Roddick Serves Notice of Intent With a Final Demolition Job

Wimbledon acquired a new favourite as the Stella Artois acquired a new champion. In the space of a week Andy Roddick, who now has Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert at his shoulder and empowering his elbow, has emerged as the man to beat when the All England Club gates swing open a week today.

On Saturday he defeated Agassi and yesterday, on an afternoon of intense heat here, the 20-year-old American pulverised Sébastien Grosjean 6-3, 6-3 in 59 minutes of brutal serving for his seventh career title and his first on grass.

Grosjean, who knocked out the reigning Wimbledon and Queen's champion Lleyton Hewitt in the quarter-finals and brushed aside Tim Henman in the semi-finals on Saturday, paled to a wraith in the face of Roddick's unremitting barrage.

The power of Roddick's serve - and against Agassi he equalled Greg Rusedski's record of 149mph - coupled with his clumping forehand, are well chronicled but it has been the quality and reliability of the American's double-fisted backhand which took opponents and observers alike by surprise last week.

Clearly Gilbert has not had time to effect this change. "It's not a snap of the fingers thing. Tariq [Benhabiles] deserves a lot of credit," said Roddick of his former French coach, with whom he parted company after losing in the first round of this year's French Open.

But Gilbert has made a number of small changes, getting Roddick to stand a little further back when receiving, and is already imbuing his own special brand of confidence building.

Just under a year ago Roddick was made to look a novice by Greg Rusedski on the Centre Court at Wimbledon. "It's a complete turn-around. If I could take this form into Wimbledon I'd be pretty happy," said Roddick, who last week turned the tables on Rusedski in the third round.

Roddick had no great expectations when he arrived at Barons Court: "It's weird. Sometimes a title comes when you least expect it." Not that he was complaining any more than he is counting his Wimbledon chickens.

Immediately prior to the French Open Roddick won on clay in St Polten, only to lose to Armenia's Sargis Sargsian at Roland Garros. " I felt pretty good going into Paris but that was different. This time I'll have a week to practise on grass and work with Brad."

Roddick seems likely to play in the exhibition event at Stoke Poges this week, although as of yesterday he was "not sure".

The one certainty is that this win will hugely increase his confidence going into Wimbledon, where he is likely to be seeded at No3. The courts may be a little slower these days but anybody serving at Roddick's pace will still have a huge advantage. Nobody will want to be in his half of the draw.

The élan which Grosjean had previously exuded was beaten into flat dullness by Roddick's power. "It was very frustrating for me," said the 25-year-old Frenchman who, unlike Henman, has a grass-court title to his name, having won in Nottingham three years ago. "I tried to concentrate but I wasn't serving well and my mind kept straying to the last big serve that he had put in."

There was a silver sheen on the grass under the baking heat, with hardly a breath of wind initially. It was a perfect day for serving and Roddick served damned near perfectly. Late in the second set he belted one down at 154mph but it failed to clear the net. If he gets any faster, the nets will have to be reinforced.

Grosjean lost his serve in the sixth game of the first set and his only real chance to get back came with Roddick at 5-3 when the American, having missed an ambitious drive volley, then attempted to hit a wrong-footing backhand and drifted the ball wide. Here, suddenly, was the break point that Grosjean thought would never come. But it vanished as quickly.

Grosjean lost his second service game in the second set to love and effectively the match was over. The spring had gone out of the Frenchman's step and he trudged ever more mournfully along the baseline.

Roddick had only occasional moments of emotion, usually when he narrowly missed a shot, and there were none of the explosive bursts of passion that often punctuate his matches. "I'm in England, I have to tone it down, don't I?"

Doubtless his opponents would love it if he reined in his serve as well as his emotions but there is no chance of that.