FEDERER SURPASSES LEGENDARY PLAYER IN ALL-TIME CATEGORY
In a retrospective look at his decorated tennis résumé, the 42-year-old former athlete confesses to PEOPLE that if he could have won any match, it would have been one of his three Wimbledon finals. All three times, he fell to Roger Federer in the championship match. Most notably, the two played a five-set thriller in 2009 that resulted in a nail-biting victory for Federer, now 43.
“I would’ve been happier, have no regrets. I’m not greedy like the rest of these guys, like Rafa [Nadal] and Roger. And Novak [Djokovic],” Roddick jokes. “I only wanted one more. If I could have won two more points at Wimbledon, I think I would think backwards a lot less.”
Despite a few strategic regrets, he says he’s “proud” of his 12-year career, which includes a US Open title and 13 weeks as the World No. 1.
Roddick notes that because he was diligent about waking up and putting in the work — even on days where he wasn’t feeling 100% — it “makes the tennis afterlife a little bit easier.”
“I rest well at night,” the tennis star affirms.
After retiring in 2012, Roddick withdrew from the tennis world to spend quality time with his wife, Brooklyn Decker, and their two children, 9-year-old Hank and 6-year-old Stevie. But at the beginning of 2024, he launched the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, which also airs on the Tennis Channel.
As for why tennis fans have historically preferred Nadal, 38, or Federer, he explains to PEOPLE, “There’s a certain thing where someone comes and breaks up the Beatles. I think we were in love with this rivalry with Rafa and Roger, and then this guy came in and was brash enough to say, ‘You know what? I’m going to break it up and I’m going pursue being better.’ “
Roddick continues, “We kind of like it when everything fits comfortably. And [Novak] certainly broke that up, and he made no apologies for it.”
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