Roddick to reporter: YOU should retire

Andy Roddick lost to Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-5 in the first round of the China Open on Monday. But the 29-year-old American wasn't going to leave Beijing without

Courtney Nguyen|

Andy Roddick lost to Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-5 in the first round of the China Open on Monday. But the 29-year-old American wasn't going to leave Beijing without putting his trademark "Andy Roddick" stamp on the event.

During the postmatch news conference, a reporter asked this of the 15th-ranked player in the world:

"Andy, I remember you said that if your ranking dropped to a specific place you would retire. How far do you think your current position is from that spot? As for retirement, who do you think, [Roger] Federer or you would retire earliest?"

Roddick gave it some thought and responded, "I think that you should retire." Then, amid laughter and applause, Roddick got up and left. That's about as close to a "mic drop" as you'll see in a press conference.

Here's video of the exchange. Note Roddick's slow burn as the question gets asked:

Published Oct 3, 2011 | Modified Oct 3, 2011

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.

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