Roddick exits Melbourne in quarters

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Andy Roddick ended a tumultuous run at the Australian Open after a week that included a tumble, verbal scuffles with on-court officials and playing with a shoulder injury Tuesday before losing in five sets.

The only good news for Roddick is that— so far — he hasn’t been fined for berating a chair umpire during what he has since referred to as an “episode” in the second round.

The No. 7-seeded Roddick endured pain that began in the first set of his quarterfinal and lost 7-6 (4), 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 to Marin Cilic of Croatia.

His loss extended a six-year drought for American men at the majors. Roddick was the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles trophy at the 2003 U.S. Open.

“By the end of the first set, I was pretty numb in the bottom two fingers,” Roddick said. “I could still hit pretty hard, I was just having trouble controlling it.”

Roddick sought medical treatment on his right shoulder after the first-set tiebreaker. He needed more attention while losing the second set, but played on after the trainer told him there wasn’t a high risk of permanent damage. He rallied to win the next two sets and force a fifth set before fading when Cilic’s serving improved.

He said he wasn’t concerned about serious injury.

“I’m sure we’ll take the proper precautions and check it out,” he said. “But at this point I’m not real, real scared about it.”

Roddick was gracious about praising the 21-year-old Cilic, who ousted U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the fourth round and became the first Croatian man to reach an Australian Open semifinal.

“He’s definitely composed,” Roddick said. “He was the same after he lost two sets, as when he won two sets.”

“He just goes about his business, does it the right way, and seems like a very hard worker,” Roddick added. “Unlike a lot of the young guys who are very emotionally up and down, he doesn’t beat on his chest. He stays the course, he’s very deliberate, he hits the ball very well.”

Now 27, Roddick speaks at times with the tones of an elder statesman about the game and other players. Other times, he has John McEnroe-style meltdowns over line calls.

In his first-round match against Thiemo de Bakker, Roddick tripped over the foot of a line judge and took a tumble. He then stood up and reproached the judge: “Move out of the way when you see a player coming!”

In his post-match news conference he said he was unhurt — but was still steamed about it.

“I ran into one of those immovable objects called a referee,” he said. “Normally they see a player running full speed, they decide to at least move — or catch the player.”

Then came the second round. Take two. Roddick hurled a pair of profanities at the chair umpire but later acknowledged that he wasn’t “100 percent right.”