A-Rod, as Andy Roddick likes to be called, is now the youngest player in the top fifty professional tennis players. He also is arguably the player who has the best time on and off the court. As he said in a recent Rolling Stone interview:
"Tennis isn't a job for me. It's fun. I like winning matches and seeing what the rankings are after that. It's a game."
Roddick plays fearlessly, with a youthful abandon. "I kinda go balls to the wall when I play" Roddick says. His serve is perhaps his main weapon. As one recent opponent said of trying to return it: "You don't know what it's like to take that serve. It feels like someone's breaking my arm." He also has a strong forehand, but his backhand is somewhat awkward. He tends to win on Aces and strong returns with his forehand.
In many ways, despite earning massive amounts of money and receiving mind boggling attention, Roddick is a normal teenager. He likes going to concerts, and saw Janet Jackson twice, The Dave Matthews Band, Barenaked Ladies, and Matchbox Twenty. He did, however, pass up seeing U2 TWICE to prepare for a match. He loves to shop and watches South Park faithfully. When asked about how he handles his life, Andy replied "I have to handle playing in front of huge crowds every week, but I still love to joke around and act like a kid sometimes. It's a fine line, but I'm walkin' it"