"If we can't celebrate progress, then, then we're just lazy": Andy Roddick slams critics of American men's tennis

Former world number one Andy Roddick has hit back at criticis of American men’s tennis. There has been a lot of debate about why American men’s tennis has not been able to replicate the kind of success country’s women’s tennis had over the last decade or so.

In 2025, all four Grand Slam finals featured American players, and on two occasions, they went on to lift the title. At the Australian Open, Madison Keys lifted the title after beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final. A few months later, Coco Gauff lifted the French Open after beating Sabalenka in the final.

At Wimbledon and the US Open, Amanda Anisimova reached the final but ended up losing it to Poland’s Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka. On the other hand, only once in the last 16 years has an American men’s player managed to reach the final of the Grand Slam. That was Taylor Fritz in 2024, where he finished as the runner-up after losing to then world number one Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the final in straight sets.

The last American player before Fritz to reach the final of a Grand Slam was Roddick himself in 2009, when he suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Switzerland’s Roger Federer in a five-set thriller with a score of 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14. Roddick was also the last player to win a Grand Slam from America. He did that in 2003 when he lifted the US Open after beating Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final in straight sets with a score of 6–3, 7–6(7–2), 6–3.

Roddick, while speaking in his own podcast, Served with Andy Roddick, discussed in detail the criticism received by American men’s players for their lack of success at the highest level in big tournaments. Roddick was of the opinion that the recent criticism is not justified, as American men’s tennis has improved significantly in the recent past. Roddick stated that not so long ago, there was a time when the country’s number one was not even among the top-20 players in the world. However, according to him, the time has changed, and two American players are now featuring in the top six spots in the ATP Rankings.

“It's not 22 years [since American players have had success in Grand Slams],” said Roddick. “It's a lot less. Like, I'm a big part of that. Like I failed too [in the final of Wimbledon in 2009], you know, and also just this narrative of like, now we've gotten to this thing where it's like a pass fail and it's like, okay, if you don't beat Sinner and Alcaraz, then it's just the same. It's not the same. It's not the same as, as 10 years ago when the number one seed, the highest rank American was like 25 in the world and there were seven in the main draw. We have to like have a, like we have to be able to think in a sober way about progress. Like if we can't celebrate progress, then, then we're just lazy. There's 23 men in the U S open this year, highest number in a long time. We have four current American players that made, that have made the semis of a grand slam. Tommy Paul's made it. Francis has done it twice. Ben's done it twice. Uh, and some quarters on top of that, Taylor Fritz is now a finalist, a regular quarter finalist, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon. This isn't the same conversation that it was 10 years ago. It's just not. And I understand that they have to deal with this hangover that they had. They had no drinks and still have a hangover. I don't like it. It's not fair. And I understand we have to talk about it. It's so boring at this point to me.”

He continued by saying: “I mean, it's phenomenal. 23 people. There's a hundred, there's a, there's 128 people in term at 23 were American. That's a massive number on the men's side progress. They're going to make the comparison. Don't do it to one afternoon, one Sunday afternoon in 2003. Do it to eight years ago. Do it to 10 years ago. Let's actually track progress, right? We're not going to go back to Mac and Connors and Agassi and Sampras and Chang and courier and like my golden childhood of fandom, right? But like, let's, let's, let's have a sober view of what progress looks like. Progress looks like Ben Shelton before he hurt his shoulder, winning a master's 1000 progress is Taylor Fritz fighting and taking it on the chain, not hiding from this, this narrative and this hangover Tommy, when he's healthy, Francis lighting up New York. I mean, let's just, I'm sorry, it just, we need to kind of have a sober view. I just get how I get mad for these players and how good they are and how flippant this thing gets thrown out, you know.”