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via Imago

via Imago

Andy Roddick recently made his commentary debut on ESPN with pickleball. However, this wasn’t something that he had planned for himself. Despite the surprising element, Roddick had a great time at the event, mainly because that gave him a chance to be around his idol once again.

The 41-year-old talked about his experience at the pickleball event and being around Steffi Graf on the recent episode of Served. Roddick also unveiled that Graf is the only legend that can get him in a state of panic.

He said, “I didn’t think my ESPN commentary debut would be for pickleball. But, that’s how I spent my night last night.” Roddick said that although this was an unexpected debut for him, he had a great time talking about “a bunch of legendary has-been tennis players”. His best moment of the night, however, was seeing idol Andre Agassi and fanboying over his wife and fellow tennis sensation Steffi Graf. He said, “You have people in the room whether it’s Andre and Steffi who are kind of like full go mode again…I’ve known Andre and he has been my idol for a long time but I have a hard time being in Steffi’s presence without being like incredibly starstruck.”

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Roddick said that there aren’t many people in the tennis world who can have that effect on him and Graf is one exception. “Steffi is like a huge exception and I can’t be around her without feeling like everything I say is idiotic”, he added.

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Steffi Graf recently had a harsh reality check

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Graf is a giant yesteryear tennis legend and hasn’t lost her charm even after all these years; Roddick’s confession can be a testament to that. She won 22 slams in singles and was considered the GOAT before the era Serena Williams took over. When Graf recently attempted a comeback on the pickleball court, she was also hit by a brutal reality check. The 54-year-old said that she really wants to get back in the action but her body at this age isn’t responding the way she would expect.

USA Today via Reuters

She said, “I have not had an easy time. I want to move around. I want to hit the ball. I don’t want to slow down and be patient, waiting for the right moment to attack. I tend to want to keep my feet moving. That’s what I learned in tennis. My mind knows what I should be doing, but my body is not quite ready to let that tennis mind go”.

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Nevertheless, fans are just happy to see one of their faves back on the court again!

Read More: Rivals Turn Idols for Maria Sharapova as She Sends Out Wholesome 3-Word Message for Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf