Andy Roddick: Teens will put U.S. men's tennis back on map
Four days after Serena Williams won her 22nd Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, Andy Roddick predicted that U.S. men's tennis would rise again.
Four days after Serena Williams won her 22nd Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, Andy Roddick predicted that U.S. men's tennis would rise again.
In fact, he said, that rise may have already begun.
"I think American men's tennis is on the upswing. I think American women's tennis has never gone away," Roddick said Wednesday. "They've been doing more than us for a little while now."
Roddick is the last American man to win a Grand Slam tournament, the 2003 U.S. Open. On a conference call with reporters, Roddick said he has high hopes for the country's young talent.
That group includes teenagers Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, and Tommy Paul. Roddick hopes they can reinvigorate widespread interest in a sport that declined in U.S. popularity as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray eclipsed their American competition.
And unlike in his time, the 33-year-old Roddick said he believes more than a couple of U.S. men's players will be dominating in a few years.
"I am excited about the younger prospects in American's men's tennis," Roddick said. "I'm probably as optimistic about what American men's tennis will be like in three years as I've ever been."
Roddick also is optimistic about the Mylan World TeamTennis season, which begins in August. He will take the Pavilion court at Villanova for the New York Empire when his team plays the Freedoms on Aug. 10.
Roddick said World TeamTennis, a mixed-gender league founded in 1974, also can help grow the game in the United States.
What about the league can appeal to even casual fans?
"I think the fast-paced energy," Roddick said. "Everything is quicker, faster, more in your face. The one-set matches I think maintains your attention. It feels like the players have become a little more interactive."
Roddick is enjoying life since his retirement in 2012. He did a stint in broadcasting for Fox Sports 1, spent time working with the Andy Roddick Foundation, which helps underprivileged children through sports, and used the popular live-streaming app Periscope to analyze this year's Wimbledon final.
He said he looks forward to assessing the state of U.S. men's tennis a couple of years from now.
"I think we are in a very good space," Roddick said. "I think the narrative around U.S men's tennis will be much different in three to five years."
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