Andy Roddick Jokes He's 'Not Greedy' Like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer: 'Only Wanted One More' Grand Slam (Exclusive)

Andy Roddick has no regrets about a career that keeps him awake – except for the Wimbledon title that eluded him.

In a retrospective look at his decorated tennis resume, the 42-year-old former athlete admits to PEOPLE that if he could have won any match, it would have been one of his three Wimbledon finals. All three times he was defeated by Roger Federer in the championship match. Most notably, the two played a five-set thriller in 2009 that resulted in a convincing victory for Federer, who is now 43 years old.

“I would be happier, I wouldn’t regret it. I’m not greedy like other guys, like Rafa [Nadal] and Roger. And Novak [Djokovic]”, jokes Roddick. “I just wanted one more. If I could have won two more points at Wimbledon, I think I would have thought back a lot less.”

Despite a few strategic regrets, he says he is “proud” of his 12-year career, which has included a US Open title and 13 weeks as world No.1.

“I rest well at night,” confirms the tennis star.

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Roger Federer and Andy Roddick after the men’s final at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships on July 5 in London.

AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNIS via Getty

Roddick notes that because he woke up diligently and put in the work — even on days when he didn’t feel 100% — “it made the tennis afterlife a little easier.”

After retiring in 2012, Roddick retired from the world of tennis to spend quality time with his wife, Brooklyn Decker, and their two children, 9-year-old Hank and 6-year-old Stevie. But at the beginning of 2024, he launched Served alongside Andy Roddick podcast, which also airs on the Tennis Channel.

The podcast puts Roddick’s skill at analyzing the game on full display. In one episode, he describes in detail why he puts Novak Djokovic first in the list of achievements and style of play in the debate for “the greatest of all time”.

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Andy Roddick presents Novak Djokovic with the 2023 US Open trophy in New York on September 10.

Team Clayton/Corbis via Getty

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As for why tennis fans have historically preferred Nadal, 38, or Federer, he explains to PEOPLE, “There’s a certain thing when someone comes along and breaks up the Beatles. I think we were in love with that rivalry with Rafa and Roger, and then this guy came in and was cheeky enough to say, ‘You know what? I will stop it and try to be better.’ ”

Roddick continues: “We like it when everything fits comfortably. AND [Novak] he must have stopped it and didn’t apologize for it.”

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Source: HIS Education