Roddick admits Djokovic rise caught everyone by – Sports News
Novak Djokovic’s rise to stardom caught Andy Roddick by shock (Image: Getty)
Novak Djokovic has received more Grand Slams than every other males’s tennis star and is arguably the best of all time, however Andy Roddick by no means anticipated him to develop into an iconic participant.
Djokovic is within the twilight of his tennis profession, and the 38-year-old is determined to win a document twenty fifth Grand Slam earlier than retiring. While he’s nonetheless ranked No. 4 on the earth, Djokovic’s years of domination have lastly come to an finish as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are in a league of their own.
Roddick received his solely main when he triumphed on the 2003 U.S. Open, and Djokovic earned his first Grand Slam victory on the Australian Open in 2008. However, when Djokovic started on the professional tour, Roddick by no means anticipated that he would develop into one of the all-time greats.
On the newest episode of Roddick’s podcast, the previous U.S. tennis star was requested to reveal his first impressions of Djokovic. “Yeah, I remember, like, I remember in 06, I was playing the U.S. Open, and he played (Lleyton) Hewitt, and I didn’t know much about him at the time.
“I believe he’d received a tour occasion that summer time, however I bear in mind wanting him to win as a result of I didn’t need to play Lleyton. Yeah, so I do not forget that, after which 07, clearly, he broke out, like in a large means, like, rapidly.
Djokovic was ranked No. 687 when Andy Roddick was No. 1 (Image: Getty)
“And then, I think of Canada, I lost to him in the quarters, I forget what order it was. It was like, and then he beat Roger, Rafa, I think, [in the] semis [and then the] finals.
“And I believe he was the primary individual to beat three, two, one in a row at a Masters 1000. That’s an arrival.”
Although Roddick was impressed by Djokovic’s breakout run, he didn’t see the potential that he saw in Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. “But you wouldn’t have imagined, as a result of a serve was all out of whack, you wouldn’t have imagined him being what he’s now then, although,” he added.
Roddick saw Djokovic rise through the ATP ranks (Image: Getty)
“Like, it’s not like a Rafa the place he got here out and like this man’s gonna win each French Open. Like, it was very apparent. Novak, at that time, the serve was not great, and he would get drained in matches. Like, you bought him within the heat in long matches, he didn’t prefer it.
“And it was no secret. So there’s no way that you could have projected forward to the year 2026 and say, This guy has made a living on discipline, staying in matches, doing everything, going through these wars, winning five-setters against Jannik Sinner at almost 40 years old.
“I don’t know that anybody would have projected that ahead from the place he was. Which is a testomony to him sort of leaving no stone unturned.”
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