Former tennis player Andy Roddick isn’t ready to take any comments from toxic online fans anymore. After facing hate comments consistently, and seeing Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic fans fight among each other for no logical reason on most occasion, Roddick is angry and annoyed.
In the latest episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Roddick lashed out at Djokovic and Federer fans for constantly pitting the two legends. They also find ways to hurl insults at each other. In no time, those insults shift toward the players themselves, i.e. Federer and Djokovic.
Roddick questioned that if Djokovic and Federer can put aside their differences, egos and their animosity, why can’t their fans do the same? Over the years, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have had some iconic verbal wars on and off the court. Take the 2006 Davis Cup clash, when Federer vehemently lashed out at Djokovic for constantly stopping and interrupting the game.
Novak Djokovic too has spoken out against Roger Federer on multiple occasions. However, with time and age, these two icons let those petty issues slide by and mutual respect take over.
Federer recently showered praises on Djokovic for being one of the best in the world. On the other hand, Djokovic, who was present at Federer’s farewell, respects the Swiss a lot for his contribution to tennis.
Therefore, Roddick was right in his statement about the toxic fan wars. But the former World No.1’s tone got more aggressive in that segment as he lashed out at some superfans who go over the line in being toxic just for their pages to run on social media. The American was quoted as saying –
“The moment you are describing of Roger saying something to Novak and Novak having the respect for Roger. And they’ve had bumpy moments. They’re well documented. If those two can push everything aside and say, ‘You were great. You are a reason I was great,’ why the f*ck can’t fans do it too?”
“If you want to support your guy, support the things that your guy respects, support the people that he respects. You don’t have to like them. respect needs to be a baseline. You cannot say, ‘I like this person. This person is a piece of sh*t or loser.’ Like that’s just not true.”
Is this about @pavyg ? pic.twitter.com/3Lt17gyEw4
— Puneet (@TennisPuneet) June 25, 2024
The 2003 US Open champion’s use of expletives to express himself possibly highlights that he can’t handle such abuse anymore. Roddick wasn’t just talking about fan wars among themselves, but also subtly expressing his pain of facing online hatred. His biggest critic at the moment is Pavvy G, who is a Novak Djokovic superfan.
Djokovic fans believe that Roddick makes propaganda statements against their Serbian hero and for that, he is constantly trolled. Those comments might’ve gotten on Roddick’s nerves.
Most recently, Roddick claimed that Djokovic might not make it to Wimbledon and that he was posting about his injuries on social media to seek attention. After facing serious heat from fans online, Roddick called himself a ‘dummy’, when he learnt that Djokovic might end up playing.
Though Rough Sometimes, Andy Roddick Is Always Fair in His Assessment
Even though Andy Roddick didn’t name any fans explicitly in his rant, most comments under his post understood it to be a dig at Pavvy G. Pavvy G hasn’t just been a Novak Djokovic advocate, he is also an anti-establishment guy who time and again tries to speak against the likes of Federer and Nadal.
Andy Roddick has always called a spade a spade and stood for what he actually believes in. Perhaps, he has gotten into the wrong books of Novak Djokovic fans by also questioning how the Serb got away with hurling abuses at the crowd at the Monte Carlo Masters 2024. But Holger Rune faced a foul for simply questioning a decision by the chair umpire in the same tournament.
When Andy Roddick called it out, Pavvy G urged every NoleFam member to specifically abuse Roddick. Nevertheless, Roddick continues to speak his mind and still fights for peace, harmony, and equal respect in the tennis community.
