Andy Roddick made ‘Served’ his ‘single biggest non-negotiable’ in ESPN negotiations

Andy Roddick spent years swatting away TV offers. His kids were too young to haul around the globe. His focus was on building his podcast. And he had no desire to sign a network contract just to sit in a studio and play pundit.

That changed this year when ESPN came calling about working Wimbledon and the US Open. Roddick’s kids are old enough now to travel with him to tournaments. The life logistics finally make sense. And instead of critiquing coverage from afar, he’s genuinely excited about getting back in the arena and being part of it. But before ESPN could talk about anything else, Roddick made one thing clear in the first 90 seconds of negotiations.

The podcast stays exactly as it is.

“I think it’s important for our listeners to know that not a single minute will be shaved off of the serve time in our slam coverage,” Roddick said on Served With Andy Roddick this week. “That was in the first 90 seconds of our negotiation with ESPN, it was ‘We’re not going to sacrifice anything that we’ve done for our Served audience.’ We’ll still do everything every day, quick serve. They’re going to help with scheduling. That was my single biggest non-negotiable.”

We are SO pumped to announce that Andy is stepping into the @espn broadcast booth for Wimbledon and the U.S. Open 💥

That means you can catch Andy live on the call- and then right back on Served for the recaps you know and love🎙️Summer 2026 is going to be special. Who’s ready?!… pic.twitter.com/WxvdfdvXK6

— Served with Andy Roddick (@Served_Podcast) February 23, 2026

Roddick launched Served on Tennis Channel in 2020. He hosts alongside reporter Jon Wertheim and producer Michael Hayden. Over five years, they’ve built it into one of the most popular tennis podcasts in the space. The show landed on Awful Announcing’s 2025 Sports Podcast Power List, where AA’s Brendon Kleen wrote that Served “proved to be the perfect complement to the rise of a new generation in the sport” and praised Roddick for his willingness to weigh in on off-court topics.

Athlete-led media made its way to tennis this year, as longtime American star Andy Roddick entered the fray. Joined by reporter L. Jon Wertheim and veteran producer Michael Hayden, Served proved to be the perfect complement to the rise of a new generation in the sport. Whether through cutting interviews with the greats or instant reaction accompaniments to the major tournaments, Roddick has quickly proven he has staying power as a commentator and a media mind.

Plus, Roddick showed he was not afraid to weigh in on the off-court topics that make a global, elite sport like tennis so fascinating, with a long rant slicing Trump-supporting billionaire Bill Ackman after a stunt game at a challenger tournament this summer. Bet on Roddick.

Served Media’s top frustration with digital sports video: “Tennis’s biggest opportunity for rapid growth is being limited by restrictive highlight rights on digital platforms. This single policy keeps the sport’s greatest asset, the matches themselves, out of the creator economy that drives fan engagement across every other major sport.

Andy Roddick made the podcast his priority in negotiations with ESPN. He told them upfront that it wasn’t changing. ESPN agreed to help with scheduling so he can do both the broadcast work and the podcast without sacrificing either. The podcast will keep running daily coverage during Grand Slams with nothing scaled back. ESPN gets Roddick as an analyst for Wimbledon and the US Open. Roddick gets to work for ESPN without changing what he’s been building over the past 5 years.

“I don’t know for the first time, I’m kind of excited to jump in,” Roddick said. “It was a big negotiation trying to marry like what we do in this room — where we just do anything we want — versus signing a contract that literally has Mickey Mouse on the DocuSign is interesting.”

ESPN announced Monday that Roddick signed a multi-year deal to work as an analyst for match and studio coverage. He’ll join ESPN’s tennis team ahead of Wimbledon, which starts June 29. He joins Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, Darren Cahill, and Chris Fowler. With ESPN moving on from Pam Shriver and Brad Gilbert earlier this year and Nick Kyrgios not returning to Wimbledon coverage, there was room for a new voice.

Andy Roddick fills part of that void — on his terms. For a network that wanted credibility and a former No. 1 who isn’t afraid to have an opinion, it’s a win. And for Roddick, it’s proof that you can sign the contract with Mickey Mouse on it without giving up the microphone you already own.