Roger Federer and Andy Roddick enjoyed several legendary battles on the ATP Tour.
Throughout the 2000s, Federer and Roddick competed for some of the sport’s greatest prizes, often facing off during the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments.
Four times, the pair played in Major finals, as Federer beat Roddick on all four occasions, cementing his dominance against the American star.
Their most memorable encounter came at SW19, 16 years ago, as the Swiss phenom won a thriller to clinch the title at Wimbledon, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14.
The pair faced off just three more times after 2009, as Roddick retired from ATP action in 2012, trailing the head-to-head with Federer, 3-21.
While intense, their rivalry perhaps wasn’t as close as many remember, partly thanks to a trick the Swiss star used throughout, that remained undetected by Roddick for over a decade.
Andy Roddick was tricked by Roger Federer during their matches for 12 years before he realized
Speaking to the Tennis Channel in 2020, Roddick looked back on his rivalry with Federer, explaining how his opponent often gained the edge over him.
“For a while, any time I decided I would try to run around a second serve return against Roger [Federer] I would always pick the wrong time, he would hit like a slice cut second serve,” said Roddick.
“I guess I did something, I popped up like a quarter of a second earlier than I normally did, just to accept a backhand return, and he knew that for 12 years, and would just pull the string.
“He would keep his eyes on me for longer, he kind of has that thing where he’s looking at the returner longer than most people do when they serve.”
After years of making the same mistake, Roddick finally figured out what was going wrong, and quickly made an adjustment.
“I finally figured this out, someone let it slip somewhere along the line, and the last couple of times I played him I was just cranking second serve returns,” he said.
“There was this moment where I got a hold of like three or four in Miami where I was playing terribly and he was still Roger, and I somehow won that match.
“There was this look early on in the second set of ‘Oh, you know now’, and I’m like yeah, took me 12 years to figure out.”
Roddick beat Federer in their final career meeting at the 2012 Miami Open, 7-6, 1-6, 6-4, having lost his previous six matches against the 20-time Major champion.
Andy Roddick’s first win over Roger Federer in Canada 22 years ago
Federer won the pair’s first four encounters, as he stormed into an early lead in their head-to-head.
- 2003 Wimbledon SF – Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3
- 2002 Basel QF – Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick, 7-6, 6-1
- 2002 Sydney SF – Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick, 7-6, 6-4
- 2001 Basel QF – Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6
Roddick was in great form at the Canadian Masters 1000 event in 2003, however, as he advanced to the last four, where he faced off against Federer once more.
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| QF | Karol Kucera | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 3R | Sebastien Grosjean [9] | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2R | Juan Ignacio Chela | 7-6, 6-2 |
| 1R | Xavier Malisse | 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 |
Searching for a maiden victory against the Swiss star, Roddick clinched the first set, 6-4, as the pair battled it out for a place in the final.
Federer fought back in the second, leveling things up, 4-6, 6-3, as their fifth career meeting went all the way.
In a third-set tie-breaker, it was Roddick who came out the victor, 7-6 [7-3], as he scored the first of his three victories against Federer.
The 42-year-old went on to win his first Masters 1000 title in Canada, as he took down Argentina’s David Nalbandian in straight sets to lift the trophy.
Losing their next 11 matches, the American didn’t win again until the 2008 Miami Open, when he battled through in three sets once more.
Their rivalry may not have been the most competitive, but it was certainly entertaining, as Federer and Roddick thrilled fans whenever they took to the court.