Andy Roddick has described the last 12 months as the "toughest year" of his career.
The American has slipped to number 15 in the world rankings, having exited Wimbledon in the third round, while he failed to participate in the French Open because of injury.
Speaking after his 6-2 3-6 6-2 victory over Yen-Hsun Lu in the first round of the Shanghai Masters earlier today, the 29-year-old admitted that he is considering changes to the way he prepares for matches.
"[This year has] been tough," said Roddick. "It's been, I think, the toughest year I've had. I feel like I've been starting and stopping a lot.
"You know, I'm going to probably have to adjust how I go about things a little bit more.
"Running myself into a wall with work and everything else, I don't know that I can do that without getting hurt. It's happened numerous times this year. I might have to work smarter from now on."
Roddick now faces Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in round two in China.
Liam Apicella
