Injured Roddick confident of being fit for Wimbledon

PARIS, May 30 (Reuters) Andy Roddick is confident he will be fit for next month's Wimbledon despite being forced to withdraw from his first-round match at the French Open on Tuesday due to an ankle injury.

The fifth-seeded American, runner-up at Wimbledon for the past two years, was trailing Spaniard Alberto Martin 6-4 7-5 1-0 when he quit.

Roddick suffered the injury in training on Saturday and had been a doubtful starter.

But the former world number one said he expected to be fit for the grasscourt season, beginning with the defence of his Stella Artois title at the Queen's Club in London.

''The good news is I have a little bit of time before Queen's,'' Roddick told reporters.

''Grass isn't as gruelling, or shouldn't be as gruelling, on it (the ankle). That's a good thing.

''That's my surface. That's the one I really look forward to every year. I'm going to be pumped up to get on grass.'' Martin broke once in the opening set and though Roddick showed plenty of spirit to recover from an early break in the second, the Spaniard broke again.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS Roddick, who had never dropped a set in four previous meetings with Martin, was then broken in the opening game of the third set and called the trainer before deciding to withdraw.

The American said his expectations had been low going into the match.

''I went out there knowing it (the ankle) wasn't going to be great,'' he said.

''I was able to serve. I was able to sort of find a way to hang around for the first couple of sets.

''Then once I started landing, it was bothering me when I landed on the weak foot on my serve. I figured the only outcome was going to be a negative one.'' Roddick, who has never been beyond the third round at Roland Garros, said he was considering staying in Europe to get more grasscourt practice.

''Right now I'm leaning towards staying over, trying to get preparation on grass, staying over here and getting healthy,'' he said.

''I don't know if I want to go home for five days, fight jet-lag that way, come back, fight jet-lag this way.'' Reuters VJ VP0032