You can imagine it would be difficult to look at this resume and decide you need to overhaul your life. But that’s just what Andy Roddick did prior to the 2009 tennis season.

Following a high profile but ultimately fruitless collaboration with Jimmy Connors as his coach, Roddick entrusted his suddenly faltering professional career to Larry Stefanski. What’s more Roddick requested and accepted total guidance from Stefanski.

“I see your wife and pocketbook. I don’t care. Lose 15 pounds. Like yesterday.”

Yes.

“I’m sick of you accepting the conventional wisdom that you can’t consistently hit your backhand. That’s ridiculous. It is now another weapon for you.”

Yes.

“The difference between you and Roger Federer is not as pronounced as your 2-18 career record against him would suggest. You are now his equal.”

Yes.

…Almost.

Andy Roddick is in the midst of a career turnaround equal to Andre Agassi’s resurgence of 1998. Sure Agassi had plummeted to 122 in the world rankings before reemerging as a major title contender (I’m not sure Roddick ever dropped out of the top 10), but the distance between relevant and irrelevant was equal.

On Sunday Andy Roddick displayed two key recent additions to his game: a reliable and threatening backhand, and a previously lacking mental toughness. Roddick staggered the great Roger Federer with his baseline game to the point that John McEnroe rightly noted that the American was occasionally pushing the legend around the court.

Read again: Roddick was pushing Federer around the court with his groundstrokes. Roddick came up with a handful of devastating passing shots from his backhand and featured excellent depth and variety with the backhand throughout the match.

On top of having a fluid and exhaustive game, Federer’s greatness stems from his mental toughness. Roddick flat-out matched him Sunday. It would have been easy and predictable for Roddick to fold after blowing a 5-1 second set tiebreak lead. Instead Roddick steadied the ship and held his serve until the 30th game of the miraculous final set.

Despite losing, Andy Roddick asserted himself as a rightful successor to the American tennis legacy. Consider that he was completely out of the Grand Slam picture at the end of last year and his brisk recent rise becomes remarkable. Roddick has beaten Djokovic and Murray this year in majors. He also boasted his best ever finish at the French this year in making the 4th round.

I lived and died with every point on Sunday. It was like watching Agassi back in the day. At the end Roddick was reduced to resolutely choking back the bitter tears of what might have been, while Roger Federer smugly (not judging, he earned it) accepted his record breaking 15th major championship trophy.

Despite a life full of successes that 99.99999999% of people will never approximate, Andy Roddick decided that it wasn’t enough. If he continues with this recent dedication to the game Roddick will be able to look back on his career with zero regret because he gave everything he had. If he continues with this recent dedication he will win another major.

I guess what I’m trying to say in a roundabout/rambling way is that I am amazed and proud of what Roddick has accomplished to this point, and am completely invested in his career now. He has publicly declared his intentions, tried everything possible to realize them, and may or may not succeed. Who can’t relate to that? I see his effort and it motivates me to be better in the little stupid things I try to do in my life. This is why I watch.