Rafael Nadal called time on his legendary tennis career last month.
Andy Roddick has accused Novak Djokovic of destroying Rafael Nadal’s goodbye to tennis by presenting Andy Murray as the Serb’s new coach.
Last month, a stunning statement was made announcing Murray’s inclusion on Djokovic’s team leading up to and throughout the Australian Open, sending social media into a frenzy.
Murray was not anticipated to resort to professional tutoring, especially with one of his fiercest competitors, and their partnership has become the biggest discussion point in tennis.
According to 2003 US Open champion Roddick, it also put an end to any talk about Nadal’s legacy in the game and recent retirement.
He criticized the timing of Djokovic and Murray’s statement, which came just four days after Nadal retired from his final Davis Cup match, claiming that the pair could have waited to offer Nadal flowers.
“I understand memes are entertaining, but none of this is a joke. “I don’t think it’s a vanity project,” Roddick stated on his Served podcast. “Hey, are you enjoying the attention? Is the buzz enjoyable? Isn’t it fun to know that you can cause a s**tstorm in the tennis world and overturn any storyline?
“Oh, oh, oh! Did Rafa retire this weekend? Should we dominate the headlines by the end of the week? There was no reason why this had to be revealed. Zero.”
Djokovic initially stated that he would attend Nadal’s goodbye in Malaga, but did not attend the Davis Cup match, only to announce his alliance with Murray the same week.
The 37-year-old joined Murray and Roger Federer in delivering video tributes to Nadal, which were aired during the ceremony. The Spaniard responded, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
In the footage, Djokovic says, “Rafa.” First and foremost, congratulations on your wonderful career. Your family, team, and you should all be immensely proud of everything you’ve accomplished over the course of your more than 20-year career.
“In the tennis locker room, we will miss your warm-ups, sprints, hops, and very competitive parchis – the games you played with your teammates before matches.
“We had a lot of fun together in the locker room. I only hope that your retirement today, as sad as it is for tennis, is also sad for Spain and sport in general.
“But at the same time, I hope that everyone will celebrate your career because there is so much to embrace, so much to celebrate.”
Despite that touching tribute, Roddick says Djokovic had “zero reason” to cut short Nadal’s retirement festivities.
