Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick’s turbulent history regarding injuries is not new in the tennis world. Almost every tennis fan knows about their unpleasant feud from 2008. Adding flame to the fire, Roddick’s latest statements on Djokovic’s knee injury might once again reignite the old rivalry between the two. Calling the G.O.A.T of tennis a “little bit different” from everyone, the former World No. 1 did not hesitate to share his candid opinion on the recovery process of Djokovic.
On June 22, Andy Roddick, Genie Bouchard, and Steve Weissman discussed the upcoming Wimbledon among many other topics in the Tennis Channel Podcast’s latest episode. Inevitably, as the discussion drifted towards Djokovic’s Wimbledon participation, the 45-year-old ESPN sportscaster asked Roddick, “Novak Djokovic doing his best ticket ready for Wimbledon. He posted this on social media yesterday. What do you think of this movement?”
The 41-year-old American former tennis pro bluntly stated, “I was in the tournament once upon a time, but I was not doing this. He is not like us. He is a little bit different. This is incredible and I can’t believe it. The fact that he is posting this he wants the attention of flirting with a Wimbledon bid and being healthy he is certainly not dealing with his injuries privately. This is crazy, the thing that he had surgery like a week ago.”
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After having a rough season this year, with no titles to his name so far, the Serbinator fell out of his ATP No. 1 ranking as well. That’s not the end of his misery, as fate intervened before his French Open quarterfinal match. Suffering from a meniscus tear in his right knee, the 38-year-old made the bold decision to withdraw from the Roland Garros before facing Casper Ruud in his QF match. This further raised questions about his Wimbledon dreams for this season. However, Taylor Fritz, who went through a similar injury in his career, stated, “A lot of it comes down to the inflammation and how you react. It’s possible for Novak to play.”
As per the seven-time Wimbledon Champion’s latest Instagram posts, his recovery is going on point. Posting a training video, where he is doing an intense workout off-court, Djokovic showed little to no sign of discomfort. Apart from the drills, he is also hitting his racquet on-court as a part of his practicing routine before Wimbledon, which starts in only eight days. Referring to these posts, Roddick’s comment adds a layer of sarcasm regarding Djokovic’s injuries.
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It was only a few weeks ago, when Djokovic commented, “he could just put a wrap on this season and have one final push next year. Let’s get healthy for next year.” As a result, fans came forward to defend their favorite player, Djokovic. However, it seems he has more to say on the subject now. Therefore, one question resurfaces: Does he not consider Djokovic’s injuries to be too serious? Although for now there comes no definite answer from him, in the past, the former U.S. Open champion had a different view.
The time when Andy Roddick accused Novak Djokovic of faking his injuries
When Andy Roddick jokingly commented on how Novak Djokovic has faked “16 injuries” in his career, it did not sit right with the Serbian tennis pro. Therefore, after winning over his upcoming U.S. clash with Roddick, Djokovic said, “I am really happy playing against Roddick on his court and in his city in his favorite tournament, so to win against him is a huge effort. I have nothing against anybody. Andy was saying that I have 16 injuries in the last match, so obviously I don’t, right?”
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Although their rivalry went on for a while after that and once they even got into a verbal fight, it eventually came to an end later. Djokovic also apologized for his previous remarks on the same and said, “He made a joke and it was a misunderstanding. I exaggerated, and I reacted bad in that moment. I apologize if I reacted like that.”
Leaving behind their past, Andy Roddick has frequently vocalized his admiration for Novak Djokovic. Despite this, his criticism of the Serbinator has also made fans quite skeptical at times.