Andy Roddick has backed Novak Djokovic as one of the
leading contenders for the 2025 Wimbledon title. The 38-year-old recently
featured in the French Open, where he was knocked out after losing in the
semifinal to Jannik Sinner in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-5, 7-6.
Roddick, who was famous for his fiery service during his
playing days, has made an interesting claim ahead of the third Grand Slam of
the year. The 42-year-old, while speaking in the latest episode of his own
podcast ‘Served with Andy Roddick’, which was released on May 10th, named
Djokovic as one of the contenders to win the Wimbledon title this year. Roddick
stated that the 38-year-old, along with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik
Sinner, will dominate the proceedings in the third Grand Slam of the year.
“I said after Novak lost that he can still win Wimbledon.
I don’t know that I believe he can still win Roland Garros and I say that
cautiously because every time I say something, he ends up doing the
impossible,” he said. “But I do think he is a major contender at Wimbledon. I
think he is right in there with Carlos [Alcaraz] and [Jannik] Sinner.”
Roddick’s prediction is an interesting one, considering that Djokovic has won only one ATP title since the start of 2024.
Djokovic has lifted the Wimbledon title seven times, tied for the second-most, along with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, and only behind Roger Federer (8). His
last title while playing in London came in 2022, where he defeated Nick Kyrgios
in the final with a score of 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(7–3). Despite not winning
Wimbledon for three years, Djokovic will enter the upcoming edition of the
mega-event on the back of six consecutive final appearances. In the last two
years, he lost to Alcaraz in the final. In 2023, the 22-year-old came out on
top in five sets with a score of 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4. Last year,
Alcaraz once again defeated Djokovic in the final, this time in straight sets,
with scores of 6-2, 6-2, and 7-6.