Former tennis player Andy Roddick was recently in hot water after his criticism of the rapping ability of rising WTA star Emma Navarro. The American stated his compatriot was a better tennis player than a rapper, leading to severe backlash from tennis fans.
Navarro burst onto the scene during the 2024 season, reaching the semifinals at the ASB Classic and finishing runner-up at Hobart in January. The 22-year old would produce excellent results after the Australian Open, with her best performances being a semifinal showing at San Diego and a quarterfinal finish at Indian Wells. Navarro defeated World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka en route to the last eight at Indian Wells, with this result seeing her rise to a career-high ranking of World No.20.
In a recent episode of his Served with Andy Roddick Podcast, the former World No.1 gave some insight into his criticism of Navarro's rap hobby and the backlash he received. Speaking to retired WTA star Lindsay Davenport, Roddick attempted to explain his point of view.
"So, I got in trouble for basically saying that Emma Navarro is a better tennis player than a rapper," said Roddick. "I just looked at all the enthused fans faces and it was like someone kicked a puppy. "Do you think Emma Navarro is a better rapper than a tennis player?" said Roddick to Davenpot.
"No but you were such a d*ck about it," responded Davenport, which caused Roddick and his co-host to break into laughter.
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