"He must know something that we don't" - Andy Roddick puzzled by Novak Djokovic's gameplan during Wimbledon final

Friday, 19 July 2024 at 06:00

Former World No.1 Andy Roddick admitted to not understanding the approach used by Novak Djokovic during his loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Wimbledon final.

Alcaraz played some of his best tennis of the season in his defeat over the former World No.1, successfully defending his title in a straight sets victory. Although Djokovic looked formidable en route to the final, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was powerless to stop the Spaniard's attacking style of tennis.

Roddick convinced Djokovic's knee injury played a role in the outcome

The Serbian had undergone surgery earlier in June after tearing the meniscus in his knee during the French Open. There was doubt regarding Djokovic's participation at Wimbledon, with the 37-year old ultimately confirming his status a few days before the event. Nonetheless, Roddick believes Djokovic's knee may have affected his tactical decisions while facing Alcaraz.

"What I was a little surprised about with Novak and you don’t know if he just… listen he’s smarter than I’ll ever be in this game so you’re not questioning, you’re just wondering what the factors are with the decision to play a certain way," said the 2003 US Open champion. “Novak for his entire career has been the master of kind of extending points, playing within himself, forcing you to attack from tough positions, and today I felt like whether it was the serve and volley, whether it was going line very early, not sticking Carlos into that backhand to backhand rally, it seemed like Novak was in a hurry to get out of that.

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“I don’t fully understand, maybe his read on the first couple of points getting bullied, obviously the knee issue, he must know something that we don’t. I was surprised how quickly he went to that all-out aggressive play.
"I didn’t mind the coming in, I didn’t mind the approaching line but kind of taking random shots line very, very early in rallies in a very aggressive nature, not wanting to switch the direction of a rally. I’m surprised he didn’t put more volume on Carlos’ backhand."

Arthur Ajayi

Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.

As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.

With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.

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