Andy Roddick says the game of tennis is lucky to have had great champions such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams to play as long as they did. Federer, who turned pro in 1998, captured 20 Grand Slams during his astonishing career and he is considered the ultimate tennis icon.
On the other side, Williams – who turned pro in 1995 – won 23 Grand Slams during her illustrious career and she played at a high level until her retirement. Federer and Williams left a major mark on tennis history and they went down as one of the greatest players in tennis history.
Roddick on Federer, Williams
“Well I don’t think you can and they both did it in their own way. There was Serena coming from Compton and opening tennis up to an entire country of minority girls and women, and the impact that she had.
In the way that Roger went about his business where you don’t have to go and punch someone in the nose because they are No. 1 in the world. They both went about it in their own ways, with their own style, with their own personality, they were both very, very greedy with Grand Slam titles but gosh, we are so lucky to have had them in the game of tennis and Paul mentioned, for as long as we had them.
They made a 23-year career seem normal,” Roddick said on Tennis Channel. With Federer and Williams retired, there are new faces dominating the tours. In the men’s game, 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is a Grand Slam champion and the youngest No 1 in tennis history.
In women’s tennis, 21-year-old Iga Swiatek already has three Grand Slams and she has established herself as the most dominant player in the women’s game. After Federer retired, he was asked about the state of tennis. Federer answered by stating that the game is currently in good hands with the level of talent it currently has.
