When Did Novak Become A Threat? What Was Rafa’s Forehand Like? | Q&Andy
4/16/202621 min
Want to be featured on the next Q&Andy? Send us a video on our socials or email us at askandy@servedmediagroup.com Andy Roddick pulls back the curtain on tennis greatness, revealing what made Roger Federer nearly impossible to solve, why Rafael Nadal’s forehand felt like “death” across five sets, and how Novak Djokovic’s extreme discipline separated him from everyone chasing him. This episode dives into the real differences between the Big 3 and the rising “New 2” of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner—plus a hilarious look back at the Big 3 karaoke moments from Roland Garros in the late 2000’s. 📱 Stay up to date with Q&Andy! Follow us on our socials: https://www.instagram.com/servedpodcast https://www.tiktok.com/@served_podcast https://x.com/served_podcast ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Welcome to Q&Andy 0:50 What gets overlooked about Roger Federer? 2:30 Andy's game plans for facing Federer 4:00 The nightmare of Rafael Nadal’s heavy forehand 5:29 Understanding the "arc" and margin of Rafa's spin 7:21 How court surfaces impact Nadal’s power 7:54 Novak Djokovic’s "maniacal" discipline and flexibility 10:07 When did Djokovic first arrive as a serious threat? 11:52 Comparing the competition faced by the Big Three to the "New Two" (Alcaraz & Sinner) 12:58 Locker room reactions to the Big Three losing 14:10 The hardest players to handle outside the Big Three 15:59 Reacting to Novak & Rafa's Roland-Garros karaoke 17:38 Andy Roddick's go-to karaoke anthem Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
[gentle music] The truth is, no one does it alone. And why would you want to? We all need someone to make us believe. Hashtag you got this.
Novak Djokovic· Soundbite0:10
I'm sticking with you.
Speaker 00:12
Brought to you by Adidas.
Andy Roddick· Host0:14
[upbeat music] [audience cheering] Welcome to Q&Andy, the show where I don't know what's gonna happen, Mike.
Jon Wertheim· Co-host0:25
Yeah. I mean, it's kinda by design.
Andy Roddick· Host0:26
But it is brought to you ... No. [laughs] Go ahead.
Jon Wertheim· Co-host0:28
Still nobody.
Andy Roddick· Host0:29
Yeah.
Jon Wertheim· Co-host0:29
Maybe that'll change soon.
Andy Roddick· Host0:30
Maybe.
Jon Wertheim· Co-host0:30
Maybe not.
Andy Roddick· Host0:31
We'll see.
Jon Wertheim· Co-host0:31
I don't know. On this episode, we decided after watching the big two do what the big two do, which are the b- ... I don't know what we're gonna call them. Uh, what's the new-- what's the new- The new two. The new two.
Andy Roddick· Host0:40
Yeah.
Jon Wertheim· Co-host0:41
The new two. We thought [beep] let's talk about the big three.
Andy Roddick· Host0:42
Great.
Jon Wertheim· Co-host0:44
Somebody that you know.
Andy Roddick· Host0:44
Okay.
Jon Wertheim· Co-host0:45
I'm sure it'll be good, but as a reminder, if you wanna- Yay. [laughs] [laughs] If you wanna be featured on the show, send your questions to askandy@servepodcast.com or hit us up on our DMs on social or here in the comments. First up, Andrew wrote us and said this: "You mentioned recently that Pete Sampras is one of the greatest athletes in tennis has ever seen."
Andy Roddick· Host1:05
Yeah.
Jon Wertheim· Co-host1:05
"And it doesn't get talked about enough. What do you think gets overlooked the most when it comes to Roger Federer?"
Andy Roddick· Host1:12
Not a lot gets overlooked. Um, I mean, uh, uh, the, the one thing that I think people always talk about, players always mention how good of a server he is. Fans always mention all the other stuff.
Jon Wertheim· Co-host1:26
Mm-hmm.
Andy Roddick· Host1:27
Like when you, when you're like, "What does Fed do well?" It's like the slice, and