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American Tennis Legend Uses Roger Federer’s Name to Slam Pickleball Player Who Threw in a $100K Challenge for Tennis Pros

Published 04/06/2024, 11:25 PM EDT

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Ever since tennis legends Andre Agassi and others made efforts to give Pickleball a completely new life with the help of the million-dollar event, discussions have started to breathe about the sport. Recently, a pickleball player and NCAA champion came forward to drop a challenge for tennis legends like Nick Kyrgios, James Blake, and Andy Roddick, to which the American replied.

The former tennis champion responded with a combination of wit and humor to a recent challenge from Christian Alshon. Roddick took a playful dig, playfully comparing him to tennis legend Roger Federer, stating, “Yeah. He’s totally like Roger. If Roger had D-2 titles in his Twitter bio and played pickleball.” This light-hearted remark showcased Roddick’s signature humor and confidence.

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However, this comment came after Roddick’s previous comment, in which he simply tried to expose his agenda to the fans. Roddick remarked, “He’s had his attention. Now I just want to get kicked out of this conversation like he got kicked out of Virginia. Pickle is fun, and I understand how all this is good for it. It does nothing for us. I’m out. Cheers.”

Andy Roddick’s witty responses not only defused the tension but also defended the huge line of contrast between the two sports. While pickleball may have its own growth, the tagged legends simply proved how tennis is still difficult as compared to the paddle sport.

James Blake handles the situation with calm reasoning

Before Andy Roddick decided to enter the conversation with his witty responses, it was former tennis pro James Blake who took charge of replying to the pickleball player. Soon after he dropped the challenge tagging Blake, Roddick, and Nick Kyrgios, Blake explained how it was a worthless call.

“So many problems/absurdities about this proposal that it will take me a few tweets to respond. 1. Andy and I both in our 40s and I’m on a surgically repaired knee 2. Nick playing for lots more money and prestige on atp tour.”

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He thought one comment was short enough to express his thoughts and continued in the second one, saying, “3. None of us would train for 6 months at anything for that amount of money (we all had successful careers) 4. None of us said we had any ambition of training at that.”

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As both Blake and Andy Roddick handled the situation in their own ways, it still remains to be seen if Nick Kyrgios, who has always been known for his controversies, enters the chat.

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Written by:

Akshay Kapoor

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One take at a time

Akshay Kapoor, a tennis writer at EssentiallySports, excels in crafting pieces that set new trends. His analytical skills riding on the back of certification in Digital Marketing help inject in-depth research as he covers the business undertakings of Tennis stars. Akshay’s articles touch the entire tennis spectrum, from iconic figures like Djokovic and emerging talents such as Holger Rune and Coco Gauff.
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Edited by:

Ananya Giri