The newest tennis "phenom"

Not much biographical information on this young man as yet, but that's all about to change. He's grabbed the attention of tennis fans around the world with his sensational U.S. Open debut (as a pro, that is) this past week. He's been the focus of a lot of hype, but instead of talk, he's beginning to walk the walk, or should I say, serve the serve. And that serve is approaching 140 mph, with plenty of on-court pazzaz to back it up.

He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and celebrated his 19th birthday this past week while playing in the Open. His family moved to Austin, Texas when he was young and a few years ago moved to Boca Raton, Florida. His older brother was originally thought to be the one who would serve out a tennis career, but young Andy spent so much time with him on the courts, he finally took up the game himself. It was only two years ago that he finally got a professional coach and things haven't been the same since.

Roddick was the first American in eight years to become the World Junior number 1 player in the year 2000 and since his professional debut this February, he has won 3 singles titles with a record of 33 games won, 11 lost. His prize money this year totals $548,314 and he's still in the running in the Open. As stated before, it's his serve that first grabs your attention, not only the speed, but the quickness of the movement itself; it's really just a blur; a well defined and timed blur. And the rest of his game follows closely behind. Roddick is already a name to be reckoned with and shortly it will be as recognizable as McEnroe, Sampras, and Agassi. Hopefully, Roddick will be around for years to come for it is indeed a treat to watch him play.


Source:http://www.atptennis.com/en/players/playerprofiles/default2.asp?playernumber=R485