“I didn’t come here to play a few rounds.” Remember these lines from Novak Djokovic when he was just about to start his Wimbledon campaign? Guess what, now he is all set to play his tenth final at this iconic tournament on Sunday against Carlos Alcaraz. He arrived in London having undergone knee surgery in early June. Most of us in the tennis world, including the Serb himself had doubts over his participation in this tournament. However, he managed to recover just in time and now he’s roaring like a hungry lion! Now, everyone, including Andy Roddick, is in awe of his resilience at the moment.

Roddick is quite impressed to see how well the 37-year-old has performed in this tournament after having undergone knee surgery almost 37 days before the start of this tournament. During the ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, the American said, “I don’t know how to express respect for what Novak has done.” He then reminded the fans of his previous statement where he thought Djokovic wouldn’t make an extended run this year at Wimbledon. Roddick was even worried about the Serb putting his career at risk to feature at Wimbledon, but he was proven wrong eventually.

Making a comeback after having undergone knee surgery in such a short span is never easy and this is what made Roddick say, “I said bet against the greats at your own peril. He is not like us. He is different. I wouldn’t have been able to do it, I barely could do it on good legs. Make a final of Wimbledon and in the best of times I ended up in the Hall of Fame. What he is doing is absurd.”

Just like his incredible performances, even Novak Djokovic’s quick recovery has now equally become the talk of the town. Just a few days ago, Carlos Alacaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero said, “He’s made a record-breaking recovery. I think he’s doing pretty well, but he says he’s far from being at his best.” Everyone is impressed with Nole’s magic, but do you know Andy Roddick once even hailed Novak Djokovic as the greatest of all time?

“His body doesn’t look like an older body” – Andy Roddick heaps praise on Novak Djokovic’s incredible abilities

Last year during an interview, Andy Roddick was asked whether he thinks Novak Djokovic is the GOAT in men’s tennis. Without even hesitating for a second, the American tennis legend said, “Yeah, (Djokovic) is the greatest among men’s tennis players totally.” According to him, one may like another player more, one may get emotionally attached to someone more, or get impressed with another playing style. But when it comes to numbers, he feels there is hardly any argument about who’s the most accomplished player of all time.

Roddick further added, “His body doesn’t look like an older body. He still looks young and dominant. He is just a master of tactics, taking care of his body.” He highlighted the fact that how Novak Djokovic used to get frequent cramps and would land himself into trouble earlier in his career. However, he later on managed to turn that over and become one of the fittest athletes in the world. This is something which is truly admirable according to Andy Roddick. So, time and again, Novak Djokovic has proved the world wrong when it comes to his fitness levels. Guess what, the 37-year-old ‘machine‘ is still running pretty smoothly!