Despite Past Differences With Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick Can’t Help but Heap Praises on His ‘Friendly’ Side

There is no hiding the fact that Novak Djokovic is competitive on the court. The Serb gives hardly anything away to his opponents, which is a huge part of his reputation as the World No. 1. Ask Andy Roddick, who had one of the most fierce rivalries with Djokovic. They played each other nine times, with Roddick managing to win on five occasions. But despite a bitter rivalry across the net, Roddick praises Djokovic’s personality off of it.

Despite the feuds he finds himself a part of, the Serb is good friends with many of his colleagues. Among them are the likes of Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Roddick.

Andy Roddick highlights the special trait of Novak Djokovic

Earlier this week, on the latest episode of ‘Served with Andy Roddick’, the retired tennis star talked about Djokovic’s on and off-court behavior, mentioning how friendly Djokovic is off the court. He said, “Generally, if you see Novak and you pass and you pass him, and you say, ‘Hey, man, how’s it going,’ there’s going to be a smile, he’s going to be engaged, he’s going to be friendly, there is no doubt about that.”

Further, he went on to add, “Okay. So like for this, I just get frustrated, because you have all of this goodwill that you’re building throughout the week, there’s all these social clips going in and he probably doesn’t care about it. We probably care more about it than he does…It’s probably what makes him great, that he’s obsessed with these little moments.”

Although Roddick had a strong rivalry against Djokovic, he has often praised the Serb for his performances on the court. The two had an altercation in the past at the 2008 US Open. However, the American legend has put that behind him and respects Djokovic, often heaping praise on the Serbinator.

When Roddick termed Djokovic the GOAT

At the ATP Finals last year, Jannik Sinner defeated Djokovic, one of his biggest career victories. Subsequently, Roddick explained the magnitude of that win and the significance of facing the Serb. He mentioned, “Backing it up is a big deal. You’re going for the win, you’re facing the greatest of all time, you’re gonna take someone else’s lunch.”

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Meanwhile, Djokovic has withdrawn from the Miami Open in order to balance his personal and professional schedule. However, he hopes to come back strongly for the upcoming clay-court season.