Andy Roddick recalls fears of facing Andre Agassi: "I didn't want to deal with him"

Andy Roddick recalled his fears of facing Andre Agassi during his career. Roddick’s early rise on the ATP Tour coincided with the final years of Agassi's career, leading them to face off six times between 2000 and 2004.

They never met in a Grand Slam draw and only played one final, back in the 2003 Houston Open, where Agassi claimed the title. Out of their six encounters, Agassi led the head-to-head 5-1.

Recently, the 2003 US Open champion commented on his podcast Served with Roddick about the US Open semifinal between fellow Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, recalling how he used to feel when facing other Americans: "Playing most Americans never bothered me. I actually liked it, but Andre (Agassi) specifically was one that I didn't really want to deal with," Roddick said.

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The former world No. 1 compared his situation with the Fritz–Tiafoe clash, suggesting that it’s not the same this time, as they are from the same generation: "But I don't think that's the case here (Tiafoe vs Fritz). It's the same generation. It's not as if they've been in love with one of them for 15 years or 20 years, and one of them's not like some young punk upstart," Roddick added.

This isn’t the first time Roddick has acknowledged how mentally challenging it was to face Agassi. Back in April of this year, in a previous podcast episode, he recalled a brief interaction with the 8-time Grand Slam champion.

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"I try to stay out of his way, I don't know if he knows who I am. At that point, we didn't have an established relationship. He walks up and goes, 'Hi Andy!' He goes, 'I'm Andre, we'll have fun tonight.' I'm like, 'Okay, alright Andre Agassi.' I literally couldn't swallow, I couldn't breathe, and as we go out there, we play, and he was No. 1 in the world, I think. He would punish people," Roddick said.

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