Tennis has always had that fancy image, the whites, the strawberries and cream, and the private club memberships. It was seen as a sport for the elite. With expensive rackets, polished courts, and a backdrop of Wimbledon prestige, tennis was often viewed as something reserved for the privileged. But the times are changing, and some powerful voices in the game are calling out that tired stereotype. In fact, one American ATP legend talked about athletes like Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, and Andre Agassi, drawing from what he’s seen up close on the biggest stages.

At this year’s French Open, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner tore through that old narrative in the most dramatic way possible. Their final was the longest in Roland Garros history, clocking in at five hours and 29 minutes. It shattered the previous record set back in 1982 and showed just how demanding and brutal modern tennis can be.

Andy Roddick had a lot to say about this. The former US Open champ used his podcast, ‘Served’, to take on the “country club sport” image head-on. He said, “Like the country club sport narrative, I think it’s just lazy. If you look at two of the greatest champions we’ve ever had, they came out of Compton, California, right? Like, where their dad’s defending their practices. I mean, it’s absurd. If you look at the best résumé in male tennis history, he grew up in a war-torn country. The star of the last weekend, from the media side, Andre Agassi’s dad is from Iran and worked the door for tips at Caesar’s Palace. So, you can miss me with that.”

He was, of course, referring to Serena and Venus Williams, who learned the game on the cracked courts of gangland Compton. With gunshots sometimes in the background, their father Richard used to collect old tennis balls from country clubs and haul them around in a shopping cart. That was their training setup until they moved to Florida to train under coach Rick Macci.

Then there’s Novak Djokovic. The 24-time Grand Slam champion grew up during the Yugoslav Wars. At one point, Serbia was under NATO bombings, and Djokovic trained inside an abandoned swimming pool turned into a tennis court. His dad had to take out high-interest loans to fund his tennis dreams, putting immense pressure on young Novak to succeed. But the Serbian star believes that to be a major part of his success.

Andre Agassi’s story adds another layer to this narrative. His father, Mike Agassi, grew up poor in Iran and fell in love with tennis after watching American soldiers play. He taught Andre to track movement using a balloon and a ping pong paddle. Later, he built a homemade ball machine, nicknamed “The Dragon,” to fire tennis balls at Andre at high speeds. That foundation shaped one of the most recognizable careers in tennis history.

But back to Roddick. He’s not just stopping at calling out the country club myth. He’s also making a bold athletic claim.

Andy Roddick compares tennis to basketball

In his latest episode recapping a star-studded French Open weekend, Andy Roddick didn’t hold back, he boldly claimed that tennis players are the best athletes on the planet. And he didn’t shy away from comparisons, even taking aim at the NBA, a league known for housing some of the world’s most elite athletes.

“I think tennis players are the best athletes in the world. Five hours and 40-something minutes on the biggest [stage],” he said. “You compare this to other sports. An NBA game is 48 minutes played in air conditioning, where you have teammates, halftime, timeouts. To say one thing doesn’t mean you’re throwing shade at something else.”

And he wrapped it up with this mic-drop moment: “I think tennis players are the best athletes in the world. The more I watch it, the more I think it. Tell me why I’m wrong.”

Tennis, once boxed into a country club stereotype, is now built on stories of survival, sacrifice, and sheer determination. From war zones to cracked city courts, players like Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic have shown that greatness doesn’t come from where you start — it comes from how far you’re willing to go.

Every sport has its version of this grind. Whether it’s 48 minutes on the hardwood or five hours on the clay, the level of athleticism is unreal.