Novak Djokovic is ‘the best grass court player in the world’ when he’s healthy, according to former ATP world no. 1, Andy Roddick.
The American was a great grass player in his time, making the Wimbledon final three times but losing all three. In all three of them, Roddick lost to Roger Federer, who dominated at SW19 at the time.
His final loss was an iconic match that finished 16-14 for Federer in the fifth set, something we wouldn’t see today due to the new rules in place. His track record proves that Roddick knows grass tennis really well, and he shared some of his wisdom for the Tennis Channel ahead of the upcoming 137th edition of the Wimbledon Championships.
According to the three-time Wimbledon finalist, Djokovic is the best grass player in the world if fully healthy. Obviously, with the recent knee injury, there are many question marks, but when fully healthy, the American has no doubt about his qualities.
“I still say, when healthy, Novak is the best grass court player in the world. I don’t think he gets talked about enough. We like to say Novak – hard, Rafa – clay, Roger – grass, but Novak is one behind Roger, as far as Wimbledon titles. But, we don’t know, health is a big issue. Because of that, you’re probably putting Sinner and Alcaraz right there as co-favorites for this title.”
The knee will certainly be something to watch because he will have to move around a lot on the grass. He will slide a few times so the knee will be tested. According to reports, the recovery might be going well, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still rushed.
If it holds up, he might succeed, but if it doesn’t and bothers him, there are players ready to step up and win the grass-court major. Carlos Alcaraz did it last year.
