Andy Roddick says that in order to institute changes in the game, the top players have to be united.
"I think it starts at the top," he told reporters. "It's a sport where you don't have a home team, you don't have a built-in guaranteed fan base that are going to attend so many games. It's always been a star-driven sport. I think if you get the top guys united, maybe some of the lower guys are going to be a little more dependent upon that decision, almost have to fall in line, and they'll benefit from anything that happens, as well. For me, I think it starts with the stars of the game."
Roddick added that seeing NBA owners continue their lockout of the players does not give tennis players extra incentive to get something done.
"Right now if I had a Players Union, I would take the 48% or 50% [of overall revenue] that the NBA is on strike for, 100%," he said. "Don't even need to negotiate. I'll take the deal they just said no to. I'll take the deal the NFL said no to. I'll take the deal the MLB said no to. I'll take over all their leftover deals. That would be great."
Roddick also dismissed a suggestion by the ATP brass that the players and organizers should go into a room and not come out until they resolve their issues.
"Well, that's fine. But then you'd have to do it all over again with the ITF. I don't know what that would fix. That would leave out Davis Cup and the Grand Slams. The thing with tennis is it's so divided. We have this entire tour where everyone has like a little stake that they're unwilling to give and be flexible on. So on top of being extremely claustrophobic, I don't know if that would fix anything."