What element would have elevated A-Rod to more grand slams?

[Robert F]

Was rewatching 2009 Wimbledon of Fed vs. Roddick.
A-Rod played great. Some say one of his greatest matches.

We know him for his great serve and for years his FH was topnotch.

After watching the match I wondered if he could have sharpened a few more tools in his game would he have been a bigger threat than he already was at slams?

Everyone attacks his BH. I wonder if improving his movement or his return would have had a bigger impact then improving his BH.

Fed got more aces out of the match than Roddick. If Roddick couldn't have gotten a handful more of balls into play off the serve, the match might have been his.

Looking over his career, I think having a stronger return would really have elevated his game.

I get why he retired in 2012, but wish he could've stuck around longer to help keep the Next Gen in their place.

 

[Devtennis01]

Agreed. A better return. The return was becoming a more and more important aspect of the game with surfaces slowing. Players with good serves and returns, more all rounded, were doing much better than more one dimensional ones. I think that era of one dimensional players at the top of the game kind of ended in the mid 2000s which is when Roddick could have been winning more slams. But how was he to know? He wasn't actually that one dimensional as he had the serve and a big groundie and when he was growing up, surfaces were faster and he probably assumed that his game would keep him in slams at Wimbledon and US Open.

 

[TnsGuru]

His high backhand volley will be the shot that should have won him the 2nd set at the 09 Wimbledon. 6-5 in the tiebreak and if that shot would have gone in he would have had a 2 set lead. Even Roddick admits that the ball might have gone out but still went for an acute angle. Roddick should have won this match but at least he went the distance.

 

[Robert F]

Agreed he played great that day. Thoughts his volleys were good enough behind his other weapons. If only the speed or return was there.
I think if his volleys were better, it would have helped his game but I'm not sure it would have taken him to the next level.

 

[the green god]

Footspeed.

 

[MissileBackHand99]

Better Backhand first and foremost. That power game of his wasn’t going to work in the 2000s the way it would’ve 10 years earlier—you needed to have a great forehand AND backhand to win in Andy’s era (and today). Also, his movement/footwork needed improvement. Honestly, I’ve always thought Roddick should’ve kept Brad Gilbert as his coach. With Gilbert in 2004, Andy really took his game to the next level—better footwork, more variation on his serve than just the sheer power serve (more slice/angle, etc). I will always think that if not for the rain delays, Roddick would’ve beaten Fed at Wimby 2004. Once Roddick parted with Gilbert, his game reverted

 

[Thetouch]

I haven't watched the WB final 09 ever again since then but from what I remember Federer didn't even play that well at all and he still beat him. I was never a fan of Roddick, he was a great guy to listen to but his game sent me shiver down my spine at times. I can't even remember him that much but he should have been more aggressive especially in Wimbledon. Why not improve your volley game and go in instead of battling it out from the baseline when other players are simply more technical or better?