Roddick/Delray Beach controversy continues

Now there seems to be some backpedaling and even more interesting comments added to the story about how Roddick could not get a wildcard to the ATP Delray Beach tournament:

When Roddick lost early in Australia, he called ITC Tournament Director Mark Baron for a wildcard. Baron told Roddick that unfortunately he couldn't help out since he'd already awarded his wildcards to Agassi, Sargis Sargsian and Mardy Fish.

Roddick then indicated he might show up to play the qualifying. When Baron saw that Roddick had flown in from Austin, Tex, on Friday, he wrongly "assumed" that Roddick was going to play the qualifying and released the information to the media. Following a practice session at the Delray Beach Tennis Center on Friday afternoon, Roddick told Baron he decided not to try to qualify for the tournament.

Baron said there were no hard feelings and he understood Roddick's decision. He also said that he felt it would be wrong to approach either Fish, who he checked in with to make sure he was healthy, or Sargsian, who was awarded the wildcard on his good friend Agassi's coattails, to give back the wildcard invitation he already extended.

Roddick was mum but Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel spoke with Roddick's coach, Dean Goldfine, who offered this explanation as to why he decided to skip the qualifying. "The only issue of contention that Goldfine would specifically address had to do with Roddick's agreement with the tournament not to publicize his participation in qualifying until he actually was playing."

And the direct quote from Goldfine in the Sun-Sentinel read - "Why would Andy fly in from Texas at his own expense to play? Sure, it would've been easier to get a wildcard, but it didn't have anything to do about playing qualifiers. Andy couldn't justify being out there playing their tournament when he felt deceived by [tournament director] Mark Baron."

From Tennis Reporters.