Andy Roddick - Nicknames and On-court Behavior

Nicknames and On-court Behavior

Roddick is often called "A-Rod", a play on the nickname of New York Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez, referring to his first initial and the first three letters of his last name.

Roddick is famous for his frequent outbursts against umpires and linesmen on the court. His most notable outburst was during his third-round match at the Australian Open in 2008 where he abused umpire Emmanuel Joseph saying, "You're an idiot! Stay in school kids or you'll end up being an umpire."

He lost his temper again at the 2010 Australian Open, but later admitted to his mistake and later again that year launched into a tirade at a female official over a foot fault call, at the 2010 US Open, a match he eventually lost to Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic. 2011 saw Andy throwing another tantrum and snapping at the chair umpire at Indian Wells on his way to losing to Richard Gasquet.

At the 2011 Cincinnati Masters, Roddick was given a penalty point, which resulted in a critical break of serve in favor of Philipp Kohlschreiber, Roddick's opponent in the second round. The penalty point was given due to ball abuse, when Roddick smashed a ball into the stands in frustration, after he had already been warned earlier in the match by umpire Carlos Bernardes for an episode of racquet abuse. This triggered another series of altercations with the umpire, with Roddick expressing his displeasure at the umpire's call. Roddick subsequently lost the match to Kohlschreiber and suffered an early exit from the tournament. At the 2011 China Open in Beijing, Andy Roddick was asked by the Chinese press about his potential retirement, given his drop in the rankings. Roddick refused to answer and left the session abruptly.

Roddick, however, is also known for his funny on-court behavior and witty answers off-court in interviews and press conferences. He and Novak Djokovic are especially known for imitating players, with both doing impersonations of Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt, and each other. Roddick was also coached by Jimmy Connors for two years, who was known for his flamboyant personality during his playing career.