set points in the second that he failed to convert. He took the fourth set which launched a thrilling fifth set that would contain 30 games. Throughout, Roddick had been rock solid on his serve, never allowing Federer to break him...until the very last game of the match. It was a heartbreaker for a man who had worked so hard to get to that point.

Watching Roddick stare forlornly at the grass after the match, it was impossible not to wonder how badly this loss will sting. In many ways, this match reminded me of the classic Venus Williams-Lindsay Davenport Wimbledon final from 2005. Davenport was another former Grand Slam champion who came within a hair of nabbing another Grand Slam title by knocking off a big name. She came up just short-losing a match point-and never got that close again. Will the same thing happen to Roddick?

If there's any justice, the answer should be no. There are so many positives for Roddick to take away from this year's Wimbledon that they should, over time, outweigh the negatives of coming so damn close. I can't remember ever seeing Roddick play better than he did during the last four rounds of this tournament. The backhand has improved dramatically and his court tactics are much shrewder. More importantly, Roddick seemed to believe he could beat the big dogs like Murray and Federer.

Roddick is next scheduled to play Davis Cup, but then he will return to the U.S. for the American hardcourt season. This has always been a successful part of the calendar for Roddick and I hope he uses his newly improved stature in the game to go on a nice run toward the U.S. Open in September, the site of his only Grand Slam victory.

Even though Roddick is still left looking for that elusive second Grand Slam trophy, he needs to remember that the Greatest Tennis Player of All Time needed 30 games in the fifth set to beat him. That ain't too shabby.