"So selfishly, it’s a nice little gig" - Andy Roddick delves into origin of record-breaking tennis podcast

After enjoying a career that saw him rise to the pinnacle of the ATP Tour, retired American tennis pro Andy Roddick forayed into the world of podcasting, which has yielded fruitful results.

Titled "Served with Andy Roddick", the weekly show features Roddick discussing current events in the tennis community. Additionally, the former World No.1 often has several guests on his show, ranging from current ATP and WTA stars to retired legends of the sport.

The show commenced in January 2024, and has slowly become a fan-favorite in the YouTube community. It boasts over 150,000 subscribers, with a similar amount of people following on the show's official Instagram social media account.

Known for his charisma and humor during his playing days, Roddick channeled these attributes to his podcast. The 2003 US Open champion has seen his hard work pay off, as the show recently reached the No.1 spot in the US tennis podcast charts.

In an interview with The National where his recent accomplishment was celebrated, Roddick spoke on how much his project has grown over the years. It holds the distinction as being one of just two tennis podcasts to climb into the top 100 sport podcasts on the Apple podcast charts in the United States.

“I don’t know that we thought it was going to really be anything, which was kind of a superpower,” said the 42-year old. “Because if you don’t have any expectations, you’re not really scared of anything.
“For me it’s been great, because I’m a bit of a tennis nerd, and so when we can invite people on, I can ask them all the questions that I would never bother them with in private. So selfishly it’s a nice little gig."

Tennis commentator Jon Wertheim, who often co-hosts the podcast with Roddick, praised the retired American's ability to adapt to his new project.

"He’s sort of the Hall of Fame resume with the perspective of the common fan who is still asking questions,” said Wertheim. “I feel like he’s always been, from when he was a teenager, he’s always been very witty. And there’s in element of self-deprecation that comes with it.
"He’s very observant. He’s good at communicating in plain speak. And he’s sort of this mixture of … he sees the game through a fan’s [eyes]. There’s not this curse of expertise. He understands the fan’s perspective, but also has this accumulated knowledge of having played in major finals.
“I think sports in general, people watch the actual competition less and less, but they care more and more about everything else in the community. So I think that was something we thought we were going to be tapping into."