"I had never seen a boob before, that was overwhelming for me" - When 17-year-old Andy Roddick was asked by a female fan to sign her chest
Andy Roddick once admitted feeling overwhelmed after declining to sign a female fan's chest when he was just 17 years old, revealing it was his first time seeing breasts in person.
Roddick's comments came during the 2012 US Open, his final professional tournament. He had a smooth run until the fourth round, defeating Robert Williams, Bernard Tomic, and Fabio Fognini. However, his journey ended with a loss to former tournament champion Juan Martin del Potro in four sets.
At a press conference after his loss to Del Potro, Roddick recalled his time playing at the Delray Beach Open when he was just 17 and declined to sign a female fan's chest, explaining that he wasn't "brought up that way."
The American admitted feeling "overwhelmed" because it was his first time seeing a woman's breasts.
"You may not remember this. You were 17 years old. You're playing in Delray Beach, it's Saturday night, the fans are were all over you. A woman said, Andy, would you sign my chest? And you said, 'I wasn't brought up that way,'" one reporter asked.
"I had just never seen a boob before, to be honest. It was just ‑‑that was overwhelming for me. This is the second time I have been overwhelmed," Roddick replied.
Andy Roddick: "I want everyone to look back and think that I was awesome"
During the press conference, Andy Roddick was asked how he hoped people would remember his professional tennis career now that he was retiring.
The former US Open champion replied that he would like others to view him as "awesome" but didn't dwell on it much, expressing confidence that the reporters would do a good job of portraying his legacy.
"I want everyone to look back and think that I was awesome," Roddick said. "I don't know. That's for you all to decide. You know, again, it's tough for me to be objective and kind of look outside in. You guys will do a fair job of expressing it, I'm sure."
When questioned about the stories he would tell his son Hank and daughter Stevie, Roddick responded that it was premature to consider that and expressed hope that in ten years, he would have more recent experiences to share with them
"I don't know," Roddick said. "We're talking about a conversation that's ten years away and you're asking me to kind of articulate it. Hopefully I'll have some recent stuff that I can tell them about."