Andy Roddick Opens Up on Retirement, the Coco Gauff Hype, Life With Kids and More in Advance of Dallas Tournament Moment

The brand new Oracle Pro Series tennis tournament began October 21 and is currently taking place at Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian University. An exciting opportunity for American tennis players, the series is creating 25 new pro tournaments and raising playing opportunities in the United States by 40 percent.

In a sort of celebration of the new series, pro tennis players Coco Gauff, Andy Roddick, Christina McHale and Jim Courier are flying in to Dallas to play in an exhibition match at SMU on Friday evening. Already sold out, the event will consist of three sets, two singles sets between Gauff vs. McHale and Roddick vs. Courier, and then a mixed doubles match where Gauff/Courier will go against Roddick/McHale.

In a phone call this week, we got a chance to ask New Jersey-native and world No. 86, Christina McHale, about her upcoming exhibition match up with 15-year-old American sensation Coco Gauff. The two have never faced off in singles.

“Hopefully I can get a few games off of her,” jokes McHale. “I’m interested to see how our game matches up.” She tells me she’s known Coco for about a year. “She’s an unreal athlete.” That seems to be the overall consensus.

As for the new Pro Series, McHale thinks it’s an amazing idea. “It’ll be nice for players to have more playing opportunities here and not having to travel to Europe as much,” McHale says.

Growing up in Hong Kong and starting to play tennis at age 6, McHale had a more organic path to pro tennis, where it just sort of happened. Her older sister Lauren, who’s married to Austin-based pro Ryan Harrison, also played, and when her family moved to New Jersey she went to train at the USTA National Training Center in Orlando.

In preparation for the exhibition match, we also chatted with former American tennis pro and World No. 1 Andy Roddick. He talked about the new pro series, life post-retirement, and his upcoming mixed doubles match against Coco Gauff.

Andy Roddick’s Retirement Life

“We’ve been splitting time between Austin and North Carolina,” Roddick tells PaperCity. “My hometown is Austin, where I’ve lived for over 25 years, and my wife’s from North Carolina.”

Roddick has been married to actress Brooklyn Decker (Grace and Frankie) since 2009 and they now have two kids together. “My day to day is dictated by a 4-year-old and 2-year-old,” jokes Roddick.

“We have the Andy Roddick Foundation in Austin where we’re doing summer programs,” Roddick says. The initiative of the foundation is creating opportunities for kids to grow in literacy, STEM, art and sports. “Our first school was Pecan Springs,” he says. “This year we had about 3,500 kids.” Now in it’s sixth year, the program has helped thousands of kids with free six-week learning programs for elementary students.

“I’m also involved in the commercial real estate business,” Roddick says.

The State of American Tennis

“This is a nice moment in my tennis life,” Roddick says. “I get a lot more interaction with fans and it’s less stressful.” Roddick became involved with the Oracle Pro Series through friend and fellow former U.S. pro Jim Courier.

He also got to know Oracle CEO Mark Hurd, who died just last week at age 62, and helped pioneer the new series. “I’m thankful for Mark and was heartbroken by the news,” Roddick says.

Hurd had played college tennis for Baylor University and was a big supporter of growing American tennis.

As for how Roddick thinks the Oracle Pro Series will benefit American tennis, he says it is necessary. “Tennis is a worldwide sport,” he says. “It’s nice to see a quality tournament with an organized structure here.”

“It’s an important piece for American tennis,” Roddick says. “Especially at the men’s side.” This is a valid point, as there currently aren’t any U.S. men’s players in the Top 15 ATP rankings. John Isner, who Roddick is close with, ranks No. 16. The women’s side could also use some improvement, but there are three Americans in the Top 15 including Serena Williams, Sofia Kenin and Madison Keys.

“This series will make a huge difference in American tennis and I hope people will see the impact,” Roddick says.

The Coco Gauff Factor

“I’ve never met Coco,” says Roddick. “There’s such hype and it’s warranted.” He says he’s excited to see how close their mixed match comes, as he’s playing with McHale against Gauff and Courier. “I love the way she carries herself,” he says. “The way she’s able to navigate and answer questions.

“It makes me think of the stupid things I said when I was 15.” Roddick laughs.

Roddick in the Bahamas

On November 8 and 9, Roddick will be traveling to The Bahamas to play in the Baha Mar Tennis Cup put on by fellow former tennis pro Mark Knowles to raise money for Hurricane Dorian relief efforts. Originally from Nassau, Knowles is a good friend of Roddick’s.

Also participating in the Pro Am Tournament will be Coco Gauff, James Blake and Tommy Haas. Much like Dirk Nowitzki’s Celebrity Tennis Classic, which Roddick has participated in Dallas in the past, the tournament will have the professionals face off against devoted fans, and will have exhibition matches with surprise celebrities.

“I figured Mark would want to do something and when he asked me I said ‘Consider me in,’ ” Roddick says. “I was watching in horror as the hurricane came through and I hope we can raise some funds.”

The Oracle Pro Series Exhibition Match takes place this Friday at SMU at 6 pm.