Andy Roddick: "Lots of things going through the paces, none of which are going to shock or surprise or jolt the system of Novak Djokovic"
In the lead-up to the 2023 ATP Finals semifinals, Andy Roddick posits that while Novak Djokovic is geared up for the upcoming match, the larger ambition of concluding the year as World No. 1 has already been realized.
Novak Djokovic is the top seed at the ATP Finals in Turin and has qualified for the semifinals. His campaign began with a three-setter win against eighth seed Holger Rune before losing to home favorite Jannik Sinner in the second group tie. Following Stefanos Tsitsipas' withdrawal from the tournament, Hubert Hurkacz played the final group stage match as an alternate, with Djokovic beating the Pole 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1.
Following the semifinal qualification of the Serb, former World No. 1 Andy Roddick shared his deduction of the Serb's post-match press conference.
"Yeah I don't think Novak [Djokovic] meant that he didn't care about the result from the match, I think he meant like, 'It's out of my hands'. Right? Like, 'I did what I had to do. I came out, I had to win a match to give myself a chance, so you know, I am either going to be in the semis or I am going to be on vacation'. Both are pretty good scenarios for the go," Roddick said on Tennis Channel.
The American further opined that Djokovic's main objective might have been to finish the year atop the ATP rankings, and that has been accomplished. Roddick also said that while the Serb will be ready for the semifinal, it would be near impossible to phase the 6-time ATP Finals champion.
"He just wants to get in some match play, go through this month of being intense before shutting it down or getting into a training block, before Australia. Yeah listen you can be a little calmer about the outcome when you have won this tournament as many times as you [Djokovic] have. And also listen, the larger goal might have been to wrap up the year at No. 1 for Novak which he did with his first round win over [Holger] Rune," Roddick said.
"So, lots of things going through the paces, none of which are going to shock or surprise or jolt the system of Novak anymore than anything he's felt before. So, he is going to be pumped to be in the semis but my read of that post-match interview was just that, 'Listen I did my job, let the chips fall where they might'," he concluded.
"Jannik Sinner took the racquet from Novak Djokovic" - Andy Roddick
Novak Djokovic suffered a defeat in the group stage of the 2023 ATP Final in Turin. The reigning US Open champion had been in excellent form before fourth seed Jannik Sinner broke his 19-match winning streak with a 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) win in the second group tie. This was the Italian's first-ever victory over the 24-time Grand Slam champion in their fourth tour-level encounter.
Following the triumph, former World No. 1 Andy Roddick suggested that defeating the World No. 1 in Turin could become a defining moment in the Sinner's career.
"Listen when the book's being written on [Jannik] Sinner, he's going to look back on this and say, 'Hey that might have been the best match ever played or that was the start of many matches like this where I go on to become a Grand Slam winner'," Roddick said on Tennis Channel.
The 41-year-old hailed the Italian's resolve in beating the World No. 1. Roddick also pointed out the rarity of the Serb not securing a win despite delivering a strong performance.
"But it's just an unbelievable effort from Jannik Sinner start to finish. As Jim's mentioned multiple times on the telecast, rightly, Novak played well today. He doesn't often play that well and find the wrong side of it. Sinner was winning points right, taking cuts off returns," Roddick said.
"He took the racquet out of Djokovic's hand a lot tonight, serving well, moving well, switching directions, couldn't be more impressed with the match that we just saw," he concluded.