Andy Roddick has shared his sheer fascination for Novak Djokovic following his epic victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon.
And it is a perfectly understandable feeling, with the Serbian having just produced one of the all-time great moments at the prestigious tournament.
Playing out the longest Wimbledon quarterfinal ever, Djokovic beat Auger-Aliassime 7-6(12-10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4-7), 7-6(10-4) after five hours and 15 minutes.
The 39-year-old has now drawn huge praise from former ATP number one Roddick, who like many was left in awe by the legendary figure yet again.
Andy Roddick fascinated by Novak Djokovic after Wimbledon quarterfinal win
Speaking on his Served podcast, three-time Wimbledon finalist Roddick said of Djokovic: “On top of all the superlatives of winning and all that, the part that fascinates me the most, is he has already finished tennis.
“He has won everything so many times. He has a beautiful family. He is chasing ghosts.
“That is only a small part of it, but to live as disciplined as he has lived for as long as he has lived that way and then to still have that kind of energy where this matters to him still.
“It can’t be undersold. It’s not as if he just rocks up and can play five hours.
“I know he is playing a limited schedule but every bite that he has affects his job, every night of sleep that he has still affects his job, every decision that he makes, even while he is not on Tour still affects his job.
“He doesn’t need any of it. It’s not as if he has to have it or there is a number for retirement. The motivators are an unknown road.
“It’s not at the point where he’s guaranteed to win Slams any more or goes in and thinks I am going to hold a trophy in two weeks. It’s unknown.
“You might get mad about the way he goes about things or yells or things, but put that aside. This is a separate conversation. Get over it. Let’s talk purely about tennis and longevity.
“In tennis you are isolated, it’s not as if you have a locker room and the camaraderie and all of those things to hold you up.
“There is no coach saying, listen, you still play great – give me 22 good minutes tonight. How about five hours and 15 minutes tonight alone?
“He just proves how hard tennis is, the value of it, and that to me is the thing that I always am fascinated by.”
It’s certainly a fair assessment from Roddick, who truly appreciates what Djokovic is currently doing despite his age and the subsequent limitations.
Whether or not he can repeat his heroics against Jannik Sinner in the semifinal remains to be seen, but he can hold his head extremely high regardless of who wins that clash.
Jannik Sinner vs Novak Djokovic – Who reaches the Wimbledon final?
The best in the world takes on the G.O.A.T.
Nick Kyrgios reacts to Novak Djokovic epic at Wimbledon
Of course, the epic quarterfinal has caught the eye of the tennis world, with Sinner among those undoubtedly left impressed by Djokovic.
Also on that list is their ATP rival Nick Kyrgios, who shared a one-word reaction to the match on social media.
Djokovic summarised the night on Instagram, writing: “My longest Wimbledon match ever. An unforgettable night shift.”
And his friend Kyrgios shared the post on his Instagram story, adding the word: “Villain.”
The veteran, who beat the Australian in the 2022 final for his last Wimbledon title, is now eyeing more magic on Centre Court.
Victory over Sinner would undoubtedly surpass his defeat of Auger-Aliassime, and would leave Djokovic just one win away from a record 25th Grand Slam title.
