ROME — The biggest losers at the Rome Masters on Saturday were the fans. One after the other, Andy Roddick and Radek Stepanek quit shortly after their semifinal matches began.
Roddick pulled out with a back problem after falling behind 3-0 in the first set against Stanislas Wawrinka. Stepanek stopped while trailing Novak Djokovic 6-0, 1-0 after appearing affected by the heat.
Total elapsed time for the two matches: a wimpy 49 minutes.
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"You don't want to have these kind of situations at big events," said Djokovic, who joined the chorus of players complaining that the schedule is too tough.