‘Like to Sit Down With Him’: Andy Roddick Reveals What Fascinates Him About Andy Murray

Andy Roddick has never been shy in expressing his deep admiration for Andy Murray. From hailing the Brit for his tennis IQ to praising his coaching skills, it won’t be wrong to say that Roddick holds his former competitor in very high regard. Unsurprisingly, it turns out, he is still impressed with what Murray went on to accomplish at Wimbledon almost 13 years ago.

“The fact that Murray held on and won this tournament despite such pressure, in that ‘aquarium’ atmosphere, was an incredible achievement, but it was completely underestimated outside of Great Britain,” he said on a recent episode of the Served podcast.

“We’re talking about giant screens set up all over the country, with hundreds of thousands of people gathering to watch them. But this wasn’t a team—it was one person. The fact that he succeeded and then repeated the feat… I’d love to sit down with him. It would be a dream episode to sit down with him and get an honest perspective on just how much pressure he felt, because I’d never seen anything like it.”

After defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets to clinch the Wimbledon title in 2013, Murray went on to repeat this feat three years later. He downed Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 in the final of the 2016 edition to triumph once again at the SW19. Roddick feels that this is an even bigger achievement and wants Murray to open up about the insane pressure that he had felt at the time.

To say that Murray was under pressure heading into the 2013 Wimbledon final would be a massive understatement. Having lost to Roger Federer in the previous year’s championship match, the home favorite returned to Centre Court carrying the hopes of a nation desperate to see a British man lift the singles trophy for the first time in generations.

Facing world No. 1 Djokovic, Murray delivered one of the most significant victories in British sporting history. Despite the straight-set scoreline, the contest was anything but straightforward. After taking the opening set 6-4, Murray found himself trailing 4-1 in the second before mounting a remarkable comeback to claim it 7-5. He then held his nerve through a tense final set to complete a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory in three hours and nine minutes.

The magnitude of the occasion was reflected in the closing moments of the match, as Murray needed four championship points to finally end Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon. Overcome by the occasion afterward, he admitted, “I have no idea what happened. I don’t know how long it was. Sorry.”

Djokovic, gracious in defeat, acknowledged Murray’s performance by saying, “The bottom line is he was the better player in decisive moments. He was getting some incredible points on the stretch, running down the drop shots all over the court. He played fantastic tennis, no question.”

Murray became the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry triumphed in 1936.

This triumph saw Murray become the new hope of British tennis, and he was expected to achieve even more success at Wimbledon. That is exactly what he did three years later, capturing his second title on London’s iconic grass courts and his third Grand Slam title as a whole. This was the win that led many to believe that Murray is the only one who could challenge the dominance of the Big 3.

However, the Brit would end up suffering a career-threatening hip injury just a year later in 2017. Despite undergoing arthroscopic surgery and implanting a metal hip in 2019, Murray was never able to reach the same level in his career.

He eventually retired in 2024 and entered coaching. He had a brief six-month stint with Djokovic in 2024 beforejoining Jack Draper’s team ahead of the ongoing grass swing.

Despite arguably achieving less than expected in his career, Murray is still seen as an absolute legend of tennis. While fans fondly remember both of his Wimbledon triumphs, it is undoubtedly the 2013 victory that means more to him.

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