The legendary American tennis player Andy Roddick talked about the young American tennis players that have a good chance of becoming “the next Andy Roddick” before the US Open.
Fans of men’s tennis have been wondering where the next Andy Roddick ever since American men haven’t won a major tournament for a while, dating back to 2003.
When researching this issue for GQ Sports last September, Rosecrans Baldwin spoke with former American celebrities to learn what had transpired after Andy Roddick retired in 2012.
Todd Martin, the No. 4 player in the world in 1999, told Baldwin, “If you look at prior generations, there has been an American at the absolute top of the men’s game forever.” Michael Chang remarked, “I don’t know whether we’ll have another generation like that. We won so many slams, so many trophies. ”
For the first time since the men’s circuit started using a ranking system in 1973, Baldwin wrote, “there were no American males listed in the world’s top 30 players” in the spring of 2021.
This year, things have changed a little. Frances Tiafoe is ranked No. 26, while Taylor Fritz is ranked No. 12 in the world. No. 28 is Reilly Opelka.
Andy Roddick himself joined in on the discussion before the US Open, speculating that someone like Fritz, Tiafoe, or Jenson Brooksby might take home the trophy in Flushing, Queens.
I don’t want to be a fill-in-the-blank anymore, Roddick told FanSided. “I hope one of these people can get out, and I would love for them to.”
The “the next Andy Roddick” controversy has Andy Roddick’s opinion
Roddick mentioned Taylor Fritz as the first person, which is not surprising given his standing and recent play.
Roddick noted that Taylor Fritz has been playing superbly this season. “Obviously, defeating Rafa in the Indian Wells finals, but beyond that outcome, he’s been regularly playing in tournaments.
Rafael almost defeated Rafa once more at Wimbledon in the quarterfinals, so I believe he has found his pace and is no longer intimidated by playing those challenging matches against the best players. He may think he can defeat them, in my opinion.
It will be interesting to see how things turn out for him after the draw, Roddick added. “In my opinion, his level of fitness has improved.” I believe he has improved various aspects of his art over the past year.
Unfortunately, Roddick’s interest in watching the Fritz draw turned out to be a sign of the uncertainty he would eventually experience at the open.
Brandon Holt, another American, defeated Fritz to win the match in the opening round. After the defeat, Fritz acknowledged he felt dumb for thinking he could emulate Roddick this year.
After the match, Fritz stated, “I feel like an idiot for thinking that I could win this thing, win the US Open.” ” I am unable to participate in a match like that. It’s awful. I feel terrible.
Fritz is still a strong contender to succeed Roddick, but Roddick didn’t stop there. Americans are still in the mix to win the US Open’s next major championship this year. One of them will compete against world No. 16 Diego Schwartzman on September 3: Frances Tiafoe.
Frances Tiafoe is constantly energized, according to Roddick, who saw him in the hotel lobby the previous evening. “Seeing him is always a pleasure. You’d like to see him in a lit environment. You hope he gets the chance because he has the type of personality that would suit spectacular night tennis at the US Open.
Tiafoe has had that chance, and Roddick is right on the money: Tiafoe is electrifying in front of the camera. His jubilant celebrations are similar to the vigor Serena Williams has displayed this week during her night matches at Arthur Ashe. All American tennis fans hoping for further victories will enjoy watching Williams and Tiafoe compete at the US Open.
However, there are other Americans with a better chance of succeeding than Andy Roddick who are ranked lower globally. Roddick thinks Jenson Brooksby, who recently defeated Tiafoe and famously borrowed Tiafoe’s trademark celebration, will “spice it up” in September.
Roddick recalled how Jenson Brooksby “kind of got on the radar last year,” came out, and promptly defeated Novak in a night match. He is undoubtedly not afraid to enter the situation and stir things up.
After overcoming world No. 29 Borna Coric, Brooksby has already advanced to the third round and will take on world No. 4 Carlos Alcaraz on September 3.
Sebi Korda, a rising star who lost to world No. 39 Nikoloz Basilashvili in his opening round match, was also mentioned by Roddick.
“We have a lot of really good chances, according to volume alone, perhaps more than we have in a long time,” according to Roddick. Sebi Korda is another person who needs to be discussed. Therefore, I believe there are benefits to be had.
A major title for the United States is still up for grabs, despite the fact that the Americans have already suffered numerous defeats on their own soil.
It’s a very different world from the one Andy Roddick experienced during his era of domination, and it’s also very different from the one in which Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, and Andre Agassi formerly competed. However, Roddick’s message of optimism—that American men’s tennis is improving—makes the hunt for the next Roddick thrilling.
The last great American man to succeed during the Big Three period, Roddick doesn’t want to be the answer to a trivia question any longer, reflecting the rarity he has become in tennis culture. Finding the next Andy Roddick may not be as difficult after all if Fritz can defeat Rafa and Brooksby can win a set against Novak.
Afterward, Andy Roddick considers Serena Williams’ career and wishes she would enjoy her final US Open.
IBM has a partnership with Andy Roddick and the USTA, and they have been integrating improvements in IBM Watson’s potent analytical skills into the US Open app. In his exclusive conversation with FanSided, Roddick went into great detail regarding the benefits IBM Watson can bring to the game of tennis.
