Andy Roddick
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andy Roddick  |
| Roddick at the 2009 US Open |
| Country |  United States |
| Residence | Austin, Texas |
| Date of birth | August 30, 1982 (1982-08-30) (age 27) |
| Place of birth | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Turned pro | 2000 |
| Plays | Right-handed; two-handed backhand |
| Career prize money | $17,175,794 |
| Singles |
| Career record | 512–162 (76.0%) |
| Career titles | 28 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (November 3, 2003) |
| Current ranking | No. 7 (November 30, 2009) |
| Grand Slam results |
| Australian Open | SF (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) |
| French Open | 4R (2009) |
| Wimbledon | F (2004, 2005, 2009) |
| US Open | W (2003) |
| Major tournaments |
| Tour Finals | SF (2003, 2004, 2007) |
| Doubles |
| Career record | 58–38 |
| Career titles | 4 |
| Highest ranking | No. 50 (January 11, 2010) |
| French Open | 1R (2001) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2001) |
| US Open | 2R (1999, 2000) |
| Last updated on: October 12, 2009. |
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick (born August 30, 1982) is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. His best surfaces are hard court and grass.
He is the top-ranked American player and the only male American inside the top 10. He became a Grand Slam singles champion when he won the title at the 2003 US Open. Roddick has reached four other Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon three times and the US Open once), losing to
Roger Federer each time. He and Federer are the only players to have been ranked in the Association of Tennis Professionals top 10 at year-end from 2002 through 2009. Roddick is known for his powerful serves and holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 155 mph (249.5 km/h).
Roddick has been on the United States Davis Cup team for several years, helping the US win the 2007 Davis Cup, the first win by the US since 1995.
Personal life
Roddick was born in Omaha, Nebraska
to Jerry and Blanche Roddick. Roddick's father was a businessman and his mother was a school teacher. She now directs the Andy Roddick Foundation. Roddick has two older brothers, Lawrence and John (All-American tennis player at University of Georgia (1996–98) and head tennis coach at the University of Oklahoma), who were both promising tennis players at a young age.
Roddick lived in Austin, Texas, from age 4 until he was 11, then moved to Boca Raton, Florida in the interest of his brother John's tennis career,
where he lived, first attending Boca Prep International School which Mardy Fish and later Jesse Levine also attended, until graduating from Highlands Christian Academy in 2000.
Roddick played varsity basketball in high school alongside his future Davis Cup teammate Mardy Fish, who trained and lived with Roddick in 1999. During that time period, he sometimes trained with Venus and Serena Williams; he later moved back to Austin.
Roddick began dating singer Mandy Moore in 2002. Moore, after reading a magazine article about him, thought he was "really cute," so she sent her mother, who was attending a tournament in Toronto, to invite him to her set on a movie she was shooting nearby,
How to Deal. Roddick accepted and they began dating.
Roddick ended the relationship in March 2004.
While flipping through the
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Roddick spotted Brooklyn Decker, a fashion model. He had his agent contact her. The two dated since at least the 2007 Davis Cup. On March 31, 2008, Roddick announced on his website that he and Decker had become engaged
and they were then married in Austin on April 17, 2009.
Career
Roddick in Toronto.
Breakthrough
Roddick seriously considered quitting competitive tennis at the age of 17, when he had a losing streak in the juniors. Roddick lost a match to the last seed, Alex Harold Rachlin, barely winning one game throughout the match. His coach,
Tarik Benhabiles, talked him into giving tennis four more months of undivided attention.
[10] Roddick finished as the # 6 junior in the U.S. in 1999–2000, and as the # 1 junior in the world in 2000. He won six world junior singles and seven doubles titles, and won the US Open and
Australian Open junior singles titles in 2000.
[11] In March in Miami, in the first round Roddick had his first major victory as he beat world # 41
Fernando Vicente of Spain, 6-4, 6-0. In August in Washington, DC, he beat world # 30
Fabrice Santoro of France, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Roddick played the
Banana Bowl in the city of
São Paulo and won, beating
Joachim Johansson in the final match.
[12] Roddick also won the Australian Junior Open, defeating
Mario Ancic in the final. In 2001, Roddick defeated
Michael Chang in 5 sets in the second round of the
French Open. During Wimbledon, he further showed potential by taking a set from eventual winner
Goran Ivanišević. He also defeated 7-time Wimbledon champion, world # 4, and fellow American
Pete Sampras, at the age of 19, at the
Miami Masters, 7-6 (2), 6-3 in March, and world # 1
Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 in August.
Roddick's breakthrough year was in 2003, in which he defeated
Younes El Aynaoui in the quarterfinals of
2003 Australian Open. Roddick and the Moroccan battled for five hours, with the fifth set (21-19 in favor of Roddick) being the longest fifth set in a Grand Slam tournament during the
open era, at 2 hours 23 minutes. (This was surpassed in 2007 during a Wimbledon men's doubles second round match, when Brazilians
Marcelo Melo and
André Sá beat
Paul Hanley of Australia and
Kevin Ullyett of Zimbabwe in a 3 hour 5 minute set, winning it 28-26.) Despite a lackluster
French Open, Roddick enjoyed success in the United Kingdom by winning
Queen's Club (beating world # 2 Agassi 6-1, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6) along the way) and reaching the Wimbledon semifinals, where he lost to eventual champion Federer in straight sets. He avenged that loss in August, beating world #3 Federer in Montreal, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3).
World No. 1
Roddick's hardcourt record in 2003 included his first
Masters Series titles – coming at
Canada and
Cincinnati – and his first Grand Slam title. At the U.S. Open, Roddick rallied from two sets down and a match point against him in the semifinals to beat
David Nalbandian 6-7 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1, 6-3. He then defeated world # 3
Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final, 6–3, 7–6, 6–3. At the
Tennis Masters Cup in Houston he defeated world # 7
Carlos Moya of Spain, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and world # 4
Guillermo Coria of Argentina, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, before losing to Federer in the semifinals. By the end of the year, at age 21, he was ranked # 1, the first American to finish a year at # 1 since
Andre Agassi in 1999. He also became the youngest American to hold this rank since computer rankings were started in 1973.
Roddick's reign at #1 ended the following February, when
Roger Federer ascended to the top position after winning his first
Australian Open. In April Roddick again beat world # 6 Moya, this time 5-7, 6-2, 7-5. In June, Roddick advanced to his first Wimbledon final, and after taking the first set from defending champion Federer, lost in four sets. Roddick was knocked out during the 2004 U.S. Open in a five-set quarterfinal against another big server,
Joachim Johansson. Later in September in Bangkok he beat world # 9
Marat Safin of Russia, 7-6 (1), 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2). At the
2004 Summer Olympics, Roddick lost to Chilean
Fernando González, the eventual
bronze medal winner, in the third round. In November he beat world # 7
Tim Henman of Great Britain 7-5, 7-6 (6), world # 4 Safin, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4), and world # 6 Coria 7-6 (4), 6-3. Later that year, Roddick teamed up with Mardy Fish and
Bob and Mike Bryan on the U.S.
Davis Cup team that lost to Spain in the final in
Seville. Roddick lost his singles match against
Rafael Nadal, who would in the following year win the French Open. Towards the end of 2004, Roddick fired his coach of 18 months,
Brad Gilbert, and hired assistant Davis Cup coach
Dean Goldfine. Roddick finished 2004 ranked as the world # 2, the U.S.'s # 1, and the player with the most
aces (1,017). In 2004 Roddick saved fellow tennis player
Sjeng Schalken and other guests (including close friends Ben Campezi and Dean Monroe) from a hotel fire.
[13]
Roddick's first 2005 tournament victory was the
SAP Open in
San Jose, California, where he became the first to win the event in consecutive years since
Mark Philippoussis in 1999 and 2000. The top-seeded Roddick defeated
Cyril Saulnier 6–0, 6–4 in 50 minutes, the event's first championship shutout set since
Arthur Ashe beat
Guillermo Vilas in 1975. In March he defeated World No. 7
Carlos Moya 6–7 (4), 6–4, 6–1. In April, Roddick won the U.S. Men's Claycourt Championships, reclaiming the title he won in 2001 and 2002. (He lost in 2003 to Agassi, and in 2004 to
Tommy Haas.) In May, Roddick had match point against Spain's
Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco was attempting to save the
match point on his second serve, when the
linesman erroneously called the serve out. If this call had held, Roddick would have won the match. Roddick motioned to the umpire, pointing to the clear ball mark on the clay indicating the ball was in, and the call was consequently changed. Verdasco went on to win the match. At the French Open, Roddick lost to the unseeded Argentine
José Acasuso in the second round, and at Wimbledon, Roddick lost to Federer in the final for the second consecutive year. In August, he defeated World No. 3
Lleyton Hewitt, 6–4, 7–6 (4) at the
Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati. At the
US Open, Roddick was defeated by World No. 70
Gilles Müller in the first round. Roddick's last US Open first round loss had been in 2000. At the
Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, Roddick defeated
Gaël Monfils to wrap up a tournament without losing a set or getting his serve broken.
New coach
Roddick's first ATP event of the year was the Australian Open. There he reached the fourth round before being upset by unseeded and eventual finalist,
Marcos Baghdatis. At the French Open Roddick retired in the first round, after sustaining a foot injury during the match. Two weeks later at Wimbledon, Roddick was upset in the third round by British hopeful
Andy Murray. This loss caused Roddick to fall below the top 10 for the first time since 2002. After Wimbledon, Roddick began working with a new coach, tennis legend
Jimmy Connors. In his first event with his new coach, Roddick reached the final of Indianapolis before losing to good friend, and fellow American,
James Blake. His resurgence finally came at the Cincinnati Masters, where he won the event by defeating
Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final, making this the first masters event he won since 2004. At the U.S. Open, Roddick easily won his first two matches against
Florent Serra and
Kristian Pless. He then played a thriller five-set match against
Fernando Verdasco, winning 6-2 in the final set. Next, he beat
Benjamin Becker, who was coming off a huge win against recently retired Andre Agassi. In the quarterfinals, Roddick beat
Lleyton Hewitt, avenging his loss in 2001, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4. Now in the semifinals for the first time since he won in 2003, Roddick played
Mikhail Youzhny, and beat him 6–7, 6–0, 7–6, 6–3. In the finals of a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon a year prior, Roddick was to play world # 1 Federer. He lost however, 2–6, 6–4, 5–7, 1–6. He then qualified for the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup, where he defeated world # 4
Ivan Ljubičić of Croatia 6–4, 6–7 (9), 6–1, but lost in the
round robin to world # 1 Federer 6–4, 6–7 (8), 4–6 in a tough three-set battle.
Roddick entered the
2007 Australian Open as the sixth seed. In his first round match, he lost a marathon first-set tiebreak 20-18, but eventually won the match in four sets against
wild card Jo-Wilfried Tsonga from France. Roddick defeated 26th-seeded Marat Safin in the third round, and 9th seeded
Mario Ančić in a five-set fourth round match. Roddick won his quarterfinal match against fellow American Mardy Fish 6–2, 6–2, 6–2. His run ended in the semifinals by world # 1 Federer, who defeated him in straight sets 6–4, 6–0, 6–2, making his head-to-head record against Federer 1-13. In first round Davis Cup action, Roddick helped the U.S. defeat the
Czech Republic, winning his singles matches against
Ivo Minář and
Tomáš Berdych. Roddick reached at least the semifinals of his next two tournaments. He bowed out to
Andy Murray in the semifinals of the
SAP Open in
San Jose, California, a reprise of 2006. Roddick then defeated Murray in the semifinals of the
Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup in
Memphis, Tennessee, before losing in the final to defending champion
Tommy Haas 6–3, 6–2. Reaching the final, however, enabled Roddick to overtake
Nikolay Davydenko for the world # 3 position, his first week inside the top three since March 6, 2006. At the first
ATP Masters Series tournament of the year, after beating world # 8 Ljubicic 6–4, 6–7 (9), 6–1, Roddick reached the semifinals of the
Pacific Life Open in
Indian Wells, California, lost to world # 2
Rafael Nadal 6–4, 6–3.
Series of injuries
Roddick then played the
Miami Masters, where he retired from his quarterfinal match against Andy Murray due to a left
hamstring injury. Roddick then helped the U.S. defeat Spain and advance to the Davis Cup semifinals, winning his lone singles match against
Fernando Verdasco 7–6 (5), 6–1, 6–4. However, Roddick re-aggravated his hamstring injury during the Davis Cup tie, and was subsequently forced to pull out of the
U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in
Houston, Texas. Roddick also announced that he would withdraw from the
Monte Carlo Masters, citing the injury. His next tournament was at the
Internazionali d'Italia. After a first round
bye, he won his first match against
Gastón Gaudio, where he saved all three break points and fired nine aces. However, he was unable to stop
Juan Ignacio Chela in the third round, losing 6–0, 6–4. Roddick then withdrew from the
Masters Series Hamburg tournament because, according to his website, he needed time to physically prepare himself for the upcoming
French Open. Roddick was seeded third at the French Open, but was eliminated in the first round by Russian
Igor Andreev in four sets 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 4-6. Roddick was victorious at the
Stella Artois Championships for the fourth time when he defeated
Nicolas Mahut in the final 4–6, 7–6 (7), 7–6 (2). At Wimbledon, Roddick was seeded third and considered one of the pre-tournament favorites behind Federer and Nadal. He reached the quarterfinals after wins against
Justin Gimelstob of the U.S.,
Danai Udomchoke of
Thailand,
Fernando Verdasco of Spain, and
Paul-Henri Mathieu of France. In the quarterfinals, Roddick lost in five close sets to
Richard Gasquet of France 4–6, 4–6, 7–6 (2), 7–6 (3), 8–6.
During the summer hardcourt season, Roddick played four tournaments in four weeks. Roddick made it to the semifinals of the
Indianapolis Tennis Championships, where he was upset by
Frank Dancevic of Canada 6–4, 7–6 (1). The next week, however, Roddick claimed his second ATP title of the year by winning the
Legg Mason Tennis Classic in
Washington, D.C. for the third time, when he beat American newcomer
John Isner 6–4, 7–6 (4). He then lost in the quarterfinals of the
Rogers Cup in
Montreal to
Novak Đoković, and in the third round of the
Western & Southern Financial Group Masters tournament in
Cincinnati, Ohio to
David Ferrer of Spain. At the U.S. Open, Roddick defeated Gimelstob in the first round 7–6 (6), 6–3, 6–3. He won his next three matches, one in straight sets and the other two when his opponent retired. In the quarterfinals, Roddick once again lost to Federer 7–6 (5), 7–6 (4), 6–2, bringing his head-to-head record with Federer 1-14. There were no breaks of serve and only one break point total in the first two sets, that being on Federer's serve. Two weeks later, Roddick anchored the U.S. Davis Cup team during its 4–1 semifinal defeat of Sweden. Roddick won both his singles matches, opening the tie with a defeat of
Joachim Johansson 7–6 (4), 7–6 (3), 6–3, and clinching it with a 6–2, 7–6 (3), 6–4 victory over
Jonas Björkman. This was the ninth time in nine tries that Roddick has clinched a tie for the American team.
[citation needed]
Roddick's then set his sights on the
Madrid Masters, but pulled out, citing a knee injury. At his next tournament two weeks later in
Lyon, France, Roddick lost in the first round to frenchman
Fabrice Santoro 7–6 (5), 2–6, 6–4. Roddick then withdrew from the
Paris Masters, incurring a $22,600 fine for not fulfilling his media obligations at the tournament.
[14] At the season-ending
Tennis Masters Cup in
Shanghai, Roddick defeated world # 4
Nikolay Davydenko 6–3, 4–6, 6–2 in his first round-robin match, and then defeated world # 7
Fernando González in his next match to become the first player to qualify for the semifinals of the tournament. In his third and final round-robin match, Roddick lost once again to Federer, 6–4, 6–2 for the 15th time in 16 career matches. In the semifinals, Roddick lost 6–1, 6–3 to # 6 seed David Ferrer, who had won all three of his round-robin matches. This was Roddick's third semifinal finish out of the last five years at the Tennis Masters Cup (he reached the semifinals in 2003 and 2004, withdrew in 2005, and failed to advance to the semifinals in 2006 after a 1–2 round-robin record). Roddick finished the year by helping the U.S. defeat Russia and win the
2007 Davis Cup, its 32nd Davis Cup victory but first since 1995. Roddick won his rubber against
Dmitry Tursunov 6–4, 6–4, 6–2, before
James Blake and
Bob and Mike Bryan completed the victory. Having secured the tie with an unassailable 3–0 lead, Roddick decided to sit out his second singles match of the tie.
Roddick started 2008 strongly, defeating Ljubičić 6–3, 6–0, and Safin 6–3, 6–3 to reach
AAMI Kooyong Classic final for four consecutive seasons. In the final, he defeated Baghdatis 7–5, 6–3 to win the tournament for the third consecutive year. Roddick was seeded sixth in the
2008 Australian Open. In the first round, he defeated
Lukáš Dlouhý of the Czech Republic 6–3, 6–4, 7–5. In the second round, he defeated German
Michael Berrer 6–2, 6–2, 6–4. He then lost to the # 29 seed
Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in the third round in a 5-set match 4–6, 6–3, 6–7 (9), 7–6 (3), 6–8. Despite losing, Roddick served a career-high of 42 aces in a match. Roddick won his 24th career title and his 3rd title at the
SAP Open in San Jose, California. He defeated the Czech
Radek Štěpánek in straight sets, 6–4, 7–5. Roddick's next tournament was the
Dubai Tennis Championships. He made it to the semi-finals by defeating world # 2
Rafael Nadal of Spain 7–6 (5), 6–2, his first victory over Nadal since the second round of the 2004 US Open. The win also marked Roddick's first victory over a player ranked in the top two since June 2003. He progressed through to the finals by defeating world # 3 and 2008 Australian Open Singles Champion
Novak Djokovic 7–6 (5), 6–3 in the semi-final. By making it to the final, he became the first American to reach the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships final in the tournament's 16-year history. In the final he defeated
Feliciano López 6–7 (8), 6–4, 6–2, to win his 25th career title. He never lost his serve during the entire tournament.
Split with coach
Following Roddick's quarterfinal match in Dubai, he announced that he had split with his coach of two years,
Jimmy Connors. Connors had resigned a week earlier, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
[15] Roddick would continue to be coached by his brother, John Roddick. He then fell to former world # 2
Tommy Haas at the
Pacific Life Open in the 2nd round, 6–4, 6–4. At the
2008 Sony Ericsson Open, Roddick advanced to the semifinals after defeating world # 1 Federer 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 an hour after proposing to
Brooklyn Decker, bringing his head-to-head record against Federer to 2-15. Roddick improved to 3-0 against top-3 players in 2008. Roddick lost in the semifinals to
Nikolay Davydenko 6-7 (5), 2-6. Roddick's next tournament was the Masters tournament in Rome. There he equaled his best result by reaching the semifinals, where he retired against
Stanislas Wawrinka in the pair's first encounter, due to a back injury.
Roddick was forced to pull out of the
2008 French Open due to a shoulder injury. After a visit to a doctor in New York it was determined this was nothing more than an inflammation of the
rotator cuff. His first tournament after the shoulder injury was the
Artois Championship, his annual Wimbledon preparation, where he was the defending champion after winning the title last year, one of four wins at the tournament. In the tournament, Roddick defeated Mardy Fish and Andy Murray before losing to eventual champion Nadal in the semifinals. In the
2008 Wimbledon, Roddick suffered a 2nd round defeat to Serbia's
Janko Tipsarević 6–7 (5), 7–5, 6–4, 7–6 (4). This was his earliest exit at Wimbledon. Roddick was beaten at the
Rogers Cup in the third round by
Marin Čilić, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6. He was then forced to pull out of the
Cincinnati Masters following a neck injury, which he said may have been caused by a poor sleeping posture. He stated in an interview that the neck injury had nothing to do with his shoulder injury. Roddick did not participate in the
2008 Summer Olympics, with his reason being to concentrate on the
2008 US Open.
[16] In order to prepare for the US Open, Roddick then played in the smaller hard court tournaments in the US Open Series, including those at Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. At the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, Roddick lost to
Juan Martín del Potro in the final, 1-6, 6-7 (2).
Success in Asia
Roddick captured his 26th ATP title in Beijing at the China Open on September 28, 2008. He defeated
Dudi Sela of
Israel, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3. The victory was part of Roddick's strong showing in Asia, as he reached the semifinal round of the AIG Japan Open where he lost to eventual champion
Tomáš Berdych after squandering a 5-3 lead in the third and deciding set. In the third round of the
Madrid Masters he lost to Frenchman
Gaël Monfils in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 3-6. Two weeks later, Roddick reached the quarterfinals of
Paris Masters by defeating Frenchman
Gilles Simon, 6-3, 7-5, before losing to
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Due to his performance in the tournament, Roddick automatically qualified for the season-ending
Tennis Masters Cup. At the Masters Cup in Shanghai, he played Andy Murray in his first round robin match and lost 4-6, 6-1, 1-6. He was then scheduled to play Federer, but retired due to an ankle injury and was replaced by Štěpánek.
Return to form in 2009
Roddick began official tournament competition at the
Qatar ExxonMobil Open. He defeated
Gaël Monfils in the semifinals 7–6, 3–6, 6–3 before losing to
Andy Murray in the final. At the
Australian Open, Roddick defeated
Xavier Malisse in the second round 4–6, 6–2, 7–6(1), 6–2. After victories over
Fabrice Santoro and 21st-seeded
Tommy Robredo, Roddick played the defending champion and World No. 3
Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Djokovic retired in the fourth set while trailing 6–7(3), 6–4, 6–2, 2–1, which allowed Roddick to reach the fourth Australian Open semifinal of his career. Roddick was defeated there by eventual runner-up
Roger Federer 6–2, 7–5, 7–5.
His next tournament was the
SAP Open in San Jose, U.S. He snapped a three-match losing streak against
Tommy Haas in the quarterfinals 7–5, 6–4 before losing in the semifinals to
Radek Štěpánek for the first time in his career 3–6, 7–6(5), 6–4. At the
Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, U.S., Roddick defeated Australian
Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals 2–6, 7–6, 6–4, to reach the final. He took his first title of the year by beating Štěpánek in the final 7–5, 7–5.
Roddick played both of the spring
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in the U.S. He was seeded seventh at the
BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He defeated defending champion Djokovic in the quarterfinals 6–3, 6–2. His run was ended by World No. 1
Rafael Nadal in the semifinals 6–4, 7–6(4). However, he won the doubles title with partner
Mardy Fish. It was his fourth doubles title overall and his second partnering Fish. At the
Miami Masters, Roddick beat ninth-seeded Monfils in the fourth round 7–6(2), 6–2 to secure a place in the quarterfinals, where he lost to Federer 6–3, 4–6, 6–4.
After a break from tournament tennis to get married, Roddick returned to action at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000
clay court event in Madrid. In his first match, Roddick survived two match points in the second set tiebreaker to defeat Haas 1–6, 7–6(9), 6–4. In the quarterfinals, Roddick again lost to Federer 7–5, 6–7(5), 6–1. Roddick had his career best result at the
French Open when he defeated
Marc Gicquel in the third round. He lost in the fourth round to Monfils 6–4, 6–2, 6–3.
A
twisted ankle forced Roddick to retire from his semifinal match against
James Blake at the
AEGON Championships, his first
grass court tournament of the year. He was seeded sixth at
Wimbledon. He defeated Hewitt in the quarterfinals 6–3, 6–7(10), 7–6(1), 4–6, 6–4, serving a career-high 43 aces, and third-seeded Andy Murray in the semifinals, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(7), 7–6(5).
[19] He then lost to Federer for the third time in a Wimbledon final 5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14.
[20] Even though Roddick lost this match, he set a record for number of games won in a Wimbledon final at 39. This was their fourth meeting in a Grand Slam final, all having been won by Federer. On the strength of his Wimbledon performance, Roddick returned to the top five on July 13, 2009.
Roddick returned to action as the top seed at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Washington. He defeated
Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-2 and then
Sam Querrey 7-6(4), 6-4 for his 500th career ATP tour victory. He defeated
Ivo Karlovic in the quarter-finals 7-6(4), 7-6(5), and
John Isner 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-5 in the semi-finals. In the final, he lost to defending champion
Juan Martin del Potro 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) despite saving three match points.
Roddick played the next week at the ATP World Tour 1000 event in
Montreal, where he was seeded fifth. He defeated
Igor Andreev 6-1, 7-6(3), then World #11
Fernando Verdasco 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(5), and in the quarterfinals defeated World #4
Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-6(4), improving his career record against Djokovic to 4-2 (3-0 in 2009). He then lost to World #6
Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the semifinals, despite having a match point. The loss dropped his career record against del Potro to 0-3 (0-2 in 2009).
Roddick next played at the ATP World Tour 1000 event in
Cincinnati, where he was seeded fifth. He lost to
Sam Querrey 7-6(11), 7-6(3) in his first match, after having received a bye in the first round.
Roddick entered the US Open as the 5th seeded player. In his first round match, he defeated the German veteran
Bjorn Phau 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. On September 3, 2009 during the US Open, he faced Frenchman
Marc Gicquel and won 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 as his parents and newly wed wife watched on from the stands. In the 3rd round, he was eliminated by fellow American
John Isner 7-6(3), 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6(5). Ironically, he lost his serve only once during the match, as was the case in the Wimbledon final.
2010
Roddick entered the
2010 Australian Open as the seventh seed. He defeated
Thiemo de Bakker,
Thomaz Bellucci and
Feliciano Lopez, and then defeated world #11
Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 to reach his sixth career Australian Open quarterfinal and raise his career record against Gonzalez to 9-3. In the quarterfinals he faced world #14
Marin Cilic, and despite coming back from two sets down while battling an apparent shoulder injury, Roddick lost 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-3
Davis Cup
With his 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over
Paul-Henri Mathieu on April 13, 2008, for the deciding victory in the best-of-five 2008 quarterfinal
Davis Cup match with France, Roddick improved to 10-0 in clinching situations for the United States. In his second singles victory in three days, he was held to 17 aces, down from 30 against
Michael Llodra a few days prior. Roddick improved to 31-11 for the US in Davis Cup matches, trailing only
John McEnroe (41). His win against the 12th-ranked Mathieu was part of a strong month in which he beat the tour's top three players—Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.
Nicknames and on-court behavior
Roddick is often called "A-Rod," referring to his first initial and the first three letters of his last name.
Roddick is known for frequent outbursts against umpires on the court. His most famous quote is to umpire Emmanuel Joseph in his Australian Open 2008 match: "You're an idiot! Stay in school kids, or you'll end up being an umpire."
Equipment
Roddick uses a discontinued version of the Babolat Pure Drive, extended to 27.5 inches. The racquet itself is heavily customised with additional weight placed in the head via the use of lead tape. The resulting racquet exhibits a more head heavy balance point and a higher swingweight than the stock model with a higher overall weight, though this is similar to the model he endorses at approximately 12oz. Modifications of this sort are not uncommon for professional players.
Roddick's racquets are painted to resemble the Pure Drive Roddick Plus with Cortex racquet in order to market a current model which Babolat sells. The cortex in particular is visibly painted onto the racquet. For marketing purposes Roddick endorses the Pure Drive Roddick GT Plus
Cortex Racquet, a signature racquet designed for him by racquet sponsor Babolat, which is slightly heavier (11.9 oz), stiffer (Babolat RDC index 72), and longer (27.5") than the standard Pure Drive Series (11.3 oz, Babolat RDC 71, 27"). The racquet is designed for a strong service due to its weight, stiffness, and length.
[26] According to Tennis Warehouse, it is the best one for this fundamental. He strings with a custom hybrid (Pro Hurricane Tour + VS). Roddick's tension varies, but he mostly strings his racquets to a tension of roughly 64 or 65 pounds.
Roddick also uses Babolat Propulse II tennis shoes, which are his signature gear.
[27] In matches, Roddick wears shirts, shorts, and caps manufactured for him by
Lacoste.
Playing style
Roddick is known for his powerful first serve, usually serving at around 130-150 mph (209~242 km/h), which he uses to earn free points with aces and unreturnable serves.
[28] His first serve is known to some as the "Roddick Serve" since he abbreviates the serve by removing part of the motion. He usually targets the two corners to win aces. As for his second serve, he usually employs a heavy
kick serve, then tries to use a variety of spins, slices, and angles in the rally to throw off his opponent. He is noted to use heavy topspin on both his serves and his twist serve is probably the highest-kicking serve anyone hits.
[29] Roddick will also occasionally use the
serve-and-volley tactic on both first and second services to surprise his opponent, though he generally prefers to remain near the
baseline after a serve. Despite all this, Roddick is sometimes criticized for his lack of variety; however, he has developed a more all-court playing style compared to the aggressive baseline style he played with for most of his early career. Under new coach
Larry Stefanki, he has been in the fittest shape of his career, as well as developing his
volleying skills.
[30] Roddick's backhand is also considered to have improved over the course of his career.
Media appearances
On April 5, 2002, Roddick guest-starred on the television show
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch as himself. In the episode, Sabrina summoned him so he could give her tennis lessons.
[32][33]
Roddick appeared on the
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn talk show in 2002 and 2003,
Late Show with David Letterman in 2003 and 2009, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and
Live with Regis and Kathie Lee in 2003,
Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2004 and 2005,
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2005 and 2007, and
The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2006.
[32] Roddick also appeared on
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on June 8, 2007. The two had humorous conversations about life beyond the court, other players, and on-court fashions. At one point during the interview, Ross sat on Roddick's lap to try to make him feel uncomfortable.
Roddick is in a
This is SportsCenter ad with
Stuart Scott, in which he confronts the Sports Center anchor about the anchors not calling him "A-Rod," and asks him "Did
Alex Rodriguez put you up to this?" Scott replies "Who?" Roddick says "A-Rod!" Scott gets a sneaky look on his face, and Roddick leaves disgusted.
The June/Julyissue of
Men's Fitness magazine carried an article on Roddick. The cover shot featured the tennis ace in a t-shirt, straining to contain massive, pumped-up biceps and hulking shoulder and chest muscles. The image set off widespread online speculation that the magazine had altered Roddick's likeness, a suspicion echoed by Roddick himself. Roddick has quipped that he saw the photo, and that Nadal wanted his arms back.
Awards and record serve
In 2004, Roddick produced the fastest
serve in professional tennis: 249.5
km/h (155
mph) during a
Davis Cup semi-final match with
Vladimir Voltchkov on hard court in Charleston. Earlier that year, Roddick had the fastest serve in U.S. Open history: 244 km/h (152 mph) against American
Scoville Jenkins.
[35] Roddick also won the 2004
ESPY Award for Best Male Tennis Player.
In 2007 Roddick and the Andy Roddick Foundation was awarded by the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. Roddick was the first male tennis player ever to receive the award.
Records and achievements
- These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
| Tournament Name | Record accomplished | Player tied |
| Wimbledon 2009 | Most games won in a Grand Slam final (39) | Stands alone |
| 2007 | Most consecutive tie-breaks won (18) | Stands alone |
| Davis Cup 2004 | Fastest serve (155 mph) | Stands alone |
| U.S. Open 2004 | Fastest serve in a Grand Slam tournament (152 mph) | Stands alone |
