Andy Roddick believes Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev is a better tennis player than he ever was.
The former world No.1 has paid tribute to the Russian’s achievements in his career so far. Medvedev recently missed out on winning his second major title at Melbourne Park after losing a two-set lead against Jannik Sinner. It is the second time he has lost a final at the Australian Open after winning the first two sets. The first time he did so was against Rafael Nadal in 2022.
Medvedev endured a marathon journey in his latest tournament where he played four matches that went the full distance and spent more than 24 hours on the court. The longest period spend on the court by a player in the Open Era of Grand Slam tennis.
Roddick won one major title during his career at the 2003 US Open and was runner-up at Wimbledon on three occasions. Despite having the same amount of Grand Slams as Medvedev, he believes the world No.3 has a superior game compared to his.
“I know we always celebrate the winner and people are gonna knock Medvedev for being up two sets [and he] let it go – that’s trash if you do that. Because that’s in no way representative of what he did this entire tournament and what frankly he’s done for five or six years,” the American said on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
“One of the most underappreciated players ever. And I’ll throw myself under the bus on this one. Twitter the other day, there’s some conversation going and I get looped in and they’re going, someone said, ‘Medvedev’s the best player ever that has one Slam.’ And I was the answer of the counter.
“And I’ll just tell everyone right now, he’s better than I ever was. He has 20-something-odd titles. He’s won however many Masters Series events, one World Tour Finals, has been No.1 in the world, oh by the way – beat Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam final.
“[He] Has put himself there, I mean he’s been in back-to-back Grand Slam finals. This guy is better. If anyone calls him a ‘one Slam wonder’, they’re idiots and don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Medvedev currently has 20 ATP titles to his name which is 12 less than that of Roddick. So far in his career he has spent 16 weeks as world No.1 and has earned nearly $40M in prize money.
Despite his latest defeat, Roddick has backed the 27-year-old to bounce back once again. Adding that he believes the tennis star has earned the right to have a place in the Tennis Hall of Fame.
“I’ve never left a final watching Medvedev and thought he’s blown it or given it away. He makes someone earn it every single time. He’s played Rafa twice, Novak twice and an in-form Sinner. It’s just the way it goes. I lost four finals and won one. Sometimes you just come up against someone better on the day.” Roddick wrote in his Betway colum.
“We’re acting like this one’s going to be the thing that breaks him, but he’s done it before and has come back extraordinarily. I’m not worried about him showing up and being at the business end of every hardcourt Slam over the next couple of years and, personally, I’d love to see him win another one. He has beaten all the best players on the biggest stages and is no doubt a Hall of Famer in his own right.”
Medvedev’s position in the world’s top three will be under threat in the coming weeks. Over the next two months, he has a total of 2,850 points which is more than Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Last year he won titles in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami, while also reaching the Indian Wells final during this period.
