"I was not an early believer in Laver Cup... it felt artificial": Andy Roddick recalls 'friendly' tiff with John Isner over Roger Federer-backed event
Andy Roddick has revisited his first thoughts on the Laver Cup around the time that the team tennis tournament was launched. Roddick also recalled an argument over the event with compatriot John Isner. The inaugural edition of the Laver Cup took place in 2017, and since then, it has been an annual affair with the exception of 2020, when it was cancelled due to scheduling changes stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first two editions of the team tennis event were independently organized by its founding members including the great Roger Federer. However, in 2019, the ATP Tour announced that it would be sanctioning the tournament going forward, which gave it a major boost in terms of its significance in the tennis calendar. Recently, the ATP announced a further five-year extension to its collaboration with the Laver Cup.
When the event was first announced, opinions about it were divided. On one hand, there were those who supported its formation, but on the other, there were those who felt that it was unnecessary. Former World No. 1 and 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick was one of the people who was dismissive of the Laver Cup initially.
Roddick recently laid bare his initial disdain for the Laver Cup in an episode of the Served With Andy Roddick podcast. The American opined during a conversation with prominent tennis journalist Jon Wertheim that at the time, he thought that the Laver Cup lacked authenticity compared to the more traditional Davis Cup.
"I was not an early believer (in the Laver Cup). I held on to Davis Cup and I was just like, 'this isn't it'. The reasons that you (Jon Wertheim) were saying with Europe vs the World, it felt very artificial," Andy Roddick said (at 5:55).
The former World No. 1 went on to recall a 'friendly argument' over the phone with compatriot John Isner. The argument was all about Roddick criticizing the Laver Cup and Isner defending it. Isner was a part of the event across its first four editions.
"I remember having a phone argument, not argument, like a friendly argument with John Isner, and he's telling me, 'You know, we're playing. Everyone cares about it', and I'm like, 'John, you care about the money involved, but it's not the Davis Cup', and he's like, 'It is', and I was so mad at him for saying that, and now I'm like, 'Yeah they play hard'. It's a thing, and you're going to care for it more because you care for Davis Cup less," Andy Roddick added.
The American's latest Laver Cup admission came on the back of the conclusion of this year's edition of the team tennis event. The 2024 Laver Cup saw Team Europe, fueled by Carlos Alcaraz's brilliance, reclaiming the trophy following Team World's dominance across 2022 and 2023.
Andy Roddick, during the same podcast episode, lauded Alcaraz for his heroics at the Laver Cup in Berlin. The 2003 US Open champion opined that people are right to look at the Spaniard as they did at Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Andy Roddick hailed Carlos Alcaraz for Spaniard's Laver Cup 2024 displays on the back of disappointing Cincinnati Open and US Open outings
Carlos Alcaraz made his Laver Cup debut this year, but the Spaniard came into the team tennis tournament after disappointing results at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. Across both tournaments, the Spaniard suffered shock early exits despite being a favorite following his French Open and Wimbledon title triumphs earlier in the year.
However, Alcaraz proved to be a crucial weapon for Team Europe, as his performances at the Laver Cup earned the team eight out of its 13 total points, which were enough to secure the title for them. According to Andy Roddick, the common perception of Alcaraz as one of the successors of the Big 3 is valid because of his ability to bounce back.
"It was kind of like, you know, it's the thing that we saw with the big three and now they're discussing Carlos in that, that same light and he kind of proved them right. And was like, hey, there's a little speed bump at the US Open but, you know," Roddick said on the Served With Andy Roddick podcast.
Alcaraz's next outing is set to be at the China Open, where he is the No. 2 seed and will start his campaign in the first round against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.