Can you take a game off a professional tennis player?

Andy Roddick, the last American to win a grand slam, trained extensively in Florida when he was a junior player. He spent much of his early years at the Rick Macci Tennis Academy dreaming big. But he thinks the average tennis player is completely out of his mind.

Why? Well, the majority of casual players believe they can take one game off a professional tennis player. According to a survey with 2,403 U.S. tennis players, 71% believe they could win a game against a touring pro in a best-of-three-set match.

The survey was carried out by Research Without Barriers and the results have raised eyebrows. Roddick, a former US Open singles champ, took to Twitter and stated, "This is insane." He joked, "I honestly question if I could win a game against a top pro now. I also assume I'm better than most club players."

Former Wimbledon doubles champ Frederik Løchte Nielsen wholeheartedly agrees. After seeing the survey results, he said, “That's madness. I think it's because they might have a hard time relating to what it takes."

According to Action Network, "This, perhaps delusional, confidence is a testament to the high self-belief within American amateur athletes. Regardless of age, gender, or experience, they dare to dream big, envisioning themselves triumphing over their sporting idols.

"When considering the confidence [gap] between the genders, it's interesting to note that among female tennis players, confidence is the highest. A staggering 72% of female tennis players firmly believe they would win one or more games against a professional player in a best-of-three-set match. 

"Maybe unsurprisingly, it's the young guns... players aged 18 to 24, who have the highest levels of optimism. 82% of these young players are convinced they could secure a game against a professional. 

In contrast, respondents above the age of 55 adopt a more grounded approach. Only 47% of seasoned players in this category believe they could snag one game or more from a professional player."

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Source: Action Network, Sportskeeda. Video:  Tennis Channel. Infographic: Action Network. Top photo: Andy Roddick on his way to his first tournament win at the SAP Open in 2005, photographed by Luiz Eduardo (CC BY 2.0)