The Deuce Club, 2.7

By TW Contributing Writer Heidi Kim

We had much healthy discussion of Andy Roddick's behavior and wisecracking during the recent Australian Open.  His antics on court aside or even not aside, I think everyone seemed to agree that he gives hilarious interviews, and none more hilarious than this gem of an interview with Jonathan Ross that I dug up on YouTube.  It's from 2007, I think, before the Stella Artois Championships at Queen's Club.  (The files are split into Parts I and II.  In case you have trouble finding it afterwards, here's a link to Part II.)

I love Jonathan Ross, who is a TV icon in Britain -- really the TV interviewer, I think, now that Michael Parkinson's retired.  He's kind of crazy and zany, with a flamboyant sense of style and sometimes controversial even in Britain for how far he pushes the envelope.  His show was just perfect as a showcase for Roddick.  I actually think it's one of the funniest interviews Ross has ever had, and that's saying something.  Roddick just really got the tempo and tone of the show from the beginning (unlike, say, Jerry Seinfeld).

Interestingly enough, it starts with a discussion of cursing, or "cussing" as Ross gleefully says Americans call it.  Roddick says that they are allowed to curse as long as it's not directed at someone as an active exhortation; that is, you can use four-letter-based adjectives but not verbs.  (This, if correct, is not a complete grammar -- I'm sure people have been warned for yelling nouns, for example.)

When you see Roddick here at ease, so completely charming and self-deprecating, it's hard to reconcile it with the volatile, mouthy, angry young man of the Kohlschreiber match.  I'm not excusing his on-court behavior, but it is nice to watch this and see Roddick's other side.

Enjoy the vid!  Be sure to go on to Part II for Ross's "coaching" and awful impression of Federer, who he has apparently never heard talk.

I'm also dying to hear opinions on the question that Ross asks Roddick: who would win the matchup of John McEnroe, at his present age, vs. Serena?  McEnroe had apparently opined not long before this interview that he could still beat Serena.  Roddick actually said he would bet on McEnroe as well.

And as always, send in news, photos, or anything else you'd like to share with the Tribe. This is also an Off Topic post, so let it flow. . .