The first decade of the 21st century saw a seismic shift of American talent on the ATP circuit. Legendary players like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were nearing the end of their stellar careers. While they had smoothly carried forward the baton of American tennis, it was time for someone else to carry forward that responsibility. It was passed on smoothly, as the period saw the emergence of another iconic tennis player in the history of American tennis, Andy Roddick.

The 40-year-old was a force to reckon with on the ATP Tour, dominating his opponents on the court. While Roddick was at his peak, it coincided with the emergence of the Big Three in men’s tennis. However, it was Roddick’s one peculiar quality that drew the attention of Agassi.

When Andre Agassi saw Roddick for the first time

Recently, Andy Roddick’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, opened up on watching the 2003 US Open in action early on in his career. He first saw Roddick play at the Los Angeles Forum in 2000. During that period, Gilbert was a practice partner for the U.S. Davis Cup team. The American team also featured Andre Agassi during that time.

Talking about watching Roddick play for the first time, Gilbert said, “I couldn’t believe how big he was serving for 17.” Further, he went on to add, “Even Andre was like, ‘Who is this kid just crushing the serve?’” As a result, the media back then soon began to predict that Roddick would carry forward the tradition of American men dominating at Grand Slams.

Roddick is the last American to win a men’s singles Grand Slam title. Recently, he hailed his former coach, Gilbert, following his association with an upcoming American talent.

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Roddick lauds Gilbert’s methods

The 2003 US Open champion opened up about his former coach’s tactics following his association with Coco Gauff. Talking about it, Roddick said, “He’s a master strategist. There’ll be no shot that any one of the opponents is going to hit. There’s one they hit sometimes and one they hit under pressure. He’s very good at finding the differentiators between those two because they’re not always the same.” 

Gauff will be looking to win her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open starting next week. With Gilbert in her team, she’ll have a major boost as far as the preparations are concerned. However, only time will tell if she can prevail on her home turf.

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