Roddick tells unreal tale of visiting US Open in 1991

It was recently announced at the Australian Open that former world No. 1 Andy Roddick, the last American man to win a Grand Slam, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame this summer.

In an interview with Nick McCarvel, Roddick revealed he learned from the best at a young age, whether he realized it or not. The 34-year-old said that eight years before he made his US Open debut (in doubles), the Nebraskan got a sneak peak of his future home, the players’ lounge in Flushing Meadows.

The then-nine-year-old Roddick came across a player who he will share space in the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport with soon.

“I got separated from my mom somehow. We were supposed to meet up later. I actually snuck into the players’ lounge without a credential,” Roddick recalled of his 1991 US Open adventure. “I played video games with a guy named Pete Sampras.”

Whether his mom believed it or not, Roddick was serious. He played video games with the 20-year-old defending champion. And he got into the lounge without a credential, which these days is harder to do than sneak into the White House.

That sneaky nine-year-old boy would end up winning the US Open just 12 years later.