Rafael Nadal will never have 'humiliating' associated with his life: Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick has criticized a report detailing Rafael Nadal's slide in the ATP rankings.
Nadal dropped out of the top-10 for the first time in 18 years last month. Currently ranked World No. 14 but still on the sidelines as he recovers from injury, the Spaniard is expected to drop even further in the coming weeks.
Nadal recently pulled out of the ongoing Madrid Open. It is unclear if he will participate in the Rome Masters, which is the last significant ATP event before the French Open.
If Nadal does not compete in Rome and Paris, he is expected to drop out of the top 100. That could result in him needing wildcards to make main draw appearances at Grand Slams.
While Tennis365 reported on the 36-year-old's possible rankings fall, Roddick took exception to the headline they used.
"Rafael Nadal facing humiliating rankings collapse after French Open," the headline read.
Roddick criticized the publication for the tone of their reporting and called it 'dumb'.
"What a dumb stupid headline. Rafa will never have humiliating associated w his life. Guy does everything right. This is dumb," he tweeted.
What a dumb stupid headline ……. Rafa will never have humiliating associated w his life. Guy does everything right. This is dumb. apple.news/A6wiTyvr1Tci07…
Former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs echoed Roddick's sentiments and rhetorically asked why it was 'humiliating' for an athlete to deal with injuries.
"1000 times this!!! What the hell is this guy thinking with this article and headline!!! So it’s humiliating to get injuries!??? What!!!!???" she wrote.
1000 times this!!! What the hell is this guy thinking with this article and headline!!! So it’s humiliating to get injuries!??? What!!!!??? twitter.com/andyroddick/st…
Rafael Nadal's last few months on the ATP tour: Injuries, withdrawals, and tough defeats
Rafael Nadal has been troubled by injuries ever since he sustained an abdominal tear at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. The Spaniard was set to face Nick Kyrgios in the semifinals of the grasscourt Slam before the injury forced him to withdraw. After that, he won just four times in nine matches to close out the year on a low note.
Nadal's fortunes haven't changed for the better in 2023. At the inaugural United Cup, he lost both his matches, to Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur respectively. Later, at the Australian Open, the defending champion defeated Jack Draper before losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the Round of 64.
Since that loss, Nadal has been on the sidelines, recuperating from the leg injury he picked up at the Melbourne Major. He recently announced his decision to withdraw from the ongoing Madrid Open.
The former World No. 1, who has a 1-3 win-loss record for the year, could participate in the Rome Masters ahead of his French Open title defense if he returns to full physical fitness.