Rafael Nadal called time on his legendary tennis career last month.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. (Image: Getty.)
Andy Roddick has accused Novak Djokovic of ruining Rafael Nadal’s farewell from tennis by announcing Andy Murray as the Serb’s new coach.
A bombshell announcement was made last month confirming that Murray would be a part of Djokovic’s team up to and at the Australian Open, sending social media into a frenzy.
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Murray had not been expected to turn to professional coaching, especially with one of his most fierce rivals, with their link-up becoming the biggest talking point in tennis.
And it ensured that any discussion surrounding Nadal, his legacy in the game, and recent retirement was parked, according to 2003 US Open champion Roddick.
He took aim at the timing of Djokovic and Murray’s announcement, just four days after Nadal retired with his final match at the Davis Cup, complaining that the pair could have waited to give Nadal his flowers.
“I get memes are fun, but there is no part of this that’s a joke. I don’t think it’s a vanity project,” Roddick said on his Served podcast. “Hey, listen, is the attention fun? Is the buzz fun? Is it fun to know that you can create a s**tstorm in the tennis world and override any storyline?
Andy Roddick was less than impressed with Novak Djokovic’s timing. (Image: Getty)
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“‘Oh, oh, oh! Rafa retired this weekend? Should we dominate the headlines at the end of that week?’ There was zero reason why this needed to be announced. Zero.”
Djokovic initially confirmed that he would attend Nadal’s farewell in Malaga but was not in attendance at the Davis Cup match, only to announce his partnership with Murray the very same week.
The 37-year-old joined Murray and Roger Federer in sending video messages to Nadal, which were played at the event. The Spaniard replied: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
In the video, Djokovic said: “Rafa. First of all, congratulations on your amazing career. Your family, your team, yourself should be extremely proud of everything that you have achieved throughout your career that lasted more than 20 years.
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“In the tennis locker room we will miss your warm-ups, your sprints, your jumps, your incredibly competitive parchis – the games that you had with your team before your matches.
“We had a lot of fun times sharing the locker room. I just hope that today, even though it is a sad day for tennis, it is a sad day for Spain and sport in general that you are retiring.
“But at the same time, I hope that everyone will celebrate your career because there is so much to embrace, so much to celebrate.”
But despite that heartfelt tribute, Roddick believes that Djokovic had “zero reason” to cause what he felt was an abrupt end to Nadal’s retirement celebrations.
