On Sunday, while attention was largely on the 2025 NBA Finals, tennis fans witnessed a historic moment as Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in the longest final ever at the French Open, lasting five hours and 29 minutes. This epic match led former tennis star Andy Roddick to share his view that tennis players are the best athletes, sparking debate about athleticism across sports.
Reflecting on the physical and mental demands of tennis, Roddick highlighted differences between the sports.
“This isn’t to say one thing doesn’t mean you’re throwing shade at someone else,”
he explained on his Quick Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
“I’m celebrating and applauding one set of athletes. An NBA game is 48 minutes played in air conditioning, where you have teammates, halftime, timeouts, the whole thing. Communication.”
He then made his central claim:
“I think tennis players are the best athletes in the world. The more I watch it, the more I think it.”
Roddick recognizes his opinion might stir disagreement, especially since tennis players do not face certain physical impacts like contact sports. Still, he believes tennis demands a comprehensive set of skills.
“You have to be strong, fast, mentally resilient,”
Roddick said.
“You have to be able to basically do sprint intervals while also using hands. It’s just the most complete examination of an athlete that I can think of.”
Several tennis greats would support this argument. Players like Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal have demonstrated extraordinary endurance and skill, enduring marathon matches that test physical and mental limits. Djokovic and Nadal, particularly during their peak years, engaged in grueling contests that challenged the boundaries of human stamina.
However, the athleticism of NBA players remains undeniable. Although basketball is played indoors with air conditioning and contains pauses for timeouts and halftime, the sport requires immense bursts of energy and constant physical challenges against other top athletes. Playing all 24 minutes of a half, or a full game, demands peak conditioning and effort.
For example, Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick noted how taxing it was when he played the same five players for an entire half in a first-round playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. By the final moments, those athletes appeared exhausted, illustrating the strain at the professional basketball level.
Roddick emphasized that his comments were not meant to belittle players from other sports, acknowledging the exceptional athleticism seen in basketball, though he admitted overstating his critique of NBA stars.