In this pre-tournament press conference for the 2003 U.S. Open, Roddick talks about his hobby of skydiving and winning a bet with his coach. Gilbert bet that he would try skydiving if Roddick won his first Masters tournament. Roddick won.

Roddick is quoted on andyroddick.com, saying: “He's definitely got my trust. He made the bet and put it out there even though he didn't want to do it. He's a trooper and he stuck through it. I think the last 5,000 feet were rough for him, because you sway back and forth a lot once the parachute opens."

Q1: How much of your success you attribute to your coach Brad Gilbert? And if there's been one moment since he became your coach where you felt like, "That's the reason I picked this guy," something he said to you or a moment where he just really gave you some confidence?

ANDY RODDICK: Brad has been great. Obviously you never know what would have happened if he would not have come on board. I'm not big on "what if" questions. As far as something that impressed me, the first time I ever called Brad, he said, "I'd be interested in talking to you about possibly coaching me." And he said -- he was in California and I was in England at the time, and he said, "Okay. I'll be there tomorrow." For someone to just drop everything and really sound so excited on a moment's notice, that was pretty impressive to me.

Q2: When you serve, does your right arm ever hurt, does it ever tire?

ANDY RODDICK: No, not really. Obviously, if you play a lot and a lot of matches, obviously things get tired from overuse and stuff, but never really sharp pains. I always feel like I could hit a serve just as big at the end of the third set as the beginning of the first set. I take care of everything that I do, and I do the proper training, and I'm really flexible so that helps a lot, also.

Q3: How have things changed in your life going into this Open, as opposed to last year's Open and everything that you've gone through in the last year?

ANDY RODDICK: You know, it's been a whirlwind, kind of like last year was to the year before and so on and so forth. I think it would be easier to talk about for like the last three years. It's just been a complete whirlwind from being able to go out and grab a hot dog on the grounds of the U.S. Open to the kind of madness that's kind of been created so far. You know, I feel like I've deserved the hype this year a little bit more so than the other years. The other years maybe people, especially in America, were kind of hoping that I would come through and do well and maybe hoping a little bit too much. But this year, I feel like I kind of deserve my place as one of the top players, and hopefully it will translate into this some good tennis.

Q4: Can you talk about what Pete Sampras’ lasting legacy will be?

ANDY RODDICK: I think it will be pretty much what everybody thinks. He was just one of the most graceful players of all time, one of most quietly competitive people of all time. And he's got to be one -- when I think of him, I think of him as one best pressure players of all time. It seemed like the bigger the match was, the better that he played. You know, he just did it all in his own time. He didn't really make a big fuss about things. He just made his name by winning.

Q5: What is it about your communication and your chemistry with Brad that has seemed to really work well this summer?

ANDY RODDICK: We have a very relaxed relationship. It's very simple. It's not complicated at all. He's come in and really simplified things and made things pretty clear to think about, so, that's probably it. We are just really relaxed with each other and we have a lot of fun.

Q5a: Have you read his book? He talks about winning ugly.

ANDY RODDICK: No, I don't need to read the book. I hired the real deal.

Q6: Could you just explain the attraction that skydiving holds for?

ANDY RODDICK: I'm not sure. I think it was me and my buddy sitting around one day. We were kind of bored. I don't know what to do with myself when I'm not training and stuff, and we were just sitting around; let's do something funky, kind of crazy and we went. I enjoyed it. It's a pretty good rush. It's just a good time. I enjoy it.

Q6a: I was just wondering if you managed to get Brad skydiving yet and how it went?

ANDY RODDICK: Oh, yeah, he's been. He went.

Q6b: He did?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. I don't think he liked it too much, judging by him keeled over on the side of the road afterwards. But he definitely did it.

Q7: Could you talk a little about ringing the bell to open the NASDAQ yesterday?

ANDY RODDICK: It was a pretty cool experience, to think that just by me pressing this little button is going to send people into a frenzy all over the world. It was cool. It as a new experience and I'm always kind of up for doing different things like that.

Q7a: Was it at all nerve-wracking or what did that seem like?

ANDY RODDICK: No, it wasn't really nerve-wracking. They had all this intense music going on and they tried to play it up a lot, but basically it was just me pressing the little touch screen.

Q8: What did you learn from last year’s match at the U.S. Open with Pete Sampras?

ANDY RODDICK: I don't remember much from it. It was over too quickly. But I think a year has made a big difference. I don't know if I'd be scared if I was in that same situation. He just hit me I can like a ton of bricks and I didn't really know how to respond. I kind of panicked a little bit, and I don't know if I would panic if I was in the same situation this year.

Q9: Can you just talk about your experiences at the US Open as a kid, whether you came to watch it live, whether you watched it on TV and maybe a couple of the matches that stand out in your mind?

ANDY RODDICK: I came to the U.S. when I was nine years old for any ninth birthday. My parents give me that treat; that was pretty cool. It was my first chance of seeing live tennis and I'll always remember that. As far as matches, I remember that I was there the year that Connors went nuts and got to the semis when he was like 67 years old -- no, I'm just playing. That was one of best times. I had so much fun watching him that year, and it was amazing.

Q10: Everyone knows of your Midwestern roots and being born in Omaha and all. You mentioned the whirlwind of past three years or so; how much of yourself do you feel now is still that Midwestern kid and how much is the jet-setting professional tennis player who dates an actress?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I'll never lose my roots. I think I'm too close to my family for that. I still make my trip back to Nebraska every year, and I still love going back to Texas where I grew up, as well. I've just kind of had to mature a little bit more and get used to a little bit different style of life.