Andy Roddick reveals his “anger” at Aryna Sabalenka for her Wimbledon 2024 withdrawal, duo strike a “deal” for future Majors in hilarious exchange
Andy Roddick reveals his “anger” at Aryna Sabalenka for her Wimbledon 2024 withdrawal, duo strike a “deal” for future Majors in hilarious exchange
Andy Roddick reveals his “anger” at Aryna Sabalenka for her Wimbledon 2024 withdrawal, duo strike a “deal” for future Majors in hilarious exchange
Andy Roddick has playfully revealed the reason behind his frustration with Aryna Sabalenka’s withdrawal from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The duo engaged in hilarious banter and arrived at an agreement about how Roddick should evaluate the Belarusian’s chances at the Majors in the future.
Sabalenka recently competed at the WTA Finals, where she reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Coco Gauff. Despite falling short of the title, the Belarusian sealed the year-end World No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career, thanks in large part to her Australian Open and US Open titles this season.
The 26-year-old was also considered a favorite to clinch another Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this year, with Andy Roddick confidently predicting her victory over Jessica Pegula in the final during his draw analysis.
“I have Sabalenka beating Pegula in the final,” he said on an episode of the ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast.
However, Aryna Sabalenka was forced to pull out of the grasscourt Major due to a shoulder injury. It appears that Roddick is still nursing lingering frustration over the Belarusian’s decision, as evidenced by their humorous exchange.
In a preview for Sabalenka’s appearance on his ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, Roddick informed the World No. 1 that he was “angry” with her for pulling out of Wimbledon just hours after he had declared her the favorite for the title.
“I do have a bone to pick with you. I was angry with you for, you didn’t even know this because we don’t know each other. I was angry with you earlier this year. We have to get a preview show for Wimbledon out. I’m like okay, well I know who I think is going to win, it was pretty obvious to me at that point and then f**k it if you didn’t pull out six hours after I made my call,” Roddick said.
Sabalenka hilariously apologized for her withdrawal and thanked the American for believing in her abilities. However, the three-time Grand Slam champion also struck a “deal” with Roddick to avoid picking her as the favorite for future Majors in order to boost her chances of reaching the final.
“I’m so sorry. But you know, thank you so much for picking me,” Aryna Sabalenka said. “Probably for the next Grand Slams can you don’t pick us so we make it to the final? That’s a deal.”
Despite hoping to be “wrong,” Andy Roddick also endorsed Aryna Sabalenka to defeat Jessica Pegula in the 2024 US Open final, disclosing that he had backed the Belarusian to win the title from the beginning.
“Props to Aryna Sabalenka for winning all of it, she’s player of the year regardless of the rankings” – Andy Roddick
Aryna Sabalenka (Source: Getty)Aryna Sabalenka (Source: Getty)
In an episode of the ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast before the 2024 WTA Finals, Roddick assessed the battle between Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek for year-end No. 1.
The American suggested that regaining the top spot wasn’t a priority for Swiatek and asserted that Sabalenka was the player of the year, regardless of the final standings.
“I like that she’s (Swiatek’s) gotten to that point in her career where she’s taking the long view on this. She’s not in a rush to get it back. It’s obviously not a priority for her. She’s done it before so that helps, right?” Roddick said.
“Props to Sabalenka for winning all of it and just her year in general. I think she’s player of the year regardless of how the rankings shake out,” he added.
Andy Roddick also expressed his admiration for Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek’s compelling rivalry, emphasizing that the tennis world was “lucky” to witness their battles.
