Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick's former coach recalls how Roddick's fierce serves helped him oust Rafael Nadal in Dubai back in 2008
Andy Roddick pulled out three ferocious serves against Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the 2008 Dubai Tennis Championships, which helped him complete a straight-sets win against the Spaniard.
Fifteen years later, former Andre Agassi and Roddick coach Brad Gilbert has harked back to the perfectly executed serve of the American, stating that it is still an absolute 'cannonball'.
Taking to social media, a tennis reporter recalled three of Roddick's serves, which were recorded at 229, 241 and 227 km/hr respectively.
"Throwback to when Andy Roddick fired 3 big serves - 229, 241 and 227 km/h - to beat Nadal in 2008 Dubai," he wrote in his tweet.
Reacting to the tweet, Gilbert remarked that very few players on tour can generate such speeds on their serves.
"That is still absolutely a cannonball around 149ish mph @andyroddick very few get to that speed," the 61-year-old's tweet read.
twitter.com/gigicat7_/stat…
That is still absolutely a cannonball around 149ish mph @andyroddick very few get to that speed 👍👊💪🔥 twitter.com/gigicat7_/stat…
Speaking to the press after defeating the then-world No. 2, Roddick revealed that he had to go hard on the 22-time Grand Slam champion from the onset. He acknowledged that there was no other way he could get the better of him.
"I knew I was going to hit it well, from the first point. I kind of let it fly, and that's what it took tonight. Anything less than that and I wasn't going to win," he said.
Meanwhile, the Spaniard commended the American for consistently putting pressure on him via well-taken serves throughout the match.
"The way he was serving tonight, it's tough. You feel a lot of pressure when you're serving. Against a big server you have to put these balls in if you want to win," lamented the former World No. 1.
Andy Roddick went on to clinch the title at the 2008 Dubai Tennis Championships, beating Feliciano Lopez 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-2 in the final.
A look at the head-to-head record between Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick
Rafael Nadal has played against Andy Roddick on 10 occasions on tour. The Spaniard comfortably commands the head-to-head record after winning seven of these clashes.
Nadal met the American for the first time on tour at the 2004 US Open. The former was thoroughly outclassed by Roddick in straight sets (6-0, 6-3, 6-4) in that meeting.
In the subsequent two encounters between the duo, however, it was the Spaniard who tasted victory. Then came Roddick's famous win in Dubai in 2008, where outclassed the 36-year-old in straight sets.
Roddick could only secure one win in their remaining six meetings. The duo last met at the 2011 US Open, where the Spaniard took his revenge for the humiliating defeat at the same venue seven years ago, winning the match 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.