© 2026 ABC News

\"I think it's an imperfect scenario,\" Roddick said of the climate change protestors whose demonstration disrupted play (two protesters were arrested Thursday night and charged with criminal trespass, after both began shouting and one allegedly glued his feet to the concrete floor in the stands). \"I think for Coco, she said I'm just going to treat it like a rain delay -- you don't know if it will be 10 minutes or an hour and a half -- obviously, she handled it as well as you could.\"

He commended Gauff for her poised performance saying, \"She's just been amazing this summer, winning in D.C., winning in Cincinnati and marching right to the U.S. Open finals. She is a star. She is exciting. She's an awesome person, too.\"

Roddick acknowledged her \"heavy work load\" entering the Open in all three events: mixed doubles, doubles and singles.

\"Maybe be practice-specific about her next opponent Aryna Sabalenka, who is just full of power and will try to go through Coco on Saturday. I think just more of the same. I don't think you change too much up,\" Roddick imparted. \"She's been on such a good run this summer -- partnering with [coach] Brad Gilbert post-Wimbledon has been a really good move for her.\"

All in all, for Gauff, Roddick said he thinks \"it's just going to be a matter of how she handles the moment.\"

\"PHOTO:
Corey Sipkin/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: Ben Shelton returns the ball to Frances Tiafoe during their quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open in New York City, Sept. 5, 2023.
>

Fellow American singles player Ben Shelton, meanwhile -- the unranked star who upset No. 10-ranked Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals Wednesday -- will take on three-time U.S. Open champ Novak Djokovic, who is also coming off a hot streak this summer.

20 years ago today was a big day for Andy 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5jnVP2AKdf

— USTA (@usta) September 7, 2023

For 20-year-old Shelton, who is from Atlanta, Georgia, and who is just one year younger than Roddick was when he won the U.S. Open title in 2003, the former champ suggested, \"He can't be subtle with anything.\"

\"I talked to Ben's father yesterday on the phone. I said, 'There's no red light, there's no yellow, it's green light the whole way. He's gotta try to go through Djokovic,'\" Roddick said. \"Novak's superpower is finding a pattern he wants with direction. He's like a surgeon out there. You don't want Novak to know what's coming.\"

Youth vs. Experience pic.twitter.com/2elU174v2F

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2023

\"He's got to mix up the pace and speed on first and second serves, not let Novak get the same look five or six times in a row. Try to make it about a couple of points here and there,\" Roddick added. \"Don't be scared to come in on a bad shot. What you need to do is just put the thought of it in Novak's head. Novak's a cyborg with the way he goes about his business. You can't go around him, you can't go through him. You're going to have to mix it up.\"

Even with 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz of Spain -- who is playing Daniil Medvedev in the other men's semifinal Friday evening -- coming off his recent Wimbledon title and vying for a repeat on American soil to follow his first Grand Slam last season, Roddick said he has \"a hard time betting against Novak in a three out of five set format.\"

\"I think he's the best player of all time. Statistics would agree,\" Roddick said.

He added, however, \"Alcaraz is the guy with the upside, he's probably my favorite player to watch on earth right now. He reminds me of Lebron James -- he is one of the most exciting guys I have seen in a long time.\"

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/american-us-open-champ-andy-roddick-shares-advice/story?id=103021015","legacySlug":"/culture/story/american-us-open-champ-andy-roddick-shares-advice-103021015","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"19:15","publishDate":"09-08-2023","updatedTime":"20:38","updatedDate":"09-08-2023","socialImage":{"alt":"Andy Roddick of the United States hugs the trophy after defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the men's finals, Sept. 7, 2003, at the US Open tennis championships in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.","credit":"Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/roddick-1-gty-er-230908_1694195427665_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"9/8/2023 19:15:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":103021015,"headline":"Andy Roddick on US Open strategy, predictions","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA ANDY RODDICK","description":"The 41-year-old won the 2003 title and has been retired for 11 years.","duration":"4:48","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2023/09/230908_gma_strahan_741_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["103001588","102524837","102640255"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"September 8, 2023","headline":"US Open chicken sandwich recipe from a native New Yorker and Michelin-starred chef","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/chef-james-kent-brings-michelin-starred-food-us-103001588","id":103001588,"image":{"alt":"US Open chicken sandwich recipe from a native New Yorker and Michelin-starred chef","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/jameskent-usopenfood_1694180784645_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"ABC News","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"August 24, 2023","headline":"Frances Tiafoe shares lesson he learned after Wimbledon","section":"culture","slug":"/culture/story/frances-tiafoe-bring-big-energy-back-us-open-102524837","id":102524837,"image":{"alt":"Frances Tiafoe shares lesson he learned after Wimbledon","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/Frances-Tiafoe-2-gty-bb-230824_1692881380088_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"August 29, 2023","headline":"US Open recap: Laura Siegemund falls to Coco Gauff in Round 1","section":"culture","slug":"/culture/story/us-open-recap-happened-coco-gauff-round-1-102640255","id":102640255,"image":{"alt":"US Open recap: Laura Siegemund falls to Coco Gauff in Round 1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/tennis-gty-ml-230829_1693308751399_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Matthew Stockman/Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Andy Roddick on US Open strategy, predictions","description":"The 41-year-old won the 2003 title and has been retired for 11 years.","duration":"4:48","uploadDate":"09-08-2023","publication":"09-08-2023","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2023/09/230908_gma_strahan_741_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2023/09/230908_gma_strahan_741_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/american-us-open-champ-andy-roddick-shares-advice-103021015"}},"playlist":[{"id":"133694181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133688738","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616358","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616342","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133522899","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133584123","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133579397","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133482839","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133390157","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133415361","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133414032","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133380485","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133358298","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133350119","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133307515","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133307527","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133282665","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133220149","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133179167","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133144373","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:culture:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"culture","title":"Andy Roddick on US Open strategy, predictions","pubTime":"15:15","pubDate":"09-08-2023","modTime":"16:38","modDate":"09-08-2023","taxonomyTags":"none","id":103021015,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Andy Roddick on US Open strategy, predictions","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA ANDY RODDICK","videoId":103021015,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/culture/story/american-us-open-champ-andy-roddick-shares-advice-103021015"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/103021015","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/103021015","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};