Roddick lauds praise on Serena Williams and Federer: "They made a 23-year career seem normal"

Andy Roddick praised Roger Federer and Serena Williams for making a two-decade career in tennis seem like a normal thing when it's not.

Tennis player are playing far longer now than they did twenty years ago and Andy Roddick knows that. He himself failed to have a very long career because it's simply not possible for everyone. Players like Federer and Serena Williams who end up having 20+ years in tennis are not the norm and the former number one praised them for what they did in their careers.

Speaking on the Tennis Channel, Roddick said:

"Well I don't think you can and they both did it in their own way. There was Serena coming from Compton and opening tennis up to an entire country of minority girls and women, and the impact that she had. In the way that Roger went about his business where you don't have to go and punch someone in the nose because they are No. 1 in the world."

He added:

"They both went about it in their own ways, with their own style, with their own personality, they were both very, very greedy with Grand Slam titles but gosh, we are so lucky to have had them in the game of tennis and Paul mentioned, for as long as we had them. They made a 23-year career seem normal."