Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

I woke up this morning with a feeling of hope for the United States of America, but was immediately ripped back down to reality.

No, I’m not talking about bad news from Wall Street or Washington, but from “Down Under”. Andy Roddick lost to Rodger Federer in straight sets, again (6-2, 7-5, 7-5). Roddick is now 2-16 versus the Swiss master, and in my mind Roddick has become one of the biggest disappointments in U.S. tennis history.

I grew up a die-hard Agassi fan, and have never really embraced Roddick as a player or personality. However, I took solace in the fact that when the great Andre retired, there would be another powerful American to take his place, Roddick. While his serve and forehand are indeed powerful, his mind is definitely not.

Despite my skepticism, I stayed up past 1:30am on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning to watch an extremely fit Roddick run circles around 3rd seed Novak Djokovic. By the second set, a Roddick victory was inevitable, as Djokovic simply couldn’t handle the 130+ degree heat of Melbourne, Australia.

Anyone who’s watched Roddick play in the past knows he has the skills of a champion, just not the makeup. He’s played in four Grand Slam finals, with only one victory in the 2003 U.S. Open. But guess who he lost to in three Grand Slam finals? Iceman himself, Rodger Federer.

However, he seemed to be in the best shape of his career. “Maybe he has finally turned the corner,” I thought, “His mental ability has finally caught up to his incredible physical gifts.”

Unfortunately, I was wrong. I pushed the past aside and put faith in my fellow American. I thought he would at least give Federer a run for his money. This is the last time I give him the benefit of the doubt.

To make things worse, there don’t seem to be any American “greats” on the horizon. James Blake can be thrown into the same category as Andy Roddick, disappointment. Young guns like Marty Fish, Sam Querrey, and Ameir Delic, are solid players, but none appear to possess the ability to contend in every tournament. They don’t have that intangible “something,” the mental edge that separates the best from just being really good.

If anyone has a chance at greatness out of that group I think it’s Fish, but I won’t be placing bets anytime soon. For now we’ll have to be content with European domination, and do our best to endure this American tennis recession. OK, let’s just be honest and call it a depression.

Any thoughts or comments on Andy Roddick, Rodger Federer, U.S. Tennis, or the Australian Open?