So when the opportunity came up for me to see Andy for the first time in over a year (and the first since his retirement), I wasn’t about to turn it down. But walking into the Bren Events Center at the University of California Irvine, I felt something I never thought I’d feel – old. Yes, you heard me correctly. At only 26 (ok, 25 for another two months) I felt old. The place was filled with young kids – which, of course, was a welcomed sight. But when conversations of Andy Roddick began amongst parents, aunts and uncles, babysitters, etc., many of the children responded with “Who’s Andy Roddick?” And my heart began to break. It had never occurred to me that at some point, the players I grew up with would one day be nothing more than the equivalent of what Arthur Ashe or Jimmy Connors is to me – someone whose name you hear occasionally amongst the tennis-themed conversation. Don’t get me wrong. I admire both Jimmy and Arthur, but I didn’t grow up with them. I don’t know firsthand what it felt like to witness Jimmy’s amazing run to the 1991 U.S. Open semifinals, or to watch Arthur Ashe not only change the face of tennis, but the world as well. And that same feeling is what many young kids who are just now coming into the game feel about Andy Roddick and will one day feel about Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray. They may still be around now but they won’t last long and they will all eventually become a glorified afterthought in the game of tennis.

It was the first time I can remember being in a venue where Andy Roddick wasn’t the favorite. His name didn’t elicit the roaring applause I was used to. The encouragement from the stands didn’t come nearly enough, and at times the crowd was actually rooting against him. I was in completely new territory and didn’t have the slightest idea how to react. Steve Johnson, USC alum and clear crowd favorite was the Andy Roddick of the night. The real Roddick might as well have been any other team tennis player, because there were few who cared if he won. And it was that lack of crowd support (which I’m sure he wasn’t all that used to) that caused him to lose to Johnson – despite the still monstrous serve and killer forehand. I was speechless. A clearly frustrated Andy smashed his racket and left the court shortly after the conclusion of the match, which oddly enough was just what I wanted to see. Very few could smash a racket like he could.

And who knows when I’ll get to see that again.

1. 10sBalls_com says:

   July 15, 2013 at 8:11 am

   Andy Roddick Returns to Action – http://t.co/TaHFXxpAQs #tennis @andyroddick @WorldTeamTennis @KristensKourt