Andy Roddick defends Serena Williams

Andy Roddick has known Serena Williams since childhood, so when he saw that she was getting a lot of heat from the media, he decided it was time to step in.

Andy Roddick has known Serena Williams since childhood, so when he saw that she was getting a lot of heat from the media, he decided it was time to step in.

Roddick started out the interview with high praise for his childhood friend, saying that it was amazing how she had “become just this complete icon and the best female athlete of all time” with the support of “an entire country.”

But he also pointed out that she was getting a lot of negative attention for letting her temper out during matches, and considering the fact that he had been in several well-publicized stories of outrage (including once when he whacked a ball into the stands and another time when he was in trouble for throwing his racquet), he felt that the attention to her was more than a little unfair.

“We threw lots of fits on the court,” he said. “I was a [jerk] a lot of the time, and I didn’t get a quarter of the criticism that she ever got. To see her at this moment, and on the precipice of doing something great, and that will be remembered forever, it’s just so cool. I’m so happy for her, and I hope she does it.”


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