Former US Open champ Andy Roddick recently labeled Novak Djokovic as Tennis’ Yoko Ono. However, he has been bashed by the Serb’s fans for this comparison.
Novak Djokovic’s resume speaks for himself and he has a plethora of titles, which includes 24 Grand Slams, 40 Masters, and seven year-end finals. However, some believe he is not in the stature of Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.
Andy Roddick compares Novak Djokovic to Yoko Ono
During a recent episode of the Served With Andy Roddick podcast, Andy Roddick drew similarities between Djokovic and Ono. The tennis rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is certainly one of the greatest chapters in the history of the sport. Federer and Nadal have gone head to head 40 times, with Nadal leading 24–16 overall, including 14–10 in finals.
Now, Roddick reckoned that the Serb stepping up amid Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s dominance from the late 2000s made him a hated figure among the Swiss and Spaniard’s respective fanbases.
Roddick mentioned Ono, who was somewhat disliked by Beatles fans after she was entailed in a romantic relationship with the late John Lennon. Lennon quit the band in 1969 after marrying the Japanese artist earlier that year.
“He (Djokovic) is like tennis’ Yoko (Ono). He is the one who we didn’t want, didn’t need. We had the rivalry, we had the lefty-righty. We had the contrasting styles,” Andy Roddick said.
However, Roddick faced backlash as his comments did not sit well with Djokovic’s fans. The former World No. 1 decided to take to social media and address the matter.
“Lots of rage from the fanbase of the person I’m complimenting hahaha Up is down, down is up. But anyways, Math doesn’t care about feelings. His is the resume you’d take. No questions asked,” Roddick wrote on X.
It was in the context of public perception. I think it’s entirely comparable. Beatles fans needed someone to be mad at.
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) February 28, 2024
A fan responded to Roddick saying that he should have known that he would receive flak if he wanted to compare Djokovic with Ono. The 41-year-old replied to the user, writing:
“It was in the context of public perception, I think it’s entirely comparable, Beatles fans needed someone to be mad at.”
It was in the context of public perception. I think it’s entirely comparable. Beatles fans needed someone to be mad at.
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) February 28, 2024
