Andy Roddick points out ‘absurd’ men’s tennis change that is already happening: ‘We’re waiting…’

Speaking on his podcast, ‘Served with Andy Roddick’, the former US Open champion gave his take on where tennis could be headed.

“I am still waiting for the serve bot that is as fast as [Carlos] Alcaraz,” said Roddick.

“At some point, and it’s kind of where it’s going, Alcaraz is the outlier to the trend of everyone being taller and still being able to move.

“He is not a hugely tall person, but he is like the fastest person we have ever seen and the most athletic body we have ever seen.”

Roddick also reflected on how men’s tennis has shifted since his playing days.

“Whereas if you were 6ft 7 back in the day, it probably meant you could not get in and out of the corners as well, so you were full speed ahead towards the net and just made yourself big and weird looking at the net.

“Are we going to have eventually someone who is as tall as [John] Isner, but can move as well as [Jannik] Sinner? I would have said that it was almost impossible three or four years ago, and now I just don’t know.

“Maybe we get that person like LeBron [James], who is bigger than Karl Malone, but also runs faster than a point guard in the 90’s.

“Maybe we are waiting for that level of physicality where I can serve like Isner but move like Alcaraz. What I am seeing now is just absurd.”

The evolution of athleticism in tennis is something Roddick finds hard to ignore. “Maybe we are waiting for that level of physicality where I can serve like Isner but move like Alcaraz. What I am seeing now is just absurd.”

No one can predict exactly how tennis will change over time. But whatever happens next will definitely be worth watching.

Breaking down the current crop of top 10 players

Roddick spoke about how taller athletes played in the past. But who is currently the tallest player in the top ten?

Alexander Zverev, from Germany, leads that category at 6ft 6in, while Carlos Alcaraz is the shortest among them at 6ft.

Carlos Alcaraz’s career achievements

• Career-high rank: 1st (36 weeks)
• Grand Slam record: 5 titles (2022 US Open, 2023 Wimbledon, 2024 French Open, 2024 Wimbledon, 2025 French Open)
• Masters 1000 titles: 7 titles (2022 Miami Open, 2022 Madrid Open, 2023 Indian Wells, 2023 Madrid Open, 2024 Indian Wells, 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters, 2025 Italian Open)
• ATP Titles: 21 (5 Grand Slams, 7 Masters 1000s, 7 ATP 500s, 2 ATP 250s)
• Top ten wins: 43 (4 over world number one)

Alexander Zverev’s career achievements

• Career-high rank: 2nd
• Grand Slam record: 3 finals (2020 US Open, 2024 French Open, 2025 Australian Open)
• Masters 1000 titles: 7 titles (2017 Italian Open, 2017 Canadian Open, 2018 Madrid Open, 2021 Madrid Open, 2021 Cincinnati Open, 2024 Italian Open, 2024 Paris Masters)
• ATP Titles: 24 (7 Masters 1000s, 1 Olympic gold, 2 ATP Finals, 6 ATP 500s, 8 ATP 250s)
• Top ten wins: 55 (4 over world number one)

Both have had strong careers so far, which suggests height may not be as decisive a factor as once believed.

Zverev is set to return to action in Toronto on Monday, July 28. Alcaraz will join him soon after for the Cincinnati Open on August 4.