Touring with Roddick 2002 Trivia Quiz

Answer: 30 August 1982

Andy, the youngest in Jerry and Blanche Roddick's brood of three, is not the only sportsman in the family. Oldest brother Lawrence, now a chiropractor in Texas, was a national spring board diver. John, on the other hand, used to play All-American tennis for the University of Georgia, where he also served as assistant coach.

He now manages the Roddick Total Tennis Academy in San Antonio, Texas.

Answer: Omaha, Nebraska

Born in Omaha, Andy was four when the family moved to Austin, Texas. For brother John's tennis, the Roddicks later relocated to Boca Raton when Andy was ten. Andy, however, remains to be a solid supporter of the University of Nebraska football team.

Answer: Boca Raton Preparatory

As a means to support student aid for SEK Preparatory School, Andy celebrates an annual Andy Roddick Charity Weekend at the end of each year. Began in 2001, the charity event also benefits the Margaux Grossman Miracle Foundation, and the Back to Basics Charity Foundation.

Answer: Basketball

Andy played varsity hoops with fellow American tennis pro and friend Mardy Fish. Andy says he plays decent ball... and yes, he can dunk. During breaks, he sometimes catches the NBA courtside. [Hint Explanation: The Miami Heat is one of two NBA teams that has its home in Florida, where Andy has also purchased his own house.]

Answer: February 2000

Despite turning pro the previous year, Andy only played his first full year in 2001, when he became the youngest American player in the year-end Top 10 since Michael Chang in 1992. His breakthrough tournament was the 2001 Masters Series in Miami, where he defeated Harel Levy (ISR), Marcelo Rios (CHI), Pete Sampras (USA), and Andrei Pavel (ROM), all in straight sets before falling to Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) in the quarterfinals.

Answer: Tarik Benhabiles

Algerian-born Tarik Benhabiles, who played for the French Davis Cup team in 1987, met Andy's mom, Blanche, during a rain delay at an 18-and-under national tournament in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They shared a canopy, began talking about Andy and his tennis, and the rest, as they say, is history. [Hint Explanation: English football club Leeds United is managed by Terry Venables, whose name sounds slightly similar to Tarik Benhabiles.]

Answer: Atlanta, 2001

In his clay court debut, Andy dropped only one (1) set in five (5) matches, and held serve an impressive 42 straight games. The following week in Houston, he turned even more heads when he won the title without dropping a single set and became the first American since Jim Courier in 1992 to accomplish back-to-back claycourt titles.

Answer: Xavier Malisse

Accomplishing his first title sooner (in only his 10th ATP level tournament), than the American Fab Four of Agassi, Sampras, Courier, and Chang, Andy's road to the Verizon Tennis Challenge title comprised of wins over Raemon Sluiter (NED), Todd Martin (USA), Fernando Meligeni (BRA), Stefan Koubek (AUT), and Xavier Malisse (BEL). [Hint Explanation: Kim Clijsters and Xavier Malisse are both from Belgium, and paired up for the 2003 Hopman Cup.]

Answer: Jan-Michael Gambill (USA)

A good friend of Andy's, Jan-Mike shows a deep interest in Jaguars - the car and the animal. He owns six (6) Jaguar cars, and donates time and money to "Cat Tales" Zoological Park which houses endangered cats. Pairing up in Andy's "hometown event" in Delray Beach, Jan-Mike and Andy competed as a doubles team in other tournaments but unfortunately did not duplicate the win.

Answer: three

Aside from his back-to-back claycourt titles in Atlanta and Houston in late April and early May, Andy added a hardcourt title, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic tournament in Washington D.C. He became the first American teenager to win at least three titles in a single season since Pete Sampras won four in 1990. [Hint Explanation: Peja Stojakovic is the NBA's 2002 and 2003 3-Point Shootout Champion.]

Answer: Reebok

Reebok, one of the leading sports apparel brands in the world, signed Andy to a sponsorship contract before he turned 17. Rival companies later realized how much Andy had affected the price tag as he zoomed up the rankings and turned heads. According to one executive, "A Roddick only comes along once every 10 to 15 years..." [Hint Explanation: In the 90s, Patrick Rafter was one of Reebok's most widely recognized endorser in men's tennis.]

Answer: Babolat

With its recognizable trademark "double-line," Babolat signed Andy in September 1999 when he was still a junior. Following the excellent relationship between the two aces, the contract has been extended to 2005. With the WTA's Ally Baker, Andy and his Babolat Pure Drive + also appear in a Babolat television commercial that airs mainly in Europe. [Hint Explanation: Carlos Moya plays with Babolat Pure Drive.]

Answer: vs Switzerland, 2001

Having pledged commitment to the USA's efforts to regain the Davis Cup title, Andy, like fellow cuppers James Blake and Mardy Fish, enjoys playing for flag and country. During that first outing, Andy defeated Swiss George Bastl, 6-3, 6-4 in a dead rubber match in Basel. Switzerland won that tie, 3-2.

Answer: Michael Chang

Suffering from cramps late in the fourth set and throughout the fifth, Andy won the decider with a tight 7-5 scoreline. Despite his condition, Andy set a tournament record by serving 37 aces on Court Central. After the match, Chang advised him to take in more vitamins. [Hint Explanation: Michael Chang is also sponsored by Reebok.]

Answer: Lleyton Hewitt

The youngest American male to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Andre Agassi, Andy is likened to Jimmy Conors for his flamboyance and display of emotions. Slamming his racquet and screaming at the umpire, Andy's temper flared after the umpire overruled a line call on the far side of the court at a crucial point in the fifth and final set, with Andy on serve.

It was a tight battle against the eventual champion up to that point, after which Andy lost his concentration, his serve, and eventually, the match. [Hint Explanation: Hewitt also made headlines when he allegedly tossed discriminatory remarks in his 2nd Round match against James Blake in that same tournament.]

Answer: Marat Safin (RUS)

In 2001, Andy defeated Pete Sampras in the Masters Series in Miami, Marcelo Rios in both the Masters event in Miami and the Legg Mason Classic in Washington D.C., and Gustavo Kuerten in the Masters Series in Montreal.

Answer: Guillermo Canas

En route to the final, Andy defeated Dominik Hrbaty (SVK), Nicolas Lapentti (ECU), Stefan Koubek (AUT), David Nalbandian (ARG), and Jiri Novak (CZE). Canas, however, was playing too well, beating seeds Yevgeny Kafelnikov (RUS), Marat Safin (RUS), and Carlos Moya (ESP) on his way to the title. [Hint Explanation: Aside from being namesakes, Canas grew up idolizing Guillermo Vilas.]

Answer: Houston, TX

The 2001 ATP Newcomer of the Year, Andy became the first player since Jose-Luis Clerc in 1980-81 to defend his Men's Clay Court Championships title when he beat childhood tennis idol Pete Sampras in the 2002 final. Remarkably, Andy also was the only player on tour to lead three (3) MatchFacts categories: Service Games Won (90%), Break Points Saved (72%), and 2nd Serve Points Won (56%).

Answer: seven

Needing one more win to tie Andre Agassi's 8-0 start in Davis Cup competition for the USA, Andy lost his eighth match to France's Sebastien Grosjean on clay, during the 2002 semifinals in Bercy. [Hint Explanation: England's captain in the 2002 World Cup, David Beckham, dons the #7 jersey.]

Answer: Houston

With Andy's poster-sized images along the hallways, the Westside Tennis Club in Houston has seen the young gun perform notably well by never yet losing a match (as of year-end 2002) in the venue. This statistic includes his back-to-back Men's Clay Court Championships titles and two singles wins in Davis Cup play over Spain. [Hint: The Astros is Houston's official MLB team.]