Andy Roddick

Nebraska… the country of my dreams, why? Because my hero was born there, on August 30, 1982. I will tell you about him. During his childhood, he has moved twice, from Nebraska to Austin, Texas, then from Texas to Boca Raton, Florida (which is his permanent residence now). At 18 years old, he was the youngest player in the ATP Top 20.

Now, can you guess who he is?

Yep! He is Andrew Stephen Roddick a.k.a Andy Roddick, the thunderbolt server! He is my hero ever after. Hmm… wait a second! Do you know why he got that title (the thunderbolt server)? It is because he broke the fastest serve record one day after his 22nd birthday (exactly on August 31, 2004) with his 152 mph serve! It is great, isn’t it?

When he was 7 years old boy, he realized that he was very extraordinary in tennis. When he was 10 years old, the whole family moved to Florida, "so Andy’s brother, John, could receive better coaching for his tennis career. John ended up going to the University of Georgia on a tennis scholarship, but it was Andy’s tennis career, which really took off. By the age of 16, Andy Roddick was winning virtually every junior tournament he entered, and people predicted Roddick would be the next great American tennis superstar." Wow! He is really really extraordinary, right?

He proved all the predictions were right. In 2000, the 17 years old Andy Roddick turned to pro. He made a spectacular record 18 months later. He had already won two tournaments and became the youngest player in the ATP Top 200. However, he was one of he top 50 ranked players at that time. A year later, he received one more title, “The Youngest Player in the ATP Top 20”.

"In the finals of a grass-court tournament in London in June 2003, Roddick tied his first world record by unleashing a 149 mph serve! Andy reached the semifinals of both Wimbledon and the Australian Open 2003 and in September of that same year, Roddick won the US Open" (It was his first Grand Slam title). He was honored by the ATP as the 2003 Player of the Year when he became the youngest American to end the year at No. 1 in the Indesit ATP Race.

"Andy has been featured in non-sports publications ranging from Rolling Stone to Vogue. Some of the most interesting profiles have included an item written by Sir Elton John, for Interview Magazine and selected as the Sexiest Athlete by People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive issue in December of 2003. He hosted the popular comedy program Saturday Night Live on November 8, 2003."

Well, now about his family. Jerry (father), is an investor, and Blanche (mother), is director of the Andy Roddick Foundation. John (brother) was an All-American tennis player at the University of Georgia (1996-1998), and now operates a tennis academy in San Antonio. Lawrence (oldest brother) is a chiropractor in San Antonio, was an accomplished springboard diver and a member of U.S. Senior National Team.

The Andy Roddick Foundation

The Andy Roddick Foundation is Andy’s contribution to charity. The Andy Roddick Foundation focuses it's efforts on treating abused children (specifically in Southeastern Florida and Austin Texas) It sponsors programs that combat childhood diseases, and programs that have a major focus on childhood literacy and 'stay-in-school' programs. He received The Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award in 2005 for his contributions.

Maybe you readers will ask me, why did I choose Andy Roddick for my hero? Hmm… I will tell you why. When I was 9 years old, I started to play tennis. I played but I was not really interested. I played just to fulfill my mom’s wish (She hoped that I could play tennis well). One day, when I was 14 years old, I watched the Wimbledon championship on television between Andy and Roger Federer. In that competition I saw how he struggled, and realized that I had already spent my efforts in tennis for nothing. Although he was defeated, he opened my eyes to playing spirited tennis. Since that time, I love tennis very much.