Andy Roddick, without a doubt, was one of the best tennis players of the early 21st century. Known for his powerful and effective serve, Roddick claimed the 2003 US Open, his only Grand Slam title. When it comes to selecting the greatest from the “Big Three” — Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal — the American didn’t hesitate
Roddick emerged as one of the major talents in international tennis during the early 2000s. However, it was Federer’s rise to prominence that prevented Roddick from winning more titles, with the American ending his career with 32 tour-level trophies.
Throughout his career, Roddick had numerous encounters with the “Big Three,” with Federer being his most frequent opponent and the one he struggled to beat the most. In their 24 meetings, Roddick only managed to win three times, including losing to the Swiss legend in four Grand Slam finals.
Against Rafael Nadal, Roddick also holds a losing record, having faced the Spaniard ten times and emerging victorious on just three occasions. However, in a surprising twist, Roddick boasts a positive head-to-head record against Novak Djokovic, winning five of their nine encounters. With such extensive experience facing these three tennis giants, Roddick’s insights into who stands as the best among them are well worth considering.
In March 2024, during an episode of his podcast Served, Roddick named Novak Djokovic as the greatest of the “Big Three.” While acknowledging the complexity of the GOAT debate, he drew parallels to the never-ending conversation about Michael Jordan versus LeBron James in basketball.
“What’s making this GOAT thing so weird is that we never really get anything that’s like final,” Roddick said. “The [Michael] Jordan/[LeBron] James debate is like, ‘Ok, LeBron has less, but he played this.’ There are other factors involved where it’s like, this conversation is largely like math doesn’t care about your feelings. It doesn’t care about your vaccination status”.
Backing his choice with Djokovic’s unmatched records and achievements, Roddick delivered a definitive stance. “If you line up these three resumes (Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer), and if you choose any of them but this one (Novak), you’re an insane human,” he asserted. “Very simply, that’s the way it is. I’ve always said what Novak does so well doesn’t immediately jump off the screen to an untrained tennis eye”.
Roddick’s opinion underscores the dominance of Djokovic in recent years, cementing the Serbian as a statistical leader in many categories. While Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic each have their unique strengths, Roddick’s verdict adds yet another perspective to one of the most compelling debates in sports history.
