"My kids were losing their minds" - Andy Roddick on how daughter Stevie & son Hank 'loved' Charlotte Invitational ft. Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe
A tennis exhibition event was held last week in Charlotte called the Charlotte Invitational which featured two matches, one of which was a match between Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe. It was a superbly exciting match full of great rallies and showmanship.
That unique combination made it an exciting watch amid the tennis off-season, which former player and current tennis media member Andy Roddick confirmed on his "Served with Andy Roddick" podcast.
"My kids loved this exho more than any other tennis match they've ever been to. My kids were losing their minds. I didn't know if they were going to make it through the whole thing. Couldn't have been more pumped up." (27:10).
Roddick is the father of two children, a 9-year-old son Hank and a 7-year-old daughter Stevie. Over the years, they've had a chance to attend multiple tennis matches, but it was the Charlotte Invitational that was the most exciting one for them.
The conversation was part of a broader discussion about the validity of exhibition matches, especially in the off-season, which is generally quite short and has been a controversial topic in the past with players expressing that the season is too long and consequently the off-season is too short.
“Sometimes I didn’t feel motivated at all,” the Spaniard said. “It is a difficult moment. As I said many times, you know, the calendar is so tight, a lot of tournaments, no days off or not as many days off as I want.” - Alcaraz on the season being long.
Overall though, exhibitions are a wonderful thing for kids who do enjoy them and they also help support the game at the grassroots level. That and kids' events at proper tennis events are one way to increase the interest of young people in the sport.
Andy Roddick on the validity of exhibitions
On the same podcast episode, Roddick briefly touched upon the validity of the exhibitions, noting that they have their place but they're also not that consequential for tennis players compared to regular events.
Rumor has it that Alcaraz was paid heavily for both the Charlotte Invitational and the Madison Square Garden one against Ben Shelton a few days earlier, which is partly why he signed up for it despite complaining about the length of the season. Even so, as Roddick pointed out, there is no mental fatigue in doing these exhibitions because they don't compare to regular tennis matches.
"The grind of playing an exho at MSG where you don't have to prepare for a six hour battle in the heat. Indoors, temp controlled. You're not stressed, results don't matter. There is no mental wear and tear." (Served with Andy Roddick podcast 29:05)