Andy Roddick defeated Michael Chang, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5, in the second round of the 2001 French Open.
In one of the greatest All-American clashes in Grand Slam history, Roddick fought through severe cramps to book his spot in the third round.
During the latest episode of ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘, the 43-year-old looked back at that match and shared what Chang said to him in the locker room.
Andy Roddick says Michael Chang gave him advice on how to recover from cramps after their match
“I’ll tell you the coolest thing about that match,” said Roddick.
“I’ve never cramped like that.
“I learned about the importance of diet very quickly during that match.
“I’ll tell you what nobody saw from that match, we shake hands…
“The first match that I sat down and watched start to finish, in my life, was [Michael] Chang vs [Ivan] Lendl at the 1989 French Open, of the underhand serve fame.
“So, I saw Chang cramp and win a match. Then I found myself, 12 years later, doing the exact same thing against him.
“It’s one of those, you start playing the people you have idolised, it will never be normal for me.
“But, what nobody saw, we shook hands, and Michael instantly started giving me advice on how to recover from cramps for the next match, and that continued into the locker room, after the match, when I’m trying to get hydrated.
“He’s got his bags packed, he’s leaving.
“At that point in his career, I don’t know if he knew that he was coming back to this place that had defined so much of his legacy.
Michael Chang’s Grand Slam performance timeline
| Grand Slam | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| Australian Open | – | – | – | – | – | 3R | 2R | – | SF | F | SF | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | – |
| French Open | – | 3R | W | QF | QF | 3R | 2R | 3R | F | 2R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R |
| Wimbledon | – | 2R | 4R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 3R | QF | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | – | 2R | 2R | 2R | – |
| US Open | 2R | 4R | 4R | 3R | 4R | SF | QF | 4R | QF | F | SF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R |
“On his way out of the door, he found that he should come to us and give us five or 10 minutes of his time on best practices, on how to recover for the next one, before saying good match and good luck.
“Not bitter that I was making a whole show of it, not bitter that I cramped and somehow got through it, but the power of tennis, that’s why I’m obsessed with this game.
“Those moments that nobody sees.”
Chang’s eagerness to help has stuck with Roddick, but did it help him in his third-round match?
What happened when Andy Roddick played Lleyton Hewitt at the 2001 French Open?
Still feeling the effects from his marathon win over Chang, Roddick advanced to the third round, where he met the sixth seed, Lleyton Hewitt.
Fighting hard, Roddick took the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 [8-6].
Hewitt wasn’t prepared to back down, though, and stepped up to take the second set, 6-4.
Unfortunately for Roddick, his body couldn’t survive another set, and he retired after four games in the third, sending Hewitt through to the last 16.
Roddick didn’t return to the third round of the French Open for another eight years, when he reached the last 16 in 2009.
The American retired with a 9-10 record at Roland Garros and never played a quarter-final in Paris.
