Andy Roddick noted that US Open Fan Week drew $250,000 fans, whereas Major League Baseball garners 700,000 to 800,000 fans per season. He weighed in on Jon Wertheim, who talked about tennis gaining popularity despite losing big names like Roger, Nadal, and Serena Williams.
Jon Wertheim, the executive editor of Sports Illustrated, was in conversation with US former professional tennis player, Andy Roddick in the Served podcast, amid the 2024 US Open.
The former shared how people’s love for tennis fills up the stadiums despite the sport losing prominent names like Nadal and Federer. Where a burrito costs $30 at the US Open, record people flock to witness the players clash, noted Wertheim.
“People really like tennis. Tennis soaring. Record crowds. The cost of a burrito is about $30. Supply meets demand at very extreme points sometimes at the U.S. Open. But the fact that there is demand is a good sign. Tennis, kind of surprisingly, a bit of an upset. Tennis is doing great, even though we’ve lost these three titans of the sport,” he said. [1:55]
Andy Roddick named the greats like Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams, who have either retired or are on the verge of retiring. Despite that, the US Open Fan Week garnered 250,000 spectators, while the Major Baseball League teams draw 700,000 to 800,000 fans per season.
“I thought there was going to be a vacuum of interest in tennis. You lose names like Federer, Serena….To give you some context, there are Major League Baseball teams that draw 700,000 to 800,000 fans per season. Fan Week, 250,000 fans last week,” said Roddick. [2:29]
The 42-year-old pitched for a ‘friendly handshake’ to upgrade the price to $32 when fans already pay $30 to enjoy Djokovic and Alcaraz’s match, when most US Open events are free.
“Most of the events were free. For $30, you could see Alcaraz and Djokovic share the same court on a Wednesday, along with guys like McEnroe, Agassi, etc. Props for doing that. We need to create a friendly handshake on the way into tennis before we can charge you $32 for a cocktail.”
Andy Roddick received a special honor from the USTA foundation for his massive success in Flushing Meadows
Andy Roddick was the last singles man to win the Grand Slam title on the same court. Years later, at the 144th edition of the event, the USTA Foundation honored him with the Serving Up Dreams Award for his work in the field of philanthropy.
“It’s kind of humbling to get an award for philanthropy in the house of Arthur Ashe, in the tennis center of Billie Jean King. I have always said I don’t think tennis gets enough credit for its absolute icons — the people on [its] Mount Rushmore speaking out for social change, doing something bigger than themselves,” he said to ‘Good Morning America’.
At the US Open, the top seeds, Novak and Alcaraz, fresh off their Olympic victories, failed to advance to the fourth round after individual losses.
