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10 Questions Rising star Andy Roddick enjoys his first Wimbledon
Few players have made as big a splash in tennis this season as American teenager Andy Roddick. At age 18, he won two ATP tournaments in consecutive weeks in April. He took the title at the Verizon Tennis Challenge in Atlanta after only his 10th ATP appearance, winning his first tournament faster than any member the American "Fab Four" of Agassi, Sampras, Chang and Courier. He backed up that feat, capturing the crown at the US Clay Court Championships the following week in Houston. Since then Roddick has been turning heads in Europe with an emotional victory over Michael Chang on the red clay of Roland Garros, before being subdued by an injury and retiring against Lleyton Hewitt. He also was a semifinalist on grass at last week's tournament in Nottingham. In only his first full season on that ATP circuit, he blistered Pete Sampras and Marcelo Rios at the Ericsson Open in Miami, becoming the youngest quarterfinalist in the history of that tournament. The No.1 ranked junior in the world in 2000, Roddick is making his first appearance at Wimbledon. 1. What makes Wimbledon dramatic and exciting for you as a player? It's a cool place. It's very prestigious and has a lot of history there, I haven't played there before so I am looking forward to it. 2. What is your most dramatic/greatest memory of Wimbledon? It was probably the 1992 Agassi vs. Ivanisevic match and when Pete broke the record there, having his family there, that was special. 3. Who is your tennis hero? The whole American group -- Agassi, Sampras, Chang, Courier -- I watched and followed that whole group. 4. What would you be doing if you were not a pro tennis player? I would probably be at college somewhere, doing athletics. I'm not sure, I haven't really thought about it that much because I have always had tennis. 5. What do you do outside of practice during Wimbledon?
I just relax, I don't do too much. Maybe go see a movie, but I stay pretty mellow during a tournament. I listen to music -- my variety of music is all different types, it depends on my mood. 6. What is your conditioning routine? I do some weights and running but not too heavy -- I just do kind of maintenance when I'm on the road and then when I'm at home I work pretty hard. 7. What is it like to play on grass versus other surfaces? Obviously grass is not like any other surface -- I am still adjusting and learning on it and I am not an expert by any means but it is different in the shots you have to play and the way you have to go for points. But I am still learning on it. 8. What advise would you give to young tennis players? Just work hard -- you never know how things will turn around if you have a good result. Before I started doing well in juniors I had one of the worst stretches ever in my life so you can always turn it around if you maintain a positive outlook. 9. What are your hobbies? My favorite hobby is underwater fire extinguishing (no, I'm just kidding). When I'm home I like to play a lot of basketball and golf and things like that. I listen to a lot of music and I would like to learn how to play an instrument so hopefully I will pick that up. Maybe a guitar because I can just fool around with that. That would be cool. My favorite basketball team is the Heat, unfortunately! 10. What is your favorite tennis major and why? I haven't played the Australian as a professional, and it's a lot different to play as a professional than a junior. I like the U.S. Open because you get the home crowd and they really get into it, but I also had a great time in Paris this year, that was a really special tournament for me. For more on the ATP, visit ATPTennis.com
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