"That's how humble a champion Rafael Nadal is" - Andy Roddick revisits retiring Spaniard's past remark; addresses Davis Cup Finals singles speculation
Andy Roddick lauded Rafael Nadal's humility after the legendary Spaniard made a declaration regarding his participation in singles at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals. Nadal will call time on his career following the conclusion of Spain's campaign at the international team tennis event.
The 22-time Major winner returned to action at the start of the 2024 season after almost a year out. However, his injury and fitness issues persisted, severely limiting his participation on the ATP Tour. In October, Nadal confirmed that he would end his professional tennis-playing career at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
Recently, in the buildup to the tournament, the Spaniard stated that he will not feature in singles at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals if he feels that he can't win in the category. The Spanish contingent's first task will be to get past the Netherlands.
"I’ll try to prepare as best as possible so I can be available to play, but I want to help anyway I can, playing or not playing. First we have to see how I’m feeling in training. If I really don’t see myself ready to have a chance of winning in singles, I’ll be the first who won’t want to play," Nadal told the Spanish Tennis Federation.
Reacting to Nadal's statement, the Spaniard's former rival Andy Roddick shared his assessment of the situation during an appearance on Tennis Channel. He said:
"Yeah, if you're hearing that then it's no surprise (Nadal preparing for Davis Cup singles), and I do think also, if you look at the Netherlands, most likely that matchup is going to be against Alcaraz-conquerer from New York (referring to Alcaraz's 2024 US Open exit), Van de Zandschulp," Roddick said.
"You could make the argument that Rafa's ability to expose lines on that forehand side with the lefty might be a better matchup than against RBA (Roberto Bautista Agut) where Van de Zandschulp could actually create and be the aggressor," Roddick added.
A former World No. 1 like Rafael Nadal, Roddick praised the Spaniard over his humility and opined that he, along with the vast majority of tennis fans, would like to see the 22-time Major winner play singles.
"So, we'll see, but listen, the thing I like about Rafa, consistent with saying 'whatever helps the team, Ferrer wants to sit me, he can sit me'. And it's weird to say that I honestly believe that. That's how humble a champion he is. Selfishly, I speak for all of us, we want to see Rafa in singles," Roddick concluded.
Earlier this year, Roddick had hit out at critics of the Spaniard who view him as a player who only played at his best on clay.
"Rafael Nadal won more Grand Slams on other surfaces than Boris Becker, John McEnroe" - Andy Roddick on Spaniard's prowess beyond clay
Rafael Nadal's 14 French Open titles and 49 other ATP Tour-level titles on clay led him to be widely recognized as the 'King of Clay'. However, over the years, critics have undermined his achievements on other surfaces. In light of this, Andy Roddick spoke his mind on the subject in October.
The 2003 US Open champion opined that the Spaniard's achievements on grass and hard courts reflect his abilities beyond clay. He also pointed out that the 22-time Grand Slam champion has won more Majors on other surfaces, as compared to the likes of Boris Becker and John McEnroe.
"The laziest way to think of Rafa is, 'Oh, he's a claycourt guy.' Let's just remove clay from the conversation, which is not something you do often with Rafa. Aside from clay, he won more Grand Slams on other surfaces than the total of players like Becker, Edberg, McEnroe, matched Andre and Jimmy Connors in Slams outside of his surface," Roddick said on the Served With Andy Roddick podcast.
The 22-time Major winner has won four Davis Cup titles, with his last title triumph at the international team tennis event coming in 2019, where he was undefeated in singles throughout.