Health, Heat top gifts for birthday boy Roddick

NEW YORK — Andy Roddick, who defied doctor's advice to get back in playing shape for the US Open, made a triumphant start to the year's last Grand Slam tournament Monday on his 28th birthday.The ninth-seeded American ousted France's Stephane Robert 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to book a second-round matchup against Serbian Janko Tipsarevic and said his health has improved since being diagnosed with mononucleosis three weeks ago."It's not perfect but it's going the right way," Roddick said. "I feel 80 percent better than I did five or six weeks ago that's for sure."Doctors told Roddick he should play for about an hour a day during the week of the final major US Open tuneup in Cincinnati. He made a run to the semi-finals and never came close to following medical advice on time limits."That was a lot more than I was advised to play at that point," Roddick said. "I was supposed to play for an hour a day for that week and I failed at that."What he did not fail to do, however, was play himself into match fitness despite his illness."Everything should be fine," Roddick said. "Once you decide to play, you throw all the excuses and everything else out the window."Roddick also took his being another year older in stride."I don't really think about it," he said. "It makes no difference what I think. You go out there and give the best you have on that day."I'm probably closer to finished than I am to the start. But I don't know. It's a number. I'm barely older than I was yesterday."Roddick won his only Grand Slam title at the 2003 US Open and there are reminders of that triumph every time he visits Arthur Ashe Stadium, such as the champion's plate on his locker and his trophy-lofting photograph on the wall."There are a lot of really good memories," said Roddick, who admits a 2006 US Open runner-up effort holds a special place in his heart as well."I was in a rough kind of career transition that summer. (The media) was trying to kick me out at 23," Roddick said. "I got just as much joy out of that kind of run to the finals as I did

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