"Tennis will react great; trying to predict who is, that game I don’t play" - When Andy Roddick opposed Sergiy Stakhovsky's views on gay ATP players
Andy Roddick once shared his opposition to Sergiy Stakhovsky's perspective on the presence of gay players on the ATP tour.
Stakhovsky stirred controversy with his comments during the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, saying that "there are definitely no gays" in the ATP top 100 while suggesting that "every other player is a lesbian" on the WTA tour.
Despite facing backlash, Stakhovsky reaffirmed his stance during the 2015 US Open. He expressed his belief that there were "a lot" of lesbians on the WTA tour and maintained that there were no closeted gay ATP players, arguing that they would stand out in the locker room.
"I think it’s a lot, yes. I don’t have a problem with it," Stakhovsky said.
"If there are 100 guys, or 128 guys, I mean, if somebody’s different, he falls out, doesn’t he? In a locker room, where half the guys walking in towels are naked, yeah, you definitely would see something different, no?" he added.
Andy Roddick did not take kindly to Stakhovsky's views, especially given his affiliation with Athlete Ally, a group of straight and LGBT athletes promoting inclusivity in sports. His fellow players, Martina Navratilova, James Blake, Rennae Stubbs and Mardy Fish, were also involved with the group.
Roddick strongly opposed Stakhovsky's perspective, emphasizing that gay players would be accepted and refusing to tolerate the Ukrainian tarnishing the sport.
"I’m not going to let one player’s comments define my sport as a whole. I think that’s a little naïve. I’m certainly not going to let someone express their views and let it delete the history of our sport and what we’re proud of. We accept and celebrate our champions regardless of who they are as people," Andy Roddick told USA Today.
Roddick made it clear that he had no interest in speculating about any player's sexual orientation but expressed confidence that a gay male player would be well-received in the tennis community.
"I’m certainly not on the lookout. If there was (a gay male player), I have full confidence that people would go about their business as they would. If it does come to fruition and is a reality and someone wants to do that, tennis will react in a great way," Andy Roddick said.
"Trying to predict who is or who isn’t or am I surprised that no one has come out, that’s a game that I don’t choose to play. When it does become a relevant conversation, I have full confidence that tennis will carry itself well," he added.
Andy Roddick and Sergiy Stakhovsky faced each other two times on tour
Andy Roddick and Sergiy Stakhovsky only locked horns in two tour-level encounters, with Roddick winning both.
Their first meeting took place in the third round of the 2010 Miami Open, where the American claimed a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory. Roddick went on to clinch the title at the Masters 1000 event, beating Tomas Berdych 7-5, 6-4 in the final.
Later that year, Andy Roddick secured a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 win over Stakhovsky in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters, en route a semifinal finish.