Andy Roddick

Andrew Stephen Roddick, born August 30, 1982, is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals for 13 weeks, including as the year-end No. 1 in 2003. Over his career, Roddick won 32 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including a major title at the 2003 US Open and five Masters events. He also led the United States to a Davis Cup title in 2007. Roddick was a runner-up at four other Grand Slam majors, finishing second at Wimbledon in 2004, 2005, and 2009, and at the US Open in 2006, losing to rival Roger Federer in each instance.

Roddick was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the youngest son of Blanche, a school teacher, and Jerry Roddick, a businessman. He grew up alongside two older brothers, Lawrence and John. Roddick lived in Austin, Texas, from ages four to 11 before relocating to Boca Raton, Florida, to support his brother's tennis career. He attended SEK Boca Prep International School, graduating in 2000, and completed high school courses online through the University of Nebraska High School.

As a junior, Roddick considered quitting tennis at age 17 before being encouraged by coach Tarik Benhabiles to continue. He subsequently finished as the No. 6 junior in the United States in 1999 and became the top-ranked junior in the world in 2000. That year, he won six world junior singles titles, including the US Open and Australian Open junior singles titles, along with seven world junior doubles titles. Transitioning to professional play, he earned early notable victories over Fernando Vicente, Fabrice Santoro, Pete Sampras, Gustavo Kuerten, and Michael Chang.

Roddick achieved a career breakthrough in 2003, winning his first Masters Series titles in Canada and Cincinnati before capturing his premier Grand Slam victory at the 2003 US Open against Juan Carlos Ferrero. He finished 2003 as the world No. 1 player at age 21. In 2004, Roddick reached his first Wimbledon final, finished the year ranked world No. 2, and led the tour in aces. He continued his success in 2005 by winning the SAP Open, the U.S. Men's Claycourt Championships, and reaching a second consecutive Wimbledon final.

Working with coach Jimmy Connors starting in 2006, Roddick won the Cincinnati Masters and reached the US Open final. In 2007, he won titles at Memphis, the Stella Artois Championships, and Washington, D.C., and helped the United States secure its 32nd Davis Cup title. In early 2008, he won his third consecutive AAMI Kooyong Classic title and secured his 24th career singles title at the SAP Open.

Roddick maintained a year-end top 10 ranking for nine consecutive years from 2002 through 2010. He retired from professional competition following the 2012 US Open to focus on his leadership work at the Andy Roddick Foundation. Following his retirement, he played World Team Tennis for the Austin Aces in 2015 and won the QQQ Champions Series titles in 2015 and 2017. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017. Roddick is married to swimwear model and actress Brooklyn Decker.