"The generation before me created a lot for the sport, especially here in the states" - Andy Roddick on Sampras, Agassi and others
Andy Roddick is often considered the last great American player on the men's circuit, mainly because no American man has won a Grand Slam title since his 2003 US Open victory or been ranked World No. 1. He also remains the last American male Major finalist, following his defeat to Roger Federer in the 2006 US Open final.
Roddick's on-court success saw him sign a slew of lucrative sponsorship deals during and after his career, most notably his association with renowned brands like Lacoste, Babolat, Lexus, American Express, Rolex and Microsoft, to name a few.
In an interview with Boardroom, the 40-year-old credited his compatriots from the generation before him for providing him with the platform to get the best sponsorships and endorsements.
"The benefit of being an American on the heels of probably the greatest generation we’ve had was hard sometimes, but it was certainly beneficial from a corporate relationship standpoint. The generation before me with Pete [Sampras] and Andre [Agassi] and Jim [Courier] and [Michael] Chang and the tail end of [Jimmy] Connors and [John] McEnroe, they created a lot for the sport, especially here in the states," he said.
Mentioned earlier at his HOF Induction, @andyroddick worked & fought for everything he achieved on court. đź’Ş
Here's a reminder: #USOpen 2002 https://t.co/Re3Pw4l8mA
Roddick admitted to making a few mistakes early on in his career in regards to finances, but soon adopted a healthier approach.
"Financial security mattered, but not at the expense of a crappy working relationship. I made some mistakes early. I realized I was signing stuff for money and that felt horrible and I didn’t want to do that anymore. So, knowing what you want is important. Knowing what you don’t is probably as important," Andy Roddick said.
"When a deal was pending, something as simple as getting coffee with the team that you would work with, that mattered to me and that normally let them know what you like to do, what you didn’t like to do. Being upfront, I think it gives the company a better chance to actually leverage what you’re good at," he added.
Andy Roddick calls for rule change during ball toss on serves
While Andy Roddick retired from professional tennis following the 2012 US Open, he has been a vocal presence on social media, often using his platform to speak about various issues, tennis and otherwise, and interact with fans.
In a recent Twitter post, the American called for a change in rules during the ball toss before serving in tennis matches. He believes that players should not be allowed to make a second attempt at their serve as the toss of the ball indicates the start of one's serving motion.
"I kinda think you shouldn’t be able to catch your toss, and try again. It’s part of the execution of a serve… Am I wrong on this? You’ve definitely started your motion once the toss goes up," he tweeted.
I kinda think you shouldn’t be able to catch your toss, and try again. It’s part of the execution of a serve… Am I wrong on this? You’ve definitely started your motion once the toss goes up …. Thoughts?