Roger Federer’s superiority in tennis is legendary, and finding a player he hasn’t dominated is a challenge. Just ask Andy Roddick, who faced significant challenges against the Swiss maestro. At the peak of his career, Roddick was the top-ranked player when Federer was still establishing himself. However, Federer’s rise marked a turning point, leading to Roddick’s decline as the former ascended to the top of the ATP rankings. Despite these struggles, Roddick admires Federer so much that he wants his children to emulate the Swiss legend.

Earlier this week, a new episode of Roddick’s podcast, Served with Andy Roddick dropped. During the conversation, Roddick candidly discussed Federer’s dominance over him on the court and expressed his desire for his children to follow in the footsteps of the Swiss maestro.

Roddick stated, “At a certain moment in time like my fans didn’t hate Roger and all he did was ruin my life for 10 years on the court. When he made that announcement (of his retirement), I remember I was on Tennis Channel and the thing I said and I still mean to this day is the biggest compliment you can give someone that a father is I hope my kids grow up and act like this person.”

Roddick was no match for Federer despite facing him numerous times. In the 24 matches they played, Roddick managed only 3 wins. Some of his most significant defeats came at Wimbledon, where Federer defeated him in three finals and a semi-final. These losses were particularly tough for Roddick, who once revealed how frustrating it was to compete against Federer.

Roger Federer tackled Andy Roddick’s biggest strength with ease

At 6’2″ tall, Roddick was known for his powerful serve and consistently ranked among the top players in the aces chart. Many opponents struggled to return his serves, often leaving them unreturned or causing the ball to go out of play. However, Federer proved to be an exception, as he discovered a secret to returning Roddick’s serves with ease.

Expressing frustration toward this, Roddick once mentioned, “It was like a volume play, he would make a ton of returns. When I was serving some guys, they are taking tons of returns at least trying to hit over every return. They were rarely going to square it up perfectly.”

Further, he went on to add, “But, if I had to win first-serve points with Roger, with every very very small movement he put the ball back in play. Once we were neutral it was his advantage. And his ability to accept my pace with very little movement and make a ton of return, it was frustrating.”

Despite their frustrating rivalry, Roddick has the utmost respect for the Swiss maestro, Federer. Although the score-line suggests a one-sided competition, their matches were eagerly anticipated by tennis fans.