Charlotte gets a taste of tennis star power with Charlotte Invitational
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Andy Roddick at the 2012 U.S. Open. Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Andy Roddick sees Charlotte as a city ready to host major tennis stars, starting with tonight's inaugural Charlotte Invitational.
Why it matters: The Charlottean and 2003 U.S. Open champion played on the world's biggest stages. He knows what it takes for a city to host major sporting events.
Driving the news: Charlotte Sports Foundation's (CSF) Charlotte Invitational will be at Spectrum Center tonight at 7pm, featuring Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion, vs. Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys vs. Sloane Stephens.
Between the lines: It's a major moment for tennis in Charlotte, despite the city losing out on a prestigious Masters 1000 tournament last year.
- The Western and Southern Open was estimated to make a $265 million impact in Charlotte, Axios' Alex Sands reported. The tournament opted to stay in Cincinnati.
- "That would have been a massive deal ... that was a big miss, frankly speaking," Roddick tells Axios.
Reality check: Bringing high-profile tennis events to Charlotte isn't out of the question. But it's more likely that an existing event would move here before a new tournament was created, Roddick tells Axios.
- "Doing a yearly tournament requires facility buildout and a lot of things," Roddick says. "I think in the near-term, more events kind of like the one we're seeing tonight make the most sense."
- Another possibility, Roddick suggests, would be a future Laver Cup, which features Team Europe vs. Team World (think something similar to the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup in golf).
Zoom in: Roddick has called the Charlotte area home for about six years with his wife, Brooklyn Decker, a model and actress who grew up in the area. Before talking shop, we asked him about his life here.
Editor's note: Responses have been shortened and edited for clarity.
What are your favorite restaurants in the city?
Supperland and Ever Andalo. "Jamie [Brown] and Jeff [Tonidande]'s whole [restaurant] group — they're phenomenal," he says.
If you have visitors coming in for the weekend, where are you taking them?
They'd make a stop at Intown Golf Club, which he and Decker are investors in and maybe throw in a Hornets game.
- "I'm a bit of a homebody, but I like going to Hornets games," Roddick says. "If [visitors] came today, I could say, 'hey, we'll go see the best tennis players in the world.'"
What's your morning routine?
"Every parent can relate to that panic of getting your kid out the door on time to get to school — tying the shoes and getting lunches — the whole thing," he says.
