Rafael Nadal 'entirely relatable and completely unrelatable,' says Andy Roddick; American unpacks Spaniard's impact on tennis

Andy Roddick recently lauded Rafael Nadal for his impact as a tennis player and a sporting great. The American believes that the Spaniard has inspired many budding talents to follow his game plan despite how difficult it looked in terms of shot mechanics.

The 22-time Major winner's illustrious career came to an end on Tuesday (November 19), as he dropped his last singles match during Spain's 1-2 defeat to the Netherlands in the last-eight stage of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Nadal received an emotional tribute from his peers and gave a goodbye speech to his faithful fans afterward.

2003 US Open winner Andy Roddick and tennis journalist Jon Wertheim subsequently showed their respect to the 38-year-old on the former's podcast 'Served with Andy Roddick'. The American, who was known for his first serve, admitted he would've never done well with Rafael Nadal's famed topspin-laden playing style.

Roddick then asserted that although Nadal's style and temperament were so tough to replicate, he had thousands of teens around the world who took a page out of the Spaniard's book.

"There are things that us normies can never replicate. I will never, in my life, go out and hit a ball and create a spinning mechanism. Even just for fun, I can't go out and just do it," Andy Roddick said in a snippet of his latest podcast that he shared on Instagram. "Like, it's such an otherworldly talent, but you tell a seven-year-old, 'Watch this guy, watch his temperament, watch the way he gets back.' Like simultaneously, I've never seen someone who is entirely relatable and completely unrelatable in the best ways."

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"I don't think we've sensed the full sweep of Rafael Nadal's impact yet" - Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim

The Spaniard waves to his fans in Malaga

During the podcast, Jon Wertheim spared a word for Rafael Nadal's character and approach to tennis. He also claimed that the tennis world was yet to fully understand the Spaniard's impact.

"His tennis values his decency, his modesty, his approach that's the kind of thing that millions of players [don't have]..." Jon Wertheim said on Served with Andy Roddick podcast. "I don't think we've sensed the full sweep of his impact yet."

Roddick, on his part, seemingly sympathized with the 22-time Major winner's large fanbase, who will miss their idol dearly following his retirement.

"I think the thing that causes emotion, a sense of loss, a loss of 'you're not going to be able to be an active fan of this person and watch them and participate' is Rafa's decency," he said.

While Rafael Nadal would've certainly liked to have had a one last hurrah at this week's Davis Cup Finals, he can take pride in guiding his nation to four titles (2004, 2009, 2011, 2019) at the team event.