August 20, 2006

Roddick vs. Blake

In this exclusive event, America's top men's tennis aces and U.S. Open arch rivals James Blake and Andy Roddick face off for a rare glimpse behind the scenes.


By Melanie D.G. Kaplan

With tennis' U.S. Open just around the corner, we caught up with the top two American male players -- Andy Roddick, the 2003 Open champion, and James Blake, who last year reached the Open quarterfinals -- to talk about drug-testing paranoia, MySpace impostors, being fiercely competitive on and off the court, and getting in the zone before a big match.


For both of you, the U.S. Open is like coming home, with all of your fans and successes at Flushing Meadows the last several years. But what's it like being away from home all the time, in a sport with virtually no off-season?

Roddick: We all wish we could have more time at home just to do normal stuff.

Blake: You see guys in team sports who have a real off-season. It's tough, but most of our friends won't allow us to complain too much.


If you had more free time, what would you do?

Roddick: Last summer, I got a MasterCraft X-45 [a 24-foot wakeboard boat] that I keep at my dock in Austin, so I'd go out on the boat a little more and just hang with friends and listen to some tunes. He'd probably spend more time doing nothing.

Blake: Yeah, I know. Sleeping, sitting on the couch, watching SportsCenter, watching the Mets or the [New York] Giants.


What do you eat when you're home?

Roddick: I try and always eat healthy, so when I snack I reach for either yogurt or fruits like strawberries or bananas, but sometimes I just can't resist Cheetos or some Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey.

Blake: At night, it's chips, cookies and a lot of ice cream. For breakfast, when I'm in Tampa, I'll get Waffle House on the way to practice: three eggs over medium, wheat toast, grits and a side of bacon. I generally try to eat as much as I can because my metabolism is really fast. But I don't take any supplements or vitamins because we're all so paranoid of the whole drug-testing thing. I used to take vitamins C and E and multivitamins, but now I don't take any of it because I'm so scared.


How do you keep in touch with friends on the road? Texting? MySpace?

Roddick: [I think] James and I are the only ones not on MySpace!

Blake: I just think the whole thing is hilarious. I got a call from a friend who asked if I was on MySpace, and I realized there are a few fake pages of me and a few of Andy, too. It seems that anyone who is well-known has the honor of having fake pages. I definitely meet enough people on the road, so I don't need to meet a whole bunch of new people.

Roddick: I'm big on text messaging. I check e-mail probably three times a day. I travel with a laptop. I watch all my TV shows and movies on it.

Blake: A laptop nowadays is indispensable. I check my e-mail all the time. I'll check the news and play games online.


What kind of laptop do you have?

Roddick: I have a Mac [G4].

Blake: Sony Vaio.

Roddick: I've got one of those, too.

Blake: The tiny one?

Roddick: Yeah, you can play poker on it.


I hear you guys play quite a bit of poker.

Roddick: James can tell you a lot more. I can tell you about how I lose to him.

Blake: [Laughs.] It's a great way to pass the time on the road.

Roddick: It's a cool social activity. Pretty much all the American guys like playing. We talk a little bit of trash and then give all our money to James.

Blake: That's how I'm going to put my kids through college, actually. [Laughs.] We never play for big stakes, just for fun. Every Monday night the guys get together and play cards or something. We do it whenever we get a chance, kind of get away, be social and be normal.


What other games do you play?

Roddick: PlayStation is a fun way to chill. I like all the EA Sports games, especially football, basketball and golf.

Blake: I decided after college [Blake left Harvard in 1999, after his sophomore year] never to play another video game. I'd get hooked when I got a new game, and we'd hold playoffs in our dorm room. I decided it's better to have free time and diversify a little. I was in an Xbox game a few years ago [Top Spin, by 2K Games], so they sent an Xbox. It was pretty fun to see myself in a game, but I ended up using the Xbox for a DVD player in my Tampa house.


What's your pre-match routine?

Roddick: I stretch, then put on my ankle braces and treat any sort of knickknack injuries.

Blake: I use the time, about five to 10 minutes, just being on my own, thinking about whatever game plays I went over with my coach before that. Then I listen to music. Usually it's pretty calm music because I can get fired up on my own without blasting Metallica. Dave Matthews. John Mayer. Anything like that.

Roddick: Peter, Paul and Mary. [Laughs.]

Blake: Not that calm -- although I have James Taylor on my iPod.

Roddick: I have James Taylor, too.


What does it mean to be the face of American tennis today?

Roddick: It's fun but also challenging following players like Agassi, Connors and McEnroe.

Blake: It's tough to fill that void. We're not going to have two Americans in every Grand Slam final. Andy's been there alone for a while. I'm happy to be along for the ride to help him out, maybe take some of the pressure off. We're just trying to figure out how to beat Roger Federer. That's what everyone's trying to figure out.

Cover and cover story photographs by Colin Bell for USA WEEKEND; styling by Neil Cunningham