WATCH: Andy Roddick Bid Farewell To Tennis

It would have been a great story had Andy Roddick been able to make a deep run at his final U.S. Open.

The newly-turned 30-year-old received his retirement papers early, as he fell behind to Juan Martin del Potro Wednesday at the U.S. Open. Roddick admitted afterwards that all his previous tennis milestones began drifting through his mind as the finality of the moment begun to sink in.

He thought about his mom driving him to practices when he was little. He thought about all the matches he played when he was a preteen competitor. And he thought about all the memorable moments he experienced during a bumpy, yet brilliant career.

The emotion of the match finally overcame Roddick after he sprayed a forehand wide on match point to send del Potro into the quarterfinals with a 6-7 (1), 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-4 win. A red-eyed Roddick buried his face in a towl as del Potro saluted him, then choked back tears once again as he addressed the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium one final time.

"For the first time in my career, I'm not sure what to say," said Roddick. "Since I was kid, I've been coming to this tournament. I felt lucky just to sit where all of you are sitting today, to watch this game to see the champions who have come and gone and I've loved every minute of it."

Roddick's four-set loss to del Potro on Wednesday evening concluded a career that at times has been hard to define. He never became the dominant player many predicted he'd become, was most often Roger Federer's comic foil on the court, yet he displayed longevity, resolve and charisma in winning one grand slam and reaching the finals of four others.

Props: LA Times