"Is anybody saying her legacy is tarnished?" - Journalist & Andy Roddick compare Andy Murray to Venus Williams amid former's retirement row
Andy Roddick and journalist Jon Wertheim recently compared Andy Murray's retirement row to a similar situation Venus Williams experienced in 2023.
Murray's first-round elimination from the Open Sud de France at the hands of Benoit Paire caused quite a stir. A few fans and experts voiced calls for the two-time Wimbledon champion to retire due to his apparent inability to compete at the highest level.
Things went from bad to worse when a BBC article suggested that Murray was tarnishing his legacy. Murray himself slammed the writer of the article in response.
Roddick has now backed the 36-year-old and said that the decision to retire rests with Murray alone.
Roddick, who has started a podcast called Served With Andy Roddick, touched upon the issue in its latest episode. Prominent tennis journalist Jon Wertheim also joined the American.
The duo likened Murray's present situation to Venus Williams' situation during the 2023 Rothesay Classic in Birmingham.
Wertheim was the first to bring up the comparison, noting that Williams last won a singles Major in 2008. He said (37:56):
"She (Venus Williams) hasn't won a Major in 15 years. You know what? She still finds fulfilment. She's not taking money off anyone's table. She still finds a satisfaction. Is anybody saying her legacy is tarnished because she hasn't won a Major in more than a decade?"
Roddick then chimed in with his opinion, saying:
"Well, she also must have sold tickets that bump up the economy in that community. How far do you want to take this argument? She might have added to the pockets of thousands of people."
Venus Williams' injury-stricken start to 2023 and subsequent return to competitive tennis
In 2023, Venus Williams started her season at Auckland's ASB Classic but faced a second-round exit. She looked all set to participate in the Australian Open but pulled out of the Major after sustaining a leg injury at the ASB Classic.
Retirement rumors began swirling as Williams sat on the sidelines for several months. However, she returned to action as a wildcard at the Libema Open in the Netherlands in June.
Despite her first-round exit from the WTA 250 tournament, losing to fellow wildcard Celine Naef, Williams assured fans that she would continue playing. After her loss to Naef, Williams addressed her followers on social media in June 2023 with an optimistic caption.
"The best news is I walked off the court yesterday not hurt and not even sore after a long match and a string of really challenging injuries which means I have a chance to build on yesterday's performance in my next events," the statement read.
Williams next played the 2023 Rothesay Classic in Birmingham, where she won her first-round match against Italy's Camila Giorgi. The American came up against Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, where she produced flashes of brilliance. Williams could not, however, avoid a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 defeat against the Latvian.