As Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Michael Chang reach the twilight stage of their careers, the media have been wondering where the next All-American hero will come from.

For many people, the answer to their prayers is Andy Roddick, the 18-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska who won the Australian and US Open junior titles and became the first American for eight years to finish as the No. 1 Junior player in the world.

Now in the "Big Leagues" of professional tennis on the ATP circuit and the US Davis Cup team, the Boca Raton resident is starting to make his mark at the top level.

And the teenager certainly relishes the challenge. "People talk a lot about the weight of expectations a lot more than I think about it," says Roddick. "It really doesn't bother me at all-it's kind of fun actually. I'm just going along with the ride."

So far, it's been a pretty fun journey for Roddick, who turned professional 12 months ago and made his debut in Delray Beach. It turned out to be a big year for the man commonly known on the tour as "A-Rod."

"You have to approach each match the right way."

"Winning the junior Grand Slam titles were great," says Roddick. "But I really felt that the big breakthrough for me came in Washington D.C." It was there that Roddick reached his first ATP quarterfinal with victories over Voinea, Santoro and Kucera before falling to Agassi.

"It was no secret that the transition from the juniors to the professional tour is so big," he says. "In the juniors you can sometimes slack off a bit, but you can't do that at professional level. You have a real sense of professionalism and you have to approach each match the right way. Washington really opened my eyes in that respect, and I realized I can play at this level."

Coached by former ATP pro Tarik Benhabiles, Roddick is delighted with the way things have been going recently, including a Challenger title earlier this year in Waikoloa, Hawaii. "I've been improving my level of play and stepping up my game over the last three of four months and I just want to continue to do that and see where it takes me."

Just ask most people on the ATP circuit, and the possibilities for Andy Roddick are endless.