Andy Murray says ‘this is great’ as huge Wimbledon deal is announced | Tennis | Sport
Sir Andy Murray has praised ESPN for appointing former World No. 1 Andy Roddick as an analyst for their tennis content, including this year’s Wimbledon. Roddick, 43, is a three-time Wimbledon finalist and US Open winner who was one of the most popular players on the tour.
As well as being a world class player on the tour, Roddick has also become a significant voice as a pundit in the sport. His wide-reacing podcast ‘Served’ has close to 200,000 subscribers on YouTube, with many others listening on different platforms. However, his reach is about to grow even further as ESPN revealed he will provide analysis and punditry both in the studio and on-site at matches at Wimbledon and the US Open. Their latest decision received a glowing verdict from Murray, who believes the American is the perfect person to spearhead tennis punditry.
Murray took to X and said: “This is a great deal for tennis. Andy is absolutely brilliant on his podcast. Great knowledge of the game, well researched, speaks well, loves tennis, good fun, enjoys a debate and, my god tennis, needs way more of that on its broadcasts.”
Reacting to the announcement, Roddick also said: “Simply, I’m always just a massive fan of tennis. I’m very excited to join the ESPN tennis team and look forward to covering the two biggest tournaments in the world.”
UK tennis fans will remember Roddick for the way he reached the final at SW19 on three different occasions. He lost to Roger Federer in the show-piece final in 2004, 2005 and 2009, the latter being a particularly devastating defeat for the big serving American.
He is, however, the last American male player to win the US Open, having beaten Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets at Flushing Meadows in 2006. Away from the Grand Slams, he did win 32 ATP Tour singles titles, while also inspiring the USA to the 2007 Davis Cup title.
In 2017, five years after he retured from the sport, Roddick was enshrined into the Tennis Hall of Fame. His brilliance was further emphasised by Linda Schulz, the vice-president of production at ESPN.
She said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Andy to the team. ESPN has long led the way in delivering in-depth tennis analysis, and with several recent talent additions, we’ve further strengthened our coverage. Andy brings a distinctive, energetic, and highly relevant voice that will elevate both our studio and match coverage.”
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activateor add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
