"Andy Roddick's amazing parents made him carry his own bag" - Ex-coach shares what he found most special in American

Andy Roddick's former coach Rick Macci recently revealed a humble side of the former No.1 American. During his peak, Andy Roddick was a very fine player and was coached by a legendary Rick Macci, who also helped veteran Serena Williams and Venus Williams early in their careers.

Many would say that the impact of Macci is what ultimately set them on the path of becoming some of the greatest tennis players of all time. When it comes to his overall career, Macci worked with other players, including Andy Roddick, who was No.1 in men's singles for 13 weeks.

Roddick also won the 2023 US Open and reached the Grand Slam finals on four other occasions, losing to the legendary Roger Federer each time. In one of his most recent X posts, Macci shared a tidbit about his time with Roddick, noting how amazing of a competitor young Roddick was. He also added that Andy was a tremendous worker and had a great upbringing with parents who knew what they were doing, instilling some humble values in their son.

"Thirst for combat was intense. Little Texas cowboy just loved to compete. Andy wanted action. Always gave 100%. Never made excuses. Great role model for kids that it is all about the battle. Most of all his amazing parents made him carry his own Bag and Water," Macci wrote.

Roddick retired from tennis after the 2012 US Open but remains one of the more respected professionals in modern times.

Andy Roddick's impact during toughest era of tennis

US Open Tennis Championship 2023 - Source: Getty

Andy Roddick is not a player who gets mentioned often in the discussion of the best tennis players post-2000. There are some reasons for that, but most of all, the fact that he played in arguably the toughest era of tennis. Compared to players like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray, his career simply doesn’t look as impressive.

But before Federer took over as the best player in the world, it was Andy Roddick who was number one. He became number one in November 2003 at the age of 21, some two months after winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2003 US Open. He also made it to the Wimbledon finals three times in 2004, 2005 and 2009 but was defeated by Federer each time.

He also went on to win 32 ATP singles titles, including five Masters in nine finals. All of that was enough for him to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017. Overall, he is considered one of the best players of the Open Era, though often overlooked.