Andy is Overweight Compared to Other Players

[pow]

I found this information on the Bejing olympics site,so I suppose it is the most up to date. Andy Roddick of course isn't listed, but since some of the figures vary from those on the ATP site it is very possible that his have also changed.

Federer 6'1" 176lbs.

Nadal 6'1" 176lbs.

Djokovic 6'3" 176lbs.

Murray 6'2" 183lbs

Blake 6'1" 183lbs

Nalbandian 5'11" 174lbs

176 is the magic number!!! It's the secret to top 3 tennis. Djokovic is even 176 despite being so tall.

 

[Nanshiki]

Ideally you'd want Hulk Hugan's build and weigh 0 pounds... but since that's not gonna happen the best thing you can do is have a low body fat percentage and enough muscle to hit winners and aces.

 

[pow]

Ideally you'd want Hulk Hugan's build and weigh 0 pounds... but since that's not gonna happen the best thing you can do is have a low body fat percentage and enough muscle to hit winners and aces.

Agree about the low body fat part, not so sure about Hulk Hogan build, even if we ignore his weight... his muscles do not have the flexibility and endurance to play tennis, or even scratch his back.

 

[LPShanet]

Venus Williams is listed at 160 lbs while Serena is 150. For some reason I don't think these weights are correct.

The reason that these weights don't seem correct is that Serena lies. A LOT.

 

[rommil]

Agree about the low body fat part, not so sure about Hulk Hogan build, even if we ignore his weight... his muscles do not have the flexibility and endurance to play tennis, or even scratch his back.

USTA gave him a lifelong supply of backscratchers after reaching the quarters....

 

[pow]

USTA gave him a lifelong supply of backscratchers after reaching the quarters....

lol well that solves one problem!

 

[LPShanet]

he played well the last two sets today but this thread is dedicated to his weight. we've been talking about his fh recently and one of the more interesting things to come out of it was that his fh lacks pace because his movement is slower. this partly due to his weight. so i wondered how heavy he was compared to players of similar height and these are my findings:

Andy Roddick 6'3, 192lbs

James Blake 6'1, 183
Roger Federer 6'1, 187
Rafael Nadal 6'1, 188
Novak Djokovic 6'2, 176
Andy Murray 6'3, 175
Pete Sampras 6'1, 170

That's at least an average of 10lbs Andy has on his competitors. And other guys like Rafa and Roger are taller than they're listed. So as you can see, Andy needs to lose some weight to improve his movements and groundstrokes.

I'm not going to get into the argument about whether or not he's overweight (for the record, I don't think he is). However, I think it should be pointed out that the relationship between speed and weight isn't direct, so losing weight isn't what's required to make him faster. At least in terms of explosive anaerobic speed of the type used on a tennis court. As you've no doubt noticed, most top sprinters are far from skinny. You need lots of fast-twitch muscle to sprint fast, and as a result, most sprinters look like football players (albeit more like running backs and recievers than linemen).

To a large extent, explosive speed is genetic, and beyond that it can be trained (via plyometrics, etc.), but it's not something that happens from getting skinnier. So Roddick isn't going to get all that much faster, and losing weight isn't going to help him cover the court.

 

[GuyClinch]

Roddick looks to me like he has lost a step. Yes speed is genetic but your fitness level and training can have a big impact on it. A recreational player can get much faster with training because they are so far from their max potential. Of coruse they are never going to get that training.

A pro player like Roddick probably already does alot to help his speed but I personally think he could do more.

Pete

 

[tangerine]

Of course Roddick is slow compared to Federer but for a big boned guy he moves better than you think. He's not fat either (although his family genes show that he will have a propensity for it later in life). If you saw him in person you'd be shocked at how thin he really is.

 

[mentalcase]

I don't think the stats on WTA have been updated

Jankovic 5'9 - 130
Ivanovic 6'1 - 152
Sharapova 6'2 - 130
V. Williams 6'1 - 160
Hantuchova 5'11 - 137
S. Williams 5'9 - 150
Bartoli 5'6 - 128
Vesnina 5'7 - 132

 

[LPShanet]

Roddick looks to me like he has lost a step. Yes speed is genetic but your fitness level and training can have a big impact on it. A recreational player can get much faster with training because they are so far from their max potential. Of coruse they are never going to get that training.

A pro player like Roddick probably already does alot to help his speed but I personally think he could do more.

Pete

Actually, that's incorrect. Once an athlete is at an elite level (which Roddick already is), there is surprisingly little room to gain additional explosive speed. This is lab-proven. Plyometrics can gain low single digit incraeases, and only in some cases. Fitness level and training can increase ENDURANCE, but not speed. So he may be able to reach his current top speed more times and for longer into a match, but he can't actually increase his max speed much at this point.

 

[Toxicmilk]

He's not overweight.... he's just not that good a player

Yeah I can totally take hm =_____=

Seriously, I don't see how ANYONE who has been in the top 10 for so long, and done so well....can be described as "not that good."
He has neither the genius or genetics of certain other players, but consider that...He's pretty damn good for all he's done, and what he can do.

 

[NamRanger]

As to the above post about Serena weighing 160. . . ha. Let me go get my supermodel wife and tell her to stop counting our billions. Serena might weigh 160 from the waist down, but that's it.

Nah, that's too much. MAYBE Serena's head weighs 160, but I doubt it with the size of that ego.