“Can’t take away the No.1 ranking forever,” Andy Roddick shares blunt response to Novak Djokovic’s pick and choose tournament strategy

Andy Roddick reveals that Novak Djokovic doesn't care about his ranking position, following the Serbian's withdrawal from the Paris Masters.

“Can’t take away the No.1 ranking forever,” Andy Roddick shares blunt response to Novak Djokovic’s pick and choose tournament strategy

Andy Roddick (L) and Novak Djokovic (via Imago)

Novak Djokovic has featured in fewer tournaments this season than any Top 10 ATP player. The Serbian has also revealed on several occasions that he’s focused on playing Big tournaments at this stage of his career. The 37-year-old’s latest status has prompted Andy Roddick to share his perspective regarding Djokovic’s tournament schedules.

Recently, Djokovic was back on Tour for the Shanghai Masters after being away for over a month. The Serbian finished in the tournament as runners-up after losing to Jannik Sinner in the final. However, fans were expecting the Serbian to compete in the last Masters event of the year in Paris.

YouTube video

Surprisingly, Djokovic withdrew from the event, despite having won the Masters title last year after beating Grigor Dimitrov. Although he is sixth on the ATP Finals Live ranking after his good performance in Shanghai, his decision to pull out of the event might put his qualification for the year-end event at risk.

This worrying approach has led American legend Andy Roddick to reveal that Djokovic doesn’t care about rankings. The American added that he is already in the next phase of his career.

My interpretation of the way Novak is talking is that he doesn’t care about rankings any more. He knows where he has been. You can’t take away the number one ranking forever. He has had it for more weeks than anyone. This is how the next phase of his career is going to go where he picks his spots. He doesn’t care about Paris, isn’t going to play in Turin.

Andy Roddick said on his Served Podcast

Djokovic is presently ranked World No.4 in the ATP rankings. It is worth noting that he has earlier set a record by becoming the first player to spend 428 weeks as World No.1, an achievement that no player in the history of the sport might be able to reach.

Novak Djokovic confesses his difficulty in finding motivation on Tour

Novak Djokovic recently revealed that it is hard to find motivation on Tour. The Serbian has won 99 career titles, including 24 Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold. This season, he is yet to win any tour-level title and has reached only two finals.

Novak Djokovic (4)
Novak Djokovic (Image via X)

In an interview with La Nacion, Djokovic confessed that he doesn’t like spending prolonged periods away from home and his children. Yet, he emphasized that he still has the drive to win major titles before retiring from the sport.

Traveling and finding motivation is becoming more difficult for me. It’s not easy. And even less so with children. I don’t want to be away from home for so long, but I still have the drive. So I feel sorry for those who want me to retire, because they will have to see me for a while longer.

Novak Djokovic said

Djokovic’s last match was at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia. He finished third in the exhibition event after beating Rafael Nadal in straight sets.