"Pete Sampras would like a minute": Djokovic gets called the best first server of all time as Roddick adds another player to the mix

Sunday, 09 July 2023 at 19:00

Former tennis players Mark Petchey and Andy Roddick are in disagreement about who is the best server 'inch for inch' between Novak Djokovic and Pete Sampras.

Following 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic's confident victory over Stan Wawrinka in the third round of Wimbledon, former British player Mark Petchey, along with many other fans, appeared to be in awe of his ability. The seven-time SW19 winner defeated the Swiss player in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (5), to move into the last 16.

Being the quadruple-time defending men's singles champion at the tournament, he is the clear favorite to take the overall victory this year. In particular, though, Petchey shared his very high regard for the world No. 2's serve. In a tweet, he wrote

"Starting to think that inch for inch @DjokerNole is the best 1st server the sport has ever seen."

Roddick counters with Pete Sampras

However, 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick countered Petchey's argument by bringing up former world No. 1 Pete Sampras.

Sampras had a long and successful career and is regarded by some as the greatest player of all time. He has fourteen Grand Slam titles to his name, including seven Wimbledon victories and five wins at the US Open. The American player last competed in 2002, and retired in 2003.

In response to Petchey's tweet about Djokovic, Andy Roddick said,

"Pete Sampras would like a minute of your time ……. Nole is amazing but this is a reach."

Sampras is slightly shorter than Djokovic, standing at 1.85m, compared to the Serb's 1.88m.

Arguments become confused

Roddick also pointed out in his reply that he himself is shorter than Djokovic, making clear reference to the 'inch by inch' part of the argument.

However, fans quickly lost sight of this, with one bringing up John Isner as a potential contender for best server. However, as he stands at 2.08m, he isn't relevant to the initial conversation. As Roddick wrote,

"Conversation started as best inch for inch server. Seems to have shifted to people just naming best servers."

Djokovic will face Hubert Hurkacz in his next match at Wimbledon on Sunday, July 9.