Andy Roddick questions Stefanos Tsitsipas’ ‘ridiculous’ claim of Grand Slams being less important than ATP Final while criticizing him for withdrawing

Andy Roddick not happy with Stefanos Tsitsipas' recent claim on Grand Slams and ATP Finals.

Andy Roddick questions Stefanos Tsitsipas’ ‘ridiculous’ claim of Grand Slams being less important than ATP Final while criticizing him for withdrawing

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andy Roddick (Via Eurosports, Wikipedia)

Former world champion Andy Roddick recently voiced his skepticism over Stefanos Tsitsipas’ recent decision to pull out from the Nitto ATP Finals. In his recent match against Holger Rune, the Greek was down a game when he faced a little issue in his back and eventually caved in and gave a walkthrough to the Dane.

Stefanos Tsitsipas had opened up about his withdrawal and expressed his disappointment in leaving the tournament midway. Andy Roddick also backed the Greek to withdraw and prepare for the next season while disagreeing with the comments made by Stefanos.

Before the ATP finals, Tsitsipas made a big claim by rating Grand Slams inferior to the year-end tournament.

FS Video
We all gather together and we get to play against each other and focus on the fact that we are the best in the world trying to fight for this mega trophy, which is a grand prize in our sport. It means a lot. I would consider it probably a bigger thing than a Slam, honestly.

Andy Roddick on a recent episode of Tennis Channel said he labelled Tsitsipas claim on Grand Slams ‘ridiculous’.

I know he said something ridiculous this week about how this is bigger than a Slam if you win it. I 1000% fully disagree and I don't even think he believes what he said but look I would've had an eye on next year, especially if you're nursing multiple injuries.

Andy Roddick thinks that Stefanos should have prioritized health over ATP Finals

Stefanos Tsitsipas has now been replaced by the next player in line Hubert Hurkacz who is all set to play one game against Novak Djokovic. This is the match that would decide the world number 1’s fate in the ATP Finals.

In the same Tennis Channel episode, Andy Roddick shared his opinion about Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrawing from the tournament.

My opinion is that, if your elbow is beat up, if your back is beat up and you're down a match already, you've got to start thinking about January, and Listen, he made the finals in Australia last year, he's always played well down there
Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas
Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas (Via The Press Democrat)

With the 2024 Australian Open as the upcoming Grand Slam, many players including Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka are all set to return to tennis. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments of the tennis season and Andy Roddick advises the Greek to heal his injuries and gear up early for January where he has always performed well. Since 2021, the Greek have reached the Australian Open semi-finals 2 times and finals in 2023.

In Case You Missed It: