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Andy Roddick
- 2004 U.S. Olympian in men's singles
- Won his first Grand Slam event at the 2003 U.S. Open; runner-up at 2004 Wimbledon
- In 2004, led U.S. to its first Davis Cup final since 1997 by going 6-2 in singles, and recorded the fastest serve in history at 155 mph
- In 2004, became first American to win 70 or more matches back-to-back seasons since Pete Sampras accomplished feat from 1992-95
- Won 17 ATP Tour events from 2000-2004
- When Andy turned nine, his parents took him to the U.S. Open as a birthday present. "It was my first chance of seeing live tennis and I'll always remember that."
- "As far as matches, I remember that I was there the year that Connors went nuts and got to the semis when he was like 67 years old -- no, I'm just playing. That was one of best times."
- On Andy's winning the 2003 U.S. Open: "There's been a lot of pressure on him. This will shut a lot of people up that he was all hype," U.S. Davis Cup coach Patrick McEnroe said. "We knew he had it. It's a great day for him and for American tennis. It's a
- Final word from the 2003 U.S. Open … Andy strolled into the interview room and made a statement before one question could even be asked. "No more, 'What's it feel like to be the future of American tennis?'"
- Is the youngest of three athletic brothers – John was an All-American tennis player at the University of Georgia, and Lawrence was a member of the U.S. Senior National Diving Team.
- Named one of the World’s 20 Sexiest Athletes by U.S. Weekly Magazine and ESPN in 2001; was in Sports Illustrated for Women’s Best Male Bodies in Sport 2002.
- Nicknames are A-Rod and Kid Roddick.
- As a University of Nebraska fan, Roddick displays his loyalty at his parents’ house by covering his bathroom with Cornhusker wallpaper.
- Admits he’s obsessed with the Star Wars movies and favorite current music is John Mayer, Lifehouse and Dave Matthews Band.
- Played varsity basketball at Boca Raton Prep and graduated in May 2000.
- Says his favorite U.S. sportsman is Lance Armstrong.
During the semifinals of the U.S. Clay Court Championships, Roddick bought tickets to the next day’s finals for all the fans who waited through a five hour rain delay. “We started at about four o’clock,” Roddick explained of the semifinal match. “I was a set and 5-4 up and it started raining. It rained for a good four hours and by the time we got back onto court it was a little after 11 o’clock at night. There were about 5,000 people at the beginning and only about 250 at the end. When we went back on court they made as much noise as a packed stadium. They were really enthusiastic and pulling for me. I was signing autographs afterwards, and they were saying ‘Thanks for coming back and playing.’ I said ‘Thanks for coming back and supporting.’ I said that anybody who stayed out here through the rain delay, if they didn’t have tickets for the finals the next day, it was on me. I told them to just take it out of my prize money.”
Related Links
Photo gallery: Tennis stars
Photo gallery: 2003 U.S. Open
Official Web site: Andy Roddick
When Andy was a kid, he'd practice against the best players in the world … in his imagination … hitting balls against a rebound net in his garage in Texas. "I would spend hours out there. My mom would ask, 'What did you do today?' I'd say, "I beat Lendl, Becker, Edberg. They didn't put up much of a fight. But Pete and Andre were a little tough, but I took them out, no problem."
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Height: 6' 2
Born: 8/30/1982
Hometown: Boca Raton, Fla.
Resides: Boca Raton, Fla.
Sport: Tennis
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