"I bet you want to give everyone a different finger, don’t you?" - Andy Roddick discloses importance of ending year as world number one while recounting funny story with former American President

Andy Roddick has gone through the process of battling for the number one position at the end of the year, with him highlighting how important it would be for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The big two are set to battle it out in Turin with the ATP Finals just around the corner.

The former US Open champion tried to uncover the reason why Alcaraz was slowing down at the end of the year. "As we talk about different personalities in tennis, you really get exposure to how certain minds — brilliant players — handle the end of the year differently," Roddick said on his Served podcast. "Obviously, with Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open and that all-time performance against Jannik Sinner, the end of the year indoors has proven to be... well, this is judging Carlos against his own shadow, which is enormous, right? So, this isn’t judging him against most players — this is judging him against superhuman Carlos.

"He seems to have a harder time finishing the year strong. He’s a guy who relies on electricity from the crowd — he likes the atmosphere, the show, being an entertainer. And then you get to this part of the season where you’re outside for like four minutes of daylight a day. You walk into the venue and it’s light, and then you leave and it’s dark at 4:15. Hopefully, I say this correctly, but it feels like Sinner is maybe better suited personality-wise to go in, get the job done, leave — whereas Carlos maybe needs to feel a bit more inspired. Maybe that’s a reach, but I don’t think it’s nothing."

He went on to highlight the fact that he has played more tournaments and matches than his arch-rival Jannik Sinner. "The fact that Carlos has admitted — and this isn’t my opinion — that he’s 'beat up,' “mentally exhausted,” that it’s been a long season… Meanwhile, you’re not hearing that as much from Sinner. People say, 'Oh, there’s a big difference between the two.' And I’m like — or maybe one had three months off during the year," he stated.

The duo are still viciously competing for the honour of ending 2025 as the world number one. While Sinner sits on top after his Paris Masters, he will drop back down below Alcaraz once the points get slashed off his tally from his ATP Finals triumph last year.

Roddick believes that the players both dearly care about the number one spot more now as it is near the end of the campaign. "Here’s what I’d say — they probably care zero on a week-to-week basis during the season. May, June, July — it’s a moving target," Roddick said. "Once you’ve been No. 1 and you’re No. 2 by ten points, are you worse than you were a week ago? Probably not. But year-end No. 1 holds prestige. Especially for these two — they’re both aware they’re 'the two guys.' I know how many times specific players have finished year-end No. 1 — it’s a prestigious number that only a few understand."

The American has hands-on experienced of this after he just about confirmed number one spot in 2003. "My personal story — at the end of the year, grinding through with that carrot — yeah, it matters," he confidently said. "I was more motivated to finish No. 1 than just to get there."

In poetic fashion, it was his hero Andre Agassi to seal the deal. "I won 70-plus matches that year, didn’t take many weeks off, and by the end I was burnt out — a hollow soul emotionally and physically. There were three of us in contention: Roger [Federer], Ferrero, and me. Roger had the narrowest chance. Once I won a match or two, he was out, and then Ferrero still had a look. I remember listening on a cell phone — this was before live apps — as Agassi played Ferrero in Houston at the World Tour Finals. If Agassi served it out, I’d finish the year No. 1. So I’m literally listening to Andre serve the match out, hear the crowd go crazy, and I know it’s done — I’m year-end No. 1. And the fact that my childhood idol was the one who secured it for me?"

The next day, Roddick went out of the tournament in Houston. He had ran out of steam at the end of a long season, which culminated in him becoming number one. After the match, there was a ceremony for Roddick to accept his Number One trophy, with former President George H.W. Bush joking about which finger he should raise to the crowd.

"Former President George H.W. Bush lived in Houston and was always at the tennis. He agreed to present me with the No. 1 trophy. So he comes out, shakes my hand, and says, 'Congratulations, tough one today.' I go, 'Yeah, I just don’t think I had it today.' We do a couple of photos — I’m sure you can Google it — and he’s got that great sense of humour. We’re holding up the 'No. 1' finger for the cameras, and he kind of leans over, covers his mouth, and quietly says: 'Well, after your match this afternoon, I bet you want to give everyone a different finger, don’t you?'" Roddick said while laughing.