The former number one reacts blindly to the Roland Garros draw in the most recent episode of “Served with Andy Roddick” podcast, and comedy ensues.
This week, Andy Roddick and regular podcast guest Jon Wertheim dissected the Roland Garros draw, match-up by match.
Roddick opened the game by saying, “I have not seen the draw yet.” “Recent form, the time, and the match-up will all be important considerations.”
Against his instinct as a fan to predict Rafael Nadal’s seeding, Roddick assessed the women’s draw first, per the producers’ request, and assembled his choices in a manner akin to a March Madness bracket.
At Roland Garros, Swiatek is aiming for her fourth victory in a row.
The former world No. 1 was ecstatic to see a probable second-round matchup between Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek right away.
“We don’t often have that, do we? The last four champions are in the first eight lines of this event.” stated Wertheim.
It was mutually agreed upon by the two that Swiatek would advance to the final round of the draw, no matter how many past champions were in her division.
“I still like Swiatek, even though this could be the worst draw in draw history,” Roddick remarked.
Danielle Collins’s time at Roland Garros is coming to an end.
Roddick placed Swiatek against Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round, whereupon Swiatek faced Danielle Collins.
He declared, “Collins is going to make the quarters.” Even if she hadn’t appeared on the program, I still would have said that.
All four of the top seeds are in his remaining quarterfinal matches, which should provide for an intriguing debate between Roddick and Wertheim.
Wertheim remarked, “We’ll save the crazy for the men’s draw.”
Roddick forced himself to hold back from looking for Nadal’s name in the bracket when it came time for that evaluation. Rather, he laughed off a Djokovic upset in the first round and moved down the list.
Following a few “ooo”s and “ahh”s, he turned his attention to the first-round matchup between Thiago Seyboth Wild and Gael Monfils.
Wertheim remarked, “This is heart over head.” “Monfils, the French throng, the approaching Olympics.” Here, I believe you should prioritize style over substance.
Seyboth Wild advanced despite Roddick’s knowledge that he would “get roasted for this pick,” and he even defeated Lorenzo Musetti in the second round.
There were arguments about Tommy Paul and Francisco Cerundolo, a head shake on Taylor Fritz’s recent upset in Geneva, and finally the Casper Ruud vs. Jakub Mensik ruling.
Roddick remarked, “I can’t pick on Casper, but I’m just going to say that this Mensik guy is quickly becoming a pain in the ass for a lot of people.” “It’s not a 95–5 matchup; it’s closer than that, and it’s not a given,” I said. Ruud is a difficult draw.
The yelling then started. “I discovered it! Oh my god! Roddick bellowed. “Holy sh*t, f*ck me first round!”
Zverev and Nadal will not have faced one another since the 2022 Roland Garros quarterfinals.
A deeper moan is heard as Roddick covers his eyes and learns that Rafael Nadal will take on Alexander Zverev in the opening round.
Roddick remarked, “I detest what I’m about to say, I detest what I’m about to say.” This is so multilayered. There are undoubtedly a few favorites entering this event; the last time Zverev participated, he broke his ankle and missed more than a year. And our beloved Rafa, Rafa. Rafa, our friend and his final Roland Garros. [To producer] Please say it for me; I won’t say it. I won’t say it aloud because I can’t.
Producer Mike murmured Zverev’s name, which validated Roddick’s hopelessness.
When Andy learned who Rafa’s opponent was, Roddick remarked, “If we’re going to spin it positively for Rafa, I think his best chance of making a deep run is getting through a match like this first.”
Wertheim contended, “Same court, same opponent in which Zverev suffered this horrific injury that almost ended his career.” Although Zverev demonstrated his ability to compartmentalize well in other contexts, I can’t help but wonder if there may be some psychological component at play. Playing the guy on the other side of the net when you suffered this terrible injury is more important than having to face the legendary Rafa Nadal, a 14-time champion.
This is really heart above head. There might be a rain delay because of how enthusiastic the audience is going to be. I do believe that occasionally, tennis provides us with these opportunities.Rafa will prevail.Tennis gods have peculiar ways of working.
Roddick remarked, “I would love to eat sh*t on this pick.” “If Rafael wins this match, he advances to the semifinals.”
Along the process, people were making predictions and debating between Khachanov and Rune. Ben Shelton was selected quickly in the third round, while Felix Auger-Aliassime reminded people of Tony Nadal in his corner not too long ago.
Another name Roddick could easily go to the next round of the draw was Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“They say what they say,” Wertheim remarked. “Single and prepared to advance to a major’s quarterfinals.”
Then, with a lot of confidence and Wertheim’s agreement, Roddick announced Alcaraz as a quarterfinals choice.
Roddick remarked, “This is a lovely little section for Alcaraz.” Watching Korda-Alcaraz might be entertaining.
Roddick eased past Hubert Hurkacz into the fourth round in the last round of the draw, although he was frustrated to see Frances Tiafoe through without knowing who his qualifying opponent would be.
Alejandro Tabilo was praised by Wertheim, who preferred him to Dimitrov for the section’s quarters. And while Roddick was back to calling out names when he saw Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray in a first-round match, Wertheim’s decision to go with Nicolas Jarry to the semifinals was the biggest surprise.
“I’m all for Sinner, but I have a hip injury.This isn’t nice,” Wertheim remarked. “On the basis of health alone, I believe Nicolas Jarry will be around for a very long time,” the statement reads.
After comparing their selections side by side, the two concluded that Djokovic, Nadal (Wertheim’s “tennis god”), Alcaraz, Rublev, and Fritz were the players who would advance to the quarterfinals.
At the very end, Roddick declared, “I hate every pick that I made.”
This episode will premiere on T2 on Sunday night and be accessible on Tuesday on all media platforms. Prepare yourself for an incredible two weeks in Paris by learning Roddick and Wertheim’s predictions for the semifinals and beyond.
As Rafael Nadal prepares to compete in his 19th Roland Garros main draw after winning the competition a record 14 times, the fans have been incredibly understanding. The Spaniard missed the Sunshine Swing and his scheduled appearances at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, missing the Australian Open owing to an injury he sustained during the Brisbane International. He eventually made his comeback at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
He was defeated by Alex de Minaur in the second round of the Barcelona Open, but he exacted revenge a week later at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he had his best finish of the year by making it to the fourth round. Less success was had by the Internazionali BNL d’Italia when he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the second round.
In the 2024 Roland Garros men’s singles draw, where did Rafael Nadal finish?
Alexander Zverev, the Rome champion who advanced to the Roland Garros semifinals the previous three years, will be Nadal’s first opponent. In the second set of his semifinal matchup with Rafael Nadal in 2022, Zverev suffered an ankle injury. Nadal went on to win the match. Although Zverev has been playing well throughout the 2024 season, making it to the semifinals of both the Australian Open and the Miami Open, Nadal leads their head-to-head record 7-3. Zverev’s trial for the appeal of a penalty order resulting from a domestic abuse accusation brought by his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea is set to start on May 31, but he is not legally obligated to be present.
If Nadal wins, Zverev would draw him, and he wouldn’t play another seed until at least the third round—No. 26 Tallon Griekspoor. In the fourth round, Nadal might play either No. 13 seed Holger Rune or No. 18 seed Karen Khachanov in the same section as No. 5 seed Daniil Medvedev.
