What Andy Roddick admitted really confused him after he won the US Open title in 2003

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Andy Roddick remains highly active in the tennis world, with his voice certainly well respected by many given his achievements on the court.

Roddick isn’t ‘mad’ at Jannik Sinner’s suspension, with the latter having accepted a three-month ban for doping.

Sinner can return to training well ahead of the French Open, having successfully defended his Australian Open title last month.

The Italian also won the most recent US Open, with his success continuing the dominance of non-American players at the Grand Slam.

Remarkably, Roddick is the last American man to win a Grand Slam, having beaten Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 US Open final.

Andy Roddick confused by how calm he was in 2003 US Open final

The 6-3, 7-6(7-2), 6-3 triumph represents his one and only Grand Slam title, with Roddick having been asked in his winning press conference if he had any concern about how he would handle the occasion.

“Yes,” he responded. “Obviously, like I said, the hardest thing is the fear of the unknown. You know, I didn’t know how I was going to feel going in.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen. But I’m baffled by how calm I felt out there, how easy. I almost didn’t feel anything.

READ MORE: Andy Roddick says what he really thinks of Reilly Opelka after his controversial comments about doubles recently

“I was just kind of going through the motions. I didn’t really… I don’t know. I didn’t feel anything out there.”

And asked if he was scared it wasn’t going to happen and how it would be a such a letdown for American tennis if so, he replied: “No, you know. I don’t play for others.

“I don’t play for what people might say or what people will say. I play for myself. I play for the people that I love and that share in the joy that I get out of it. But, you know, you can’t be scared of what’s going to be written about you or what’s going to be said.

“I could come here, lose first round next year, and people would say, ‘I was lucky, I was that’. Bottom line is I’m a pretty good player and I just won a Grand Slam.”

Andy Roddick surprised by 2003 US Open final errors from Juan Carlos Ferrero

After making his Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon that year, future star Rafael Nadal also made his US Open debut in 2003.

But it was his compatriot Ferrero who really impressed at Flushing Meadows, only to lose at the very last to Roddick.

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It was his third and final Grand Slam final appearance, and followed one defeat and one win at the French Open.

Asked if Ferrero could have done better in New York, and indeed if Roddick expected a tougher fight, the champion said: “Well, obviously. He’s number one in the world.

“But I think in the first set I played really well. I took it to him. I was very aggressive. The part that surprised me was the second-set tiebreaker.

“He made a couple errors that maybe he wouldn’t normally make. That was the part that surprised me a little bit.

“I don’t think he played so well in the first set but I think a lot of it had to do with I was pretty aggressive today. I thought a lead was big today considering we both have played a lot.”