‘She Has That Novak Thing’ – Andy Roddick Sets Djokovic as Benchmark While Describing Iga Swiatek’s Hard to Master Trait

What could be more satisfying than mastering the finest traits of your sport? For Iga Swiatek, perhaps nothing comes close. The Polish sensation has showcased remarkable skills, firmly positioning herself as the World No. 1 in the WTA rankings. The Pole’s gameplay has garnered widespread praise from all corners of the tennis community. Joining the chorus of admiration, Andy Roddick has highlighted a particularly hard-to-master trait that Swiatek has seamlessly added to her skill set, setting her apart from her peers. 

Iga Swiatek has had a sensational season so far. Her dominance on the clay courts was spectacular with the Pole winning the Italian Open and the Madrid Open. Adding another feather to her cap, she further went on to win the French Open consecutively for the third time, and her fourth in total. But, to remain undefeated, one needs to hone some powerful skills, which she has likely developed according to 2003 US Open champion. During the latest episode of Served with Andy Roddick, the former tennis player compared Iga Swiatek to Novak Djokovic’s hard to master trait, by comparing their second serves which has often troubled the opponents.

Andy Roddick believes that Iga Swiatek has mirrored similar skills. “It just, it feels like her opponents are just picking that first ball up off their feet from the middle of the court.” Emphasizing that she has developed Djokovic-like skills, he further lauded her gameplay. “Like she has that Novak thing, well Novak’s the master of putting a second serve on your shoe tops, right to where you don’t have an angle you have to play back up to him.” 

Novak Djokovic’s second serve has been seen as deadly by Tennis pundits who regard him as the master player of the trait. Interestingly, an Infosys ATP analysis of 41 matches against right-handed opponents this season shows that Djokovic actually prefers to hit second serves to the forehand wing than backhand as preferred by many players. Nole was even more ruthless at winning second-serve points when his return went back into play, winning 61.8 percent of points. Well, Andy Roddick’s praise for Iga is not new.

The Former American Tennis player had earlier likened the WTA World No. 1 to the legends of the game like Rafael Nadal. He previously praised Swiatek’s footwork, likening it to Nadal’s. “Iga has this ‘Rafian’ ability to slide, hit, and then, in one motion, be a foot back towards the middle.” As Iga continues to dominate the world of Women’s tennis, her skills are not the only thing she has been praised for. 

When Novak Djokovic praised Iga Swiatek’s ‘fighting spirit’

After his second-round victory against Bernabe Zapata Miralles in New York in the 2023 US Open, the Tennis superstar Djokovic was seen in all-out praise for Iga. He lauded the devotion and dedication of the pole and commended her fighting spirit.

Speaking at the post-match interview, Djokovic immensely praised Swiatek. “Iga has been dominating the women’s game last couple of years, she is a multiple Grand Slam winner. I love her devotion and dedication,” Highlighting her humility, he went on to laud her fighting spirit. “Maybe she’s too humble to say, too modest to say, but she’s got a great fighting spirit, no doubt.”

The 23-year-old had also responded positively to Djokovic and had said that her game improved only after 2022. “There was a time when I simply couldn’t play like that, with the same focus and intensity. It was only in 2022 when I reached such a level that everything came together and started to work.”

As the season proceeds further with another Grand Slam, Wimbledon, coming into the picture soon, it will be interesting to see if Iga can outshine her previous performances and utilize her skills to win on all three surfaces.