“Kid who grew up in war-torn Serbia, Williams girls, or Andre Agassi” - Andy Roddick hits out at tennis being labeled ‘leisure activity’ for rich kids
Andy Roddick recently opposed tennis being reduced to merely a 'leisure activity' for rich kids.
Roddick walked away from professional tennis in 2012 after amassing 32 titles, including the 2003 US Open championship, and recording 13 weeks as the World No. 1 men's singles player on the tour.
Since his retirement, he has turned to commentating, analyzing, and podcasting roles in the tennis world. Also, he has been quite vocal about his opinions on everything of significance, including politics.
He, however, most recently became the target of an X (formerly Twitter) user for his take on the Gonzaga basketball team row over Michigan State Representative Matt Maddock's illegal immigrants remark.
The user told Roddick to quit commenting on political matters in the United States of America. The tennis star rebuked the user tacitly, writing:
"So if I am supposed to stick to tennis, does that mean people can’t comment on sports?"
At this, another user cheekily declared tennis a part of rich kids' amusement routine.
"Andy, tennis is not a sport. Please stop embarrassing yourself. It's a leisure activity that rich children with successful parents participate in because they're too weak for actual sports like ballet or ribbon dancing," the user wrote.
Roddick understandably contradicted the notion reminding the user of the humble beginnings of tennis superstars like Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, and the Williams sisters, i.e., Venus and Serena.
"Right. All those rich kids like the two best ever …. That kid who grew up in war torn Serbia. Or those Williams girls from Compton. Or that Agassi whose dad was from Iran and worked the door at Caesars for tips. I'll stop embarrassing myself," Andy Roddick wrote in his response.
Andy Roddick Foundation joins forces with Texas Partnership for Out of School Time to upskill after-school professionals
The Andy Roddick Foundation recently partnered with the Texas Partnership for Out of School Time (TXPOST) under the National Afterschool Association (NAA). The partnership aims to upskill after-school professionals.
"The Andy Roddick Foundation joined forces with TXPOST at the National AfterSchool Association Convention to focus on implementing innovative strategies aimed at enhancing teamwork, relationship-building, and self-awareness skills amongst our youth," Roddick's foundation announced on Instagram.
TXPOST and NAA share a common vision for bringing about revolutionary changes in the regular lives of schoolgoers. Roddick's foundation highlighted the NAA's contribution, writing:
"NAA brought together 1600 afterschool professionals in our home state, fostering invaluable connections, investing in professional growth, and deepening conversations about the importance of a quality workforce to ensure sustained learning opportunities beyond traditional classroom settings for all young people."
Roddick notably founded his namesake organization in the year 2000 with the intent to uplift students from financially weaker backgrounds through various summer programs and extracurriculars.