No holds barred: Andy Roddick’s honest verdict on Lleyton Hewitt and Juan Martin del Potro
Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images Andy Roddick put together an impressive tennis career, but it’s hard not to think about what he might have accomplished if he hadn’t played during one of the most stacked eras in the sport’s history. The American, who was once ranked world number one and won a major title, spent much of his time on tour having to go through Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to reach the top. He did win the US Open in 2003 but fell short in four other Grand Slam finals and five semifinals.
While those four were his biggest obstacles, others gave him trouble too, including Juan Martin Del Potro and Lleyton Hewitt. Speaking recently on ‘Served’, Roddick spoke about his matchups with both Del Potro and Hewitt. Photo by Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images for Laver Cup Roddick explains why he struggled against Del Potro & Hewitt Even though their styles were different from some of the other top players of that era, they caused him plenty of issues on court.
He opened up about why he found those matchups particularly tough. Roddick said: “Hewitt, I’ve said, like, I’m effusive. Now, I think we ended up the same, seven and seven, I lost a bunch early, and then won some later.
“One of the most stressful players that I’ll ever play just because he made you stay there mentally and physically every time you knew he was not going away. You had to beat him. He was never gonna go away.
Like, so he was unbelievable. “Talent wise, like, in our generation, the person who probably matched the Big Three talent wise, you know, but, he would tell you not like, not the discipline, you know he’s like the coolest person alive, is Safin. “He was like, the first one of those, people like ‘Oh, you know, the first one who is tall and moved.