If you want to know more about Andy Roddick and which tennis racket he used, join us with this article!
In this blog post, we will take a look at the life and the amazing career of the former tennis player Andy Roddick and we will specifically focus on what tennis racket he used during his career.
Roddick was one of the most successful American players ever, and his powerful serve was a key part of his game.
Let’s take a closer look at the racket that helped him achieve so much success!
Who is Andy Roddick?
The American former world No. 1 tennis player Andrew Stephen Roddick was born on August 30, 1982, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Roddick began playing tennis when he was a very small kid.
Very quickly he developed into a top junior player. He won the Orange Bowl in 1998 and 1999 and turned pro in 2000.
Some of Roddick’s career highlights are:
-He reached the Wimbledon final 3 times (2004, 2005, 2009), all of which were against Roger Federer.
-He won the singles major at the 2003 US Open, which made him the last North American man to do so to date.
-He is also the last North American to be ranked No. 1 in the world (November 2003).
-He has won 32 singles titles and 4 doubles titles by the ATP.
-He was also an important factor in the U.S. Davis Cup team’s successful run to the title in 2007.
Andy retired from professional tennis in 2012 after the 2012 US Open but remains a popular figure in the sport.
He kept playing tennis in some exhibition matches and in doubles matches (which he retired officially in 2015).
He is still involved in the sport through his foundation, the Andy Roddick Foundation, and in 2017, Roddick was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Now let’s take a look at the racket he used throughout his amazing career!
What Racket Did Andy Roddick Use?
Like many other professional tennis players, Andy Roddick changed many tennis rackets during his career, but he was always loyal to Babolat, the popular tennis brand that also sponsored him.
His Babolat racket of choice was the Babolat Pure Drive+ Roddick GT – that, as you can see, was even named after him.
The racket is from the Pure Drive rackets line that is still popular and used these days –
The names of the rackets in this line have changed a bit, but the racket itself is very similar to Roddick’s old one.
Why did Andy Roddick use this racket?
The racket suits his playing style very well – it’s powerful and gives him a lot of control over the ball.
Roddick himself has said that he likes Babolat rackets and he had a long relationship with them.
He started playing their rackets in 1999, and after he signed a contract with them, he used similar versions of this racket.
Roddick said he was very involved in the design of this racket – after all, it has his name on it!
He has said that he and Babolat have tried to improve the racket from time to time with his help:
It was a win-win situation: He wanted the best weapon racket for playing, and Babolat wanted to create the best racket on the market.
When Andy was happy – they were happy, and during the time Andy was playing, his racket was one of the most popular on the market.
I’m always saying that if you want to know if a tennis player is really big and important – you just need to check his racket of choice:
If he is the only one who uses it if he was involved in the design and if he made the racket a top-selling racket – he is a star.
And Andy Roddick was a star of his time.
What grip size did Roddick use?
Andy Roddick used a grip size of L4 (4-1/2 inches).
This was a pretty standard grip size for most professional tennis players at the time.
What strings did Roddick use?
His strings were Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour mains with VS Touch natural gut crosses and the crosses remained the same but the mains got switched to Babolat RPM Blast
Did Roddick use a dampener?
No, Roddick didn’t use a dampener – he was one of the few players on tour who played without one.
What string tension did Roddick use?
Roddick used different string tensions depending on the surface he was playing on –
For example, on a hard court, he would use a tension of 58-65 lbs.
But on clay, he would use a lower tension of around 54-60 lbs.
Usually, he strung his rackets between 65-70lbs
What are Roddick’s tennis racket specifications?
The head size of the racket is 100 square inches. The length of the racket is 27 inches and it weighs 11.50 ounces when strung.
It has a balance of seven points headlight. The beam width is 22-26-23 mm. The composition of the racket is graphite/tungsten.
The power level is low to medium. The string pattern is 16 mains/19 crosses with the main skip of 8T and 8H.
The swing speed is fast to moderate. The swing weight is 303.
Can I buy Roddick’s tennis racket?
The Babolat Pure Drive Roddick GT is no longer in production, but you can find used versions of it on sites like eBay.
Anyway, you can also buy a racket from the Pure Drive line – these are very similar to Roddick’s old racket and are still being made by Babolat.
Some of the players who use rackets from this line are Fabio Fognini, Sofia Kenin, Karolina Pliskova, and Garbine Muguruza.
Click here to buy the new Babolat Pure Drive rackets.
You can also read my best Babolat tennis rackets review to see some other great options from this brand.
In conclusion
Andy Roddick was one of the most famous tennis players of his generation and he used a Babolat Pure Drive Roddick GT racket.
This racket was specially made for him and it’s very similar to the current Pure Drive rackets which are still being made by Babolat.
If you want to buy a racket like Roddick’s, you can find used versions of his racket on sites like eBay.
You can also buy a new Pure Drive racket from Babolat – these are very similar to Roddick’s old racket and are still being made by Babolat.
Click here to read more about the new Babolat Pure Drive rackets or visit here to see the best Babolat rackets on today’s market.
I hope you enjoyed this article and found it informative. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section below and I’ll do my best to answer them.
For more guides about other pro players’ rackets – active or former, check my tennis racket by player page.
Thanks for reading and I will see you in the next post!
