NFL
Ex-Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees Explains Why Andy Roddick Is The Reason He Switched Sports

Super Bowl 59 will kick off in about 10 days in the Caesars Superdome, the New Orleans Saints’ home stadium. Retired quarterback and former Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees will forever be synonymous with the Saints, and the team’s 2010 championship is one of the shining moments for the city and franchise especially after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the area in August 2009.
The 2009 season was one to remember for @DrewBrees 🔥
⚜️ 4,388 passing yards
⚜️ 34 passing TDs
⚜️ @Saints first SB title
⚜️ Super Bowl XLIV MVP pic.twitter.com/9V3XjOuetK— NFL (@NFL) June 22, 2024
But what if Brees had not become an NFL quarterback? In a recent interview, Brees revealed that he was a tennis player as a child. Andy Roddick was a couple of years younger than Brees, and he faced him on the court. Brees said that Roddick’s tremendous talent was evident at a young age. Brees was only half joking when he said that playing tennis against Roddick in his formative years is partly why he pursued football. He thought he needed to switch sports and transition away from tennis.
What Drew Brees Said About Andy Roddick
Brees called Roddick a “phenom” who was very competitive even at an early age. He said they played each other four times from when Roddick was eight to about ten or eleven. Brees beat Roddick the first three times, but the score kept getting closer. Roddick defeated Brees in their fourth meeting.
@youthincsports
Drew Brees said that he saw the trajectory of Roddick’s tennis career and compared it to where he saw his going and left tennis behind.
Things worked out for Brees and Roddick in their respective sports. Roddick has famously said that pro football should thank him for the gift of Drew Brees. Many fans expect Brees to become a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer in his first year of eligibility in 2026. Andy Roddick was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017.