NORMAN — To understand how John Roddick turned Oklahoma tennis from an afterthought to a powerhouse, you need only visit at the holidays.
He will go to his folks’ house. So will his brothers Lawrence and Andy — yes, that Andy Roddick — and without fail, there will be ping pong.
“And it gets ugly,” John says.
He laughs.
“Here we are ... three grown men arguing at a ping-pong table,” he says. “Everyone else in the house is embarrassed.”
Eyes will roll. Heads will shake. And yet, everyone in the house gets it.