“You don’t have to be perfect every day until you get to the semis”: The Agassi advice that completely reframed Roddick’s mentality

Andy Roddick has shared many stories about life on tour, but few have resonated as strongly as his recollection of a moment with Andre Agassi during a scorching day in Australia. The former World No. 1 often praises Agassi’s clarity of thought and ability to simplify pressure, and this particular anecdote—shared in a recent episode of his podcast Served with Roddick—highlights how a single exchange shaped his understanding of the mental side of tennis.

Roddick and Agassi were part of the same U.S. tennis landscape for several years, overlapping on tour during the early 2000s. Although they belonged to different generations, Agassi was still active when Roddick began rising through the ranks, and the younger American often observed how the veteran handled difficult conditions. The Australian summer, known for its extreme heat and challenging playing environment, provided one such example.

According to Roddick, Agassi had a remarkable ability to process stressful or uncomfortable situations without dramatizing them. This stood out during their time in Australia, where temperatures regularly climb above 40°C. Roddick remembers that day not because of the conditions themselves, but because of what Agassi told him afterward.

As he recalls it, everything began with a simple complaint. “ I remember I was on tour with Andre and the greats have this ability to take something that seems really stressful or hard and they put in very simple terms," commented the 2003 US Open champion. “One time we were in Australia, it was one of those days where it felt like a hair dryer outside. It’s 140(°F) on court and the wind’s blowing, it’s just disgusting."

Roddick says he was in the training room, casually chatting with others about the heat. "And so I’m in the training room. Kind of just bulls**ting and having fun. Guys are walking in and Andre’s in the corner, kind of not saying much, having a conversation with someone.

That is when Agassi stepped in with a characteristically direct remark. “I talk and the person leaves, and Andre goes ‘dude, it’s the third fucking person you’ve talked to about how hot it is. You’re an asshole,"' continued Roddick. “I’m like ‘what do you mean? Like, you’re right, but why?’ And he goes ‘you’re sitting here complaining. How many people in the world have to be better than one person a day at their job?'”

The comment immediately reframed the situation for Roddick, who understood that Agassi was pointing out a practical truth: in tennis, the only requirement on any given day is to outperform a single opponent. Factors like motivation, fatigue, or weather conditions matter, but they do not change the fundamental task. Roddick has often spoken about how this simple explanation helped him focus on controllable elements rather than external discomfort.

Agassi continued, offering guidance on how to handle the early stages of tournaments. “It blew my mind, right? Because it’s like you put it into a thing where it’s like the day you’re not motivated, you don’t have to be more motivated than everyone. You have to be better, physically, mentally than the person you’re playing. Then he told me, 'You don’t have to be perfect every day until you get to the semis then you got to bring it a little bit.”

Roddick concluded that this was one of the clearest lessons he had ever received about competitive mindset. “It's a bit of a crazy comment because, honestly, you just have to be a little better than that guy, especially in the early rounds. It's like saying: I don't have to be exceptional. I just have to be a bit better than that guy on that day, regardless of the conditions, the weather, whatever. Sometimes we complicate things too much,” he said.