Retired tennis player Andy Roddick, who won US Open in 2003 and was Wimbledon finalist three other times, as well as winning 32 titles including five Masters, now has a popular YouTube channel, Served, talking about tennis news, and in his latest video, published on December 26, Roddick discussed the future of the top five in the ATP.
Novak Djokovic is the only player in the top 5 that Roddick has faced. Before his retirement in 2012, Roddick and Djokovic played nine times, and Roddick won five of those matches. But what's really surprising is that Roddick is only five years older than Djokovic, who, at 38, still stands fourth in the ATP ranking, only 300 points behind Alexander Zverev, albeit with a huge distance from the top two, Alcaraz and Sinner.
Roddick praised Djokovic, describing him as a "part-time tennis player" due to the relatively small number of tournaments and matches he played. Djokovic ended the year with a 39-11 win-loss record, winning two ATP 250 tournaments in Geneva and Athens, but prioritizing Grand Slams, missing on some Masters 1,000 tournaments as well as the ATP Finals.
"How do we judge this year against his career? It was like any year where he doesn't win a Major is probably disappointing for him. This year was insane to watch. He was basically a part-time tennis player who was still the third-best player in the world. It's a joke. It's unbelievably impressive", Roddick said.
Can Djokovic's body sustain a two-week Grand Slam?
Despite playing less tournaments and only winning two smaller tournaments worth 250 ATP points, he still reached semi-finals of all four Grand Slam, which grants 800 points. However, Roddick doubts that his body can hold up a two-week Grand Slam, with best-of-five games. "I don't know if he can train the way he used to. And if you can't do that, can you get your body to hold up over the course of two weeks at a Major best-of-five?"
Novak Djokovic has already confirmed the first tournament he will play in 2026, and it will be before the Australian Open, at the Adelaide International, an ATP 250 event between January 12-17. Do you think Novak Djokovic will win a Grand Slam this year?