"I went right up to him, had him up against the locker" - When Andy Roddick claimed he had a fight with Novak Djokovic at the US Open
Andy Roddick once admitted that he had an altercation with Novak Djokovic at the 2008 US Open.
Both Roddick and Djokovic were ranked in the top 10 back in 2008. The eighth-seeded Roddick booked his place in the quarterfinals of the New York Major with wins over Fabrice Santoro, Ernests, Andreas Seppi, and Fernando Gonzalez.
The American was next up against Novak Djokovic, who survived a scare against Tommy Robredo in the fourth round. During that match, the Serb called the trainer on multiple occasions for an injury.
In light of this, Roddick said during the press conference ahead of the quarterfinals that Djokovic had "16 injuries".
The Serb went on to beat Roddick 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) and reach the semifinals. After the match, Djokovic took a dig at Roddick's earlier comments.
"Well, obviously Andy was saying I had 16 injuries. Obviously I don't, right?" the Serb said.
He added that it wasn't nice of Roddick to suggest that he was faking his injuries.
"That's not nice anyhow to say in front of this crowd that I have 16 injuries and that I'm faking it," the then-22-year-old said.
While speaking to Fox Sports Live in 2013, in front of panelists that included former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb, Roddick said he had an altercation with a tennis player whose name rhymed with "Schmovak Schmokovic".
The American claimed that Djokovic "beat the pants off him" in the match and after his statements, confronted him in the locker room. Roddick added that he had Djokovic up against the locker but ended the altercation there because of the Serb's trainer's size.
"I was talking trash, and he came out and beat the pants off me (in the match), as he would, but then kind of chirped afterward," Andy Roddick said. "So he comes straight (into the locker room), I went right up to him, had him up against the locker. But then I realized his trainer was a little bit bigger than Donovan and I kind of checked myself."
Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick played each other on nine occasions
Novak Djokovic faced Andy Roddick on nine occasions, with the American leading the head-to-head 5-4.
Their first meeting came in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Rogers Cup (now known as the Canadian Open), with the Serb winning 7-6(4), 6-4. Roddick won their next encounter 7-6(5), 6-3, in the semifinals of the 2008 Dubai Tennis Championships. That was the farthest stage they ever met in a tournament.
The two squared in two Grand Slam matches, the 2008 US Open quarterfinal being the first. They next locked horns in the last-eight stage of the 2009 Australian Open.
Djokovic won the opening set 7-6(3) but Roddick took the next two sets 6-4, 6-2 and led 2-1 in the fourth before the Serb was forced to retire due to heat stress.
The last match between the two came in the second round of the men's singles event at the 2012 Olympics in London, with Novak Djokovic winning 6-2, 6-1.
15 years on from their altercation, Roddick was the one who handed the 2023 US Open trophy to the Serb, who won it by beating Daniil Medvedev in the final.