Andy Roddick is headed to the Worldwide Leader.
ESPN announced on Monday that Roddick signed a multi-year deal to work as a tennis analyst. He’ll join the network’s coverage ahead of Wimbledon, which starts June 29, and handle both match commentary and studio work for Wimbledon and the US Open.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Andy to the team,” Linda Schulz, ESPN’s vice president of production, said in a statement. “ESPN has long led the way in delivering in-depth tennis analysis, and with several recent talent additions, we’ve further strengthened our coverage. Andy brings a distinctive, energetic, and highly relevant voice that will elevate both our studio and match coverage.”
Since retiring, Roddick has stayed involved in tennis media. He hosts Served With Andy Roddick, a weekly podcast on Tennis Channel. He spent time at FS1 earlier in his media career, co-hosting Fox Sports Live and doing a radio show with Bobby Bones for Fox Sports Radio before departing the network in 2015.
Roddick has shown on his podcast that he’s willing to speak his mind. He went after billionaire Bill Ackman last summer after Ackman got a wild-card entry into the Hall of Fame Open and played a doubles match despite being nowhere near the pro level. Roddick called it “beneath the Hall of Fame” and “the biggest joke I’ve ever watched in professional tennis” on Served.
That edge should translate well to ESPN’s coverage.
“Simply, I’m always just a massive fan of tennis,” Roddick said in a statement. “I’m very excited to join the ESPN tennis team and look forward to covering the two biggest tournaments in the world.”
Roddick will aim to fill part of the void left by Pam Shriver and Brad Gilbert, who ESPN parted ways with ahead of the Australian Open, and join a broadcast team that includes Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, Darren Cahill, and Chris Fowler.
The addition of Roddick comes as Wimbledon has been drawing strong numbers for ESPN. Last summer’s men’s singles final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz averaged 3.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched men’s final since 2019. The women’s final between Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova pulled 1.9 million viewers, up 18% from the previous year. Nearly every round other than the singles finals saw multi-year highs.
It’ll also see the 43-year-old Roddick make his ESPN debut, 22 years after reaching his first final there.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.