Andy Roddick holds a special place in the history of tennis. He could’ve garnered more success, if not for his arch-rival, Roger Federer. The former American pro always struggled to overcome Federer’s challenge, so much so that the Swiss legend managed to establish an unbeatable record against him in four Grand Slam finals, winning every encounter. However, the ‘Swiss Maestro’ suggested that Roddick could have turned some of those results in his favor.

While talking to the ‘Tennis Channel’ in an interview, the 20-time Major champion was asked about the 41-year-old’s recent collaboration with his lifetime sponsor, Wilson. To much surprise, Federer agreed when asked if Roddick could have triumphed over him in the 2003 Wimbledon semifinal had he been with Wilson at that time. This, in turn, could have set off a domino effect, prompting the Swiss to claim that he might never have won his subsequent grass-court titles.

He said, “I think he probably would have beaten me in the 2003 Wimbledon semis, and then what would have happened is that then I would have probably thought that I can’t win Wimbledon and then I would have never won Wimbledon.” Later, Roddick hilariously responded to the 43-year-old’s recorded snippet.

Hoping to feature the former World No. 1 on his ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, the American posted a playful response. To much hilarity, Roddick invited the 8-time SW19 winner on his podcast after taking the latter’s candid admission to heart. “Whatever. Nobody likes @rogerfederer anyways …… That being said, I think we’d still allow him on @Served_Podcast Least he can do for me throwing all those Wimby finals.” 

For the unversed, the duo engaged in several high-profile encounters in the 2000s. Three of those matches occurred at the All-England Club, where the Swiss emerged victorious in 2004, 2005, and 2009. Roddick’s first major title came at the 2003 US Open.

Despite the light-hearted back-and-forth, the world has witnessed a different reality. Roddick has also shared the factual reason behind his lack of success against the retired pro.

Andy Roddick confessed Roger Federer pushed him out of his “comfort zone”

It is undeniable that Roger Federer successfully proved to be Andy Roddick’s kryptonite. The Swiss boasts a staggering 21-3 lead in their head-to-head encounters. The former World No. 1 candidly explained why he endured such lopsided results against Federer.

In an honest confession, the American attributed his poor results to the natural contrast in their playing styles. This contrast made their matchups particularly challenging for Roddick, as he was consistently “pushed out of his comfort zone.”

“It was just a rough matchup. There wasn’t much that I did well naturally that he couldn’t counter naturally. Roger, because of the lefty and the spins. He forced me out of my comfort zone consistently,” Roddick explained.

To summarize, it would be fun if the pair were presented with a chance to recontest all their previous on-court battles. While that idea is unconventional, it certainly wouldn’t hurt for Federer and Roddick to engage in a friendly duel and relive their past encounters!