Andy Roddick has jumped to the defence of Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard decided to withdraw from the Indian Wells 2024 tournament at the 11th hour. Nadal, who played in the Netflix Slam 2024 just 3 days before his withdrawal, was criticized by the fans for his decision. However, Andy Roddick has dived deep into the thinking behind this decision by mentioning how Carlos Alcaraz too was not at his intense best at the event.
In his podcast, Served with Andy Roddick, Andy Roddick was joined by tennis coach Brad Gilbert for a podcast besides Jon Wertheim, the veteran tennis journalist. During the podcast, Roddick dissected the Rafael Nadal situation after the Spaniard came under scrutiny by the fans. Nadal played in an exhibition match with Carlos Alcaraz for Netflix on 3rd March.
However, the Spaniard announced his withdrawal from the Indian Wells 2024 tournament in just three days. Roddick has defended the Spaniard and clarified that there is a big difference between playing a exhibition match and competing in Masters tournaments.
“It’s not as if Nadal came to Vegas all of a sudden, he was in Palm Springs a week before that. That was not because he cared to play in an exhibition match, it was because he cared to play in Palm Springs. Just because he played an exhibition does not mean he is ready to go. Every single decision he has (taken) probably from the year and a half has been towards playing Roland Garros. An exhibition is very different than a seven match tournament.”
Andy Roddick admitted that even Carlos Alcaraz was not playing at his best during the ‘Netflix Slam’. The Spaniard was recovering from an ankle injury, but both Nadal and Alcaraz, managed to entertain the Vegas crowd. Roddick was even quick to point out that Nadal should not compromise his body before the clay season and felt that it was the right decision by the Spaniard.
There are fans who believe that Rafael Nadal travelled to the United States just for the Netflix Slam. However, Roddick feels that Nadal has the best chance to succeed on clay and will try his best to be fit for Roland Garros. Nadal is a 14=time winner at the French Open and will hope to add another one to his illustrious trophy cabinet.
Now, Nadal is set to play in the Monte Carlo Masters 2024 tournament in Monaco. The Spaniard will look to impress and prepare for the upcoming clay season. All of Nadal’s preparation will be towards a successful Roland Garros campaign. Having already hinted at possible retirement, the clay season could well be the deciding factor for Rafael Nadal.
