Slams prime Roddick could win in the 90s:
1990 US Open -- was a better server than Sampras at that time of Pete's career
1997 and 98 US Open -- Rafter not a lock to beat him
1999 US Open -- much better than Todd Martin who took Agassi to 5 sets
I agree about Wimbledon -- probably not winning in the 90s, but would make a few finals (96, 97, 98)
French -- nope
Aus Open
1996 Aus Open -- more fit than Becker, more powerful than Chang
1998 Aus Open -- Better than Korda, Rios, or Kucera
1999 Aus Open -- better than Kafelnikov or Enqvist
So that's 7 slams that he could realistically win in the 90s -- he'd probably win 3 or 4 of them.
1990 US Open? His serve was better than Sampras's? If you say so. How about absolutely every other element of Sampras's game? No chance, not if you are correlating his 2009 to 1999, and working backward. What's the thought here, Roddick's peak was a full 10 years in length. You have to go back and look at Roddick's early results at the same age. Forget 1990 for Roddick.
'97 and '98 US Opens. Highly unlikely if he were coming from the other half of Rafter's draw. Henman remained a tick better than Roddick in their h2h and Rafter was a tick better than Henman throughout and rarely blinked in a big spot from '97 through 2001. As close to a lock as one could get. Overall, and this remains a theme throughout Roddick's career, even taking Federer out of it, Roddick doesn't beat contenders. In fact the first time he did was this year v. Murray at Wimbledon, and Murray's contender status at Wimbledon remains conjecture at this point. No one knows whether Murray will prove to be even a Henman type there. Could he? Sure. But we don't know yet. As far as Roddick goes at the US Open, he has results in the form of rounds reached, however the only top ten ranked/seeded player he's posted wins over was Ferrero at #3 in the '03 final and Berdych at #9 in a retirement in '07. In '97 it's likely that Roddick gets to the final if given Rusedski's draw. Unlikely he beats Rafter who had come through AA and
then Chang to reach that final in the first place. In '98 if Roddick had Flipper's draw would it would set up pretty well for him provided he got past Henman would be a 50/50 prop, Thomas Johansson then Moya. He may final there but IMO he wouldn't beat Rafter who had come through Sampras, even an injured one. So out of the two I would say Roddick would be fairly assured of reaching one final in '97 and was no lock for '98. Unlikely he gets past a prime Rafter in those finals however.
Inserted in the other finalist's spot a strong case for one Final but IMO no Majors at this point, anywhere else in those draws he's no lock for a QF appearance.
'99 US Open? Forget it. Roddick was not going to beat a prime AA and he likely wasn't beating Martin in '99 who went QF, QF and Final at the AO, Wimbledon and US Open that year. Martin was 1-1 vs. Roddick on h/c in '03 and '04 when Roddick was reaching #1, and Martin was had slid and was in his last two years on tour. From '94 to '01 Martin faced Sampras or Agassi 11 times at Majors going 2-9. Roddick isn't reaching this final unless Martin pulls a Malavai Washington Wimbledon SF which was already years behind him.
The AO? This is Roddick's second worst surface.
'96 AO, you really need to re-check Becker's second half of '95 through the spring of '96 and Chang's v. big servers. Put him in Chang's spot it's still unlikely he gets past AA. So no.
'98 AO likely finalist opposite Korda but that final is a crap shoot, but maybe Roddick can take him out. Korda was one match win away from #1 and better than Kohlschrieber, Bagdhatis and Schuettler. Korda also didn't flinch v. big servers. Not a lock for Roddick by any stretch.
'99 This is YK's 2nd best surface. After Agassi and Sampras he was likely the 3rd best performer at the AO from '94 on. Between '94 to 2000 he played the AO 5 times losing to Sampras in '94, Agassi in '95, Becker in '96, winning it in '99 and losing to Agassi again in 2000. That's a title and four losses to the champion each of those five years. In a similar time frame Roddick has lost to Schuettler, Bagdhatis and Kohlschrieber at the AO. Again not a Roddick lock by any stretch.
Realistically Roddick would have likely reached 2 finals and perhaps a third. He was not winning every one of those three and just as plausible could have have lost all of them. IMO Roddick's in the nineties would have looked like and fallen somewhere between a Todd Martin and if things broke just right a YK, a very, very high quality player but not an event in/event out Major threat.
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