Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal crossed paths on several occasions, competing at the sport’s biggest tournaments.
The American and Spanish stars played one another ten times on the ATP Tour, as one player enjoyed far more success than the other.
Nadal won seven of their ten matches, while Roddick won just three, at the US Open in 2004, the Dubai Tennis Championships in 2008, and the Miami Open in 2010.
Both players won Major titles and reached world number one during their careers, although Nadal’s spell at the top lasted longer than Roddick’s as he won 21 more Slams and held the number one ranking for 196 more weeks.
Roddick retired from tennis in 2012, 12 years before the Spaniard did so in 2024 following the conclusion of the Davis Cup.
Nadal’s longevity in the sport had been praised throughout his career, as Roddick now admits he wasn’t too sure the 22-time Major champion would stick around for as long as he did.
Andy Roddick admits he thought Rafael Nadal would be ‘done’ by 27 or 28 years old due to injuries
Roddick interviewed Nadal on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast recently and admitted that he got something ‘extremely wrong’ about the legendary Spanish star.
“You know he has had a lot of injuries,” he said.
“He plays so physical, it’s not super surprising.
“I thought he was going to be done by 27 or 28 years old, if I am being honest.
“His longevity is something that I got extremely wrong.”
Nadal won his final Major title at the 2022 French Open as a 35-year-old, making him the sixth oldest Grand Slam champion in Open Era history.
Roddick then spoke about the foot injury that caused Nadal problems during the latter stages of his career, describing it as ‘gross.’
“He took his shoe off, there is a gremlin coming out his foot,” said Roddick.
“I said to him that it looked like his foot was pregnant, it looked like his foot was pregnant.
“He’s tough.
“There is something living in there, he thinks it’s a tennis injury, it’s kind of like a beehive that is about to explode or something, it was gross.”
Nadal also named the year he first injured his foot back at the beginning of his tennis career.
“He said he first hurt that foot at the end of 2005,” said Roddick.
“He said 2005 was a good year, I won 11 times on tour.”
The 11 ATP titles Rafael Nadal won in 2005
He may have struggled with injury but that didn’t stop him from enjoying one of the best years of his career in 2005, as Nadal picked up 11 ATP titles.
Only his rival Roger Federer could match him 20 years ago, also picking up 11 titles, as the Spaniard truly developed into one of the best players in men’s tennis.
| Tournament | Month | Final Opponent | Score |
| Brasil Open | February | Alberto Martin | 6-0, 6-7, 6-1 |
| Mexican Open | February | Albert Montanes | 6-1, 6-0 |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | April | Guillermo Coria | 6-3, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 |
| Barcelona Open | April | Juan Carlos Ferrero | 6-1, 7-6, 6-3 |
| Italian Open | May | Guillermo Coria | 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 |
| French Open | June | Mariano Puerta | 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 |
| Swedish Open | July | Tomas Berdych | 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 |
| Stuttgart Open | July | Gaston Gaudio | 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 |
| Canadian Open | August | Andre Agassi | 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 |
| China Open | September | Guillermo Coria | 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 |
| Madrid Open | October | Ivan Ljubicic | 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 |
Nadal won his first Major title at the French Open in 2005, battling back from a set down to beat Mariano Puerta on Court Philippe Chatrier.
He won 11 of his 12 finals in 2005, with his only defeat coming at the hands of his greatest rival, Federer, at the Miami Open.
In a Floridian thriller, Federer secured his first career victory over Nadal having lost to him at the same venue one year earlier.
The Swiss star took home the title after five sets of grueling action, 2-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Nadal retired from tennis in 2024 having never won more titles in a year than he did in 2005, as he racked up the wins regardless of injury.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
