The spirit of every game demands- respect in battles, graciousness in defeats, and humility in victories! Do we witness these every time while following our favorite sports? No, the toxic use of online abuse and hate speeches in sports has now become a major threat to not only the players but the entire sporting world. In an era of digitalization, we often see people getting the freedom to speak their minds on social media. They hail the one they like and curse the one who they dislike. Is there anyone to draw the line about what’s right and wrong?

Well, Andy Roddick recently had a point or two to say on this during the recent episode of ‘Served with Andy Roddick.‘ When it comes to these intense moments, we often see the involvement of the ‘Fedal‘ fans or the Nole army. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have played against each other 50 times in their careers. The rivalry started at the 2006 Monte Carlo Masters and ended in 2020 AO. In between these years, there were several such intense moments that brought out the bitter picture of the word “fanatic“. 

Reflecting on the same, Andy Roddick said, “There are certain sects of fandom where the word ‘fanatic‘ exists for a reason and I hate it!‘ The number one thing that I hate online about tennis is that because you like someone better you feel that you need to drag down others.“

He added, “Respect wins! It always wins. You can disagree with some, you can yell at someone, you can say things that you mean at the moment that you get over later on.“ He feels fans should understand what’s right and what’s absolutely disrespectful and unacceptable.

Andy Roddick also talked about how Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic had many “bumpy moments” in the past yet they have been extremely respectful towards each other. “If those two can put everything aside and say ‘You are great, you are the reason why I was great‘. Why the f*ck can’t the fans do it too? If you wanna support your guy, support the things that you guy respects, support the people he respects. You don’t have to like them. Respect needs to be a baseline.” The 41-year-old American tennis legends believe everyone needs to take this issue seriously now.

During an interview, Novak Djokovic revealed that he has never been friends with Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, because “between the rivals, it’s not possible.” However, he was quick to admit, “I’ve always had respect for Federer, he’s one of the greatest of all time. He’s had an extraordinary impact, but I’ve never been close to him. Same with Nadal. We went to dinner together twice, but even with him, friendship is impossible. I have always admired and respected him. Thanks to them I have become who I am.“

Perhaps this mutual respect for each other is what Roddick wanted to highlight. Even Roger Federer spoke about his relationship with Novak Djokovic recently.

“I didn’t give Novak the respect he deserved” – Roger Federer realizing his initial feelings for Novak Djokovic

During a moment in Roger Federer’s documentary, FEDERER: Twelve Final Days, the Swiss Maestro was seen reflecting on his relationship with Djokovic. In the initial phases of their rivalry, the Serb tennis star was always seen as a “party crasher” in the ‘Fedal‘ era. However, during Roger Federer’s retirement, Novak Djokovic was spotted crying inconsolably. What triggered him at that moment?

Speaking about his initial thoughts on Nole, Roger Federer said, “Even though there was some hype around him, I wasn’t really fully convinced. I think I didn’t give Novak the respect he deserved because of his technical flaws.” Even Novak Djokovic knew that Federer didn’t like the way he used to behave in his early days. However, things changed later on and it was tennis at its very best form which had ultimately brought them together!