Andy Roddick kicks off 2010 with victory!

CHAMPION! I love that Andy Roddick has started the year by winning the Brisbane International title. I hope this is a sign that he will win one of his sport’s major titles this season – his is due.

Andy beat Radek Stepanek 7-6, 7-6 in his first tournament in nearly three months. He had injured his knee in October but has recovered and would appear to be one of the top contenders for the Australian Open which begins next week. He has been to the semifinals four times.

Roddick said he had to “hold on to the last shred of sanity” to win the match.

“I didn’t expect to come in and win my first tournament after a pretty extended layoff,” he said after the match. “You could focus on the last 20 minutes of stress or look at the whole week … overall I feel pretty good about it.”