"I don't get that way around many people": Steffi Graf makes Andy Roddick 'incredibly' starstruck in Pickleball Slam admission

Friday, 09 February 2024 at 01:27

Andy Roddick played in the inaugural edition of the PicklebalL Slam back in 2023 when he teamed with Andre Agassi to win the tournament and Steffi Graf was the partner of her husband instead this time meaning that the American didn't return to defend his title.

The duo completed a clean sweep 4-0 against Maria Sharapova and John McEnroe with the help of Jack Sock to attain the $1m prize in Las Vegas. Roddick admitted that pickleball isn't going anywhere for him at least, but it does bring the competitive spirit out on his podcast Served with Andy Roddick.

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Despite that though, he admitted that having Steffi Graf involved left him incredibly starstruck as one of the only tennis figures who can leave Roddick with that lasting feeling and he said it turns into him being 'idiotic' whenever they speak. This compared to Agassi who has been around Roddick for a long time so he has got past that point.

"I don't think it [pickleball] is going anywhere. It was fun. Frankly, those events are amazing for me because you have people in a room, whether it's Andre and Steff, who are in kind of like full go mode again. They're just doing stuff, which is amazing," he said.

"Like I've known Andre and he's been my idol for a long time but I have a hard time being in Steff's presence without being like incredibly starstruck. Which, in the tennis world, at this moment in my life, not too sound jaded, I don't get that way around many people in our orbit anymore, having lived this life for a little while," he said.

"And Steff is like a huge exception, I can't be around her without feeling like everything I say is just idiotic, which it might be, I'm just more conscious of it," he added.

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Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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