Roddick and a conversation with Agassi he will always remember: "You're an idiot"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 10 Dec 2025 | 14.02

Roddick and a conversation with Agassi he will always remember: "You are an idiot." Photo: Gettyimages.

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Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi have been the last two number ones in the ATP from the United States. They are also the last two American male players to have won a Grand Slam (US Open 2003 and Australian Open 2003, respectively) and coincided on the circuit during the final years of the Las Vegas player and the beginnings of the Nebraska one.

In Andy Roddick's podcast, 'Serve by Andy Roddick,' the former tennis player and now tennis commentator and analyst shared an anecdote he experienced with Andre Agassi which left him astonished. It showcased the competitive nature and culture of effort that the eight-time Grand Slam winner had, which is also well portrayed in his acclaimed book 'Open'.

The scene took place in Australia, before an Australian Open, a time when Melbourne is typically a hot and humid environment that makes breathing difficult. Although tennis players have come to expect these conditions when traveling to the antipodes.

The heat in Australia sparked the conversation

"I remember touring with Andre. The greats have this ability to take something that seems very stressful or difficult and explain it in a very simple way. Once, we were in Australia, and it was one of those days where it felt like a blow dryer outside. It was about 40 degrees on the court, with the wind blowing; it was awful."

"So I was in the training room, just fooling around and having fun. The guys were coming in, and Andre was in the corner, hardly saying anything, chatting with someone."

Andy Roddick reveals the moment Andre Agassi called him an "idiot"

"I talk, and the person leaves, and Andre says: 'Dude, that's the third person you've spoken to about how hot it is. You're an idiot.' And I say, 'What do you mean? You're right, but why?' So he replies, 'You're here complaining. How many people in the world need to be better than one person each day at their job?'".

That conversation changed his perspective

"It blew my mind because it's like putting you in a situation where, when you're not motivated, you don't have to be more motivated than others. You have to be better, physically and mentally, than the person you're playing against. Then he told me, 'You don't have to be perfect every day until you reach the semifinals; then you have to give a little more'".

"It's a bit of a crazy comment because, honestly, you just have to be a little better than that guy, especially in the early rounds. It's like saying: I don't have to be exceptional. I just have to be a bit better than that guy on that day, regardless of the conditions, the weather, whatever. Sometimes we complicate things too much," concludes a Andy Roddick who began to understand the mentality a champion must have thanks to the insult from Andre Agassi.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Roddick y una conversación con Agassi que siempre recordará: "Eres un imbécil"