Former World No.1 Andy Roddick was never one to hold back his thoughts, and the retired American recently spoke out on the ATP player whom he "respects the least".
Most fans would assume the player in question is Nick Kyrgios, who has been involved with public social media spats with Roddick. However, the 2003 US Open champion stated it was not the Australian superstar.
Roddick refuses to reveal the mystery player's identity
In the latest episode of his 'Serving with Andy Roddick' podcast, the retired American was asked by his co-host to name the players he respected the most, and the least. Regarding the latter, Roddick opted to keep the player's identity a secret but explained why he did not get along with the ATP star.
"The ‘why’ is more important. It’s not because I don’t respect people as humans," began Roddick. "I would reach a point of anger/jealousy with people who were insanely talented, who wouldn't do the work. "When things are going well, they are pumping up the crowd or doing this whole showboating thing. And when it's going the wrong way, they are limping around with injuries that aren't real and kind of going away."
Although Roddick refused to name the player, he did give subtle hints to their identity and delved more into why he disliked this particular player.
"I won't name a name but there's a player who is probably the fastest guy I have ever seen, best body I have ever seen, and his career-high ranking is No. 6 or 7," continued Roddick. "I got into it one time irrationally with him, he’s like the nicest guy in the world. And I lost to him and I was so pissed. "I said something along the lines that I regretted instantly, like 'If I had won as many tournaments as you with your talent, I’d f**king quit.' And I meant it. But it's not because he is not a nice person, it's just because like guys who have the ability and chose not to use it drive me crazy."
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.