"People say I said something, then print quote of me not saying it" - Andy Roddick laments misrepresentation over Jannik Sinner's French Open chances
Andy Roddick had to jump to his own defense on social media on Thursday after the American's latest remarks about Jannik Sinner's chances at the upcoming French Open were misrepresented.
In a recent blog he wrote for betway, Roddick suggested that clay might be Sinner's most challenging surface and that his major weapons on hardcourts might be neutralized to a certain degree on the surface. As a result, he felt the World No. 2 was not going to be one of the top two favorites in the lead-up to Roland Garros.
Andy Roddick also spoke about other ATP players who might stand a chance at winning the French Open, including defending champion Novak Djokovic and last year's semifinalists Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
"Clay is going to be Sinner’s most challenging surface. What he does naturally well, bullying off the baseline, is thwarted by clay more than anything else, so he’s not going to be one of the top two favourites heading to Roland Garros and his rivals are probably welcoming the change," Andy Roddick wrote.
"I still like Novak and I love what Carlos does on clay. I think he’s going to win a lot of French Open titles. We’ll see if that starts this year or not, but I certainly like that transition for him. Alex Zverev is another who has always performed really well on clay and is underserved in that conversation that is largely dominated by four names," he added.
Unfortunately, when Roddick's quotes were published by Tennis Head, his words were taken to mean that Jannik Sinner was not the favorite for the French Open.
"Jannik Sinner not the favorite for Roland Garros, says former World No. 1," the title read.
Tennis Head also posted the article on Twitter (now X), along with a caption saying the former US Open champion had picked three other players ahead of Sinner to win Roland Garros.
"Jannik Sinner has won 23 of 24 matches this season, including his opening clay court encounter at the Monte Carlo Masters. However, former world No.1 Andy Roddick has named three other players ahead of the Italian as favourites for Roland Garros," the tweet read.
Roddick spotted the tweet and clarified that it was not an accurate portrayal of what he said in the first place, joking about how the quotes in the article proved that he never said it.
"My favorite is when people say I said something, and then print the quote of me not saying it," Roddick joked.
The former World No. 1 further added that his comments on Zverev, Djokovic and Alcaraz were separate from his opinion on Sinner and that he did not pick them ahead of the Italian.
"Not sure I said I liked them ahead of Sinner. Just said I liked them. I know that’s not as catchy of a headline," he clarified.
After Roddick's comments, the headline was modified to account for the American's clarifications as well.
"Jannik Sinner ‘not one of the top favourites for Roland Garros,’ claims former No.1," the headline was later changed to.
"It’s safe to say that Jannik Sinner has been the best player on Earth during the last six months" - Andy Roddick
During the blog, Andy Roddick also lavished praise on Jannik Sinner for the 2024 season he's had so far, calling him the best player on Earth in the last six months. For context, the World No. 2 won the Australian Open, the ABN AMRO Open and the Miami Open. He also reached the semifinals at Indian Wells before falling to Carlos Alcaraz, his only loss of the year.
Roddick compared Sinner's dominant Miami run to Rafael Nadal winning Monte-Carlo in 2010, stating that any run that warranted comparison to the Spaniard on clay was something special.
"It’s safe to say that Jannik Sinner has been the best player on Earth during the last six months. He was so dominant in Miami – beating Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-2 in the semis and then Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-1 in the final – it was absurd," Roddick said.
"To find a statistical equivalent at a Masters 1000, you have to go all the way back to Rafael Nadal winning Monte Carlo in 2010. If your nearest comparison for any given achievement is Rafa in his prime on clay, then that’s pretty heady stuff," he added.
Thanks to his Miami Open win, Jannik Sinner also reached a career-high World No. 2 on the ATP rankings.