{"id":9887,"date":"2024-12-12T02:47:42","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T02:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=9887"},"modified":"2024-12-12T02:47:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T02:47:42","slug":"andy-roddick-gives-his-surprise-verdict-on-rafael-nadals-ugly-golf-swing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=9887","title":{"rendered":"Andy Roddick gives his surprise verdict on Rafael Nadal’s ‘ugly’ golf swing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Andy Roddick [L] and Rafael Nadal [R] (Source: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Andy Roddick recently gave his thoughts on Rafael Nadal’s golf swing while talking about tennis players’ adaptability across multiple sports. The American claimed that the Spaniard’s tee shot reaped him rich rewards despite it not being the most aesthetically pleasing.<\/p>\n

Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Outside of tennis, the 22-time major winner also excels at golf, as evidenced by his reported +0.3 handicap (via Whywelovegolf). This number alone makes the Spaniard a “scratch golfer”, i.e. he can shoot the same score as the golf course rating or better.<\/p>\n

Andy Roddick, meanwhile, was discussing Carlos Alcaraz’s golf swing on the latest edition of his podcast when\u00a0Nadal’s aptitude for the sport came up. The 2003 US Open champion cited the 38-year-old as a prime example of a tennis pro that could cross over into another sport and fare better than a non-tennis player would at the game.<\/p>\n

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Holger Rune shares his feelings about joining Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz & Alexander Zverev as Grand Slam favorite in 2025<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“Take the best athletes from other sports, put a tennis racquet in their hand and it’s hard. They can look like they’re not athletes very quickly,” Andy Roddick said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast (23:20).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“I saw Mardy Fish go to Shea Stadium and hit six home runs at batting practice, Alcaraz with his golf swing. Even Rafa’s swing video, his golf swing video, people were like, ‘Oh god, what a terrible golf swing!’ He’s a scratch, by the way. That ugly swing shoots 71 every time.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Andy Roddick on Carlos Alcaraz’s golf swing: “Annoyingly good”<\/h2>\n
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Carlos Alcaraz looks on at Charlotte Invitational 2024 (Image via Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the interaction, Andy Roddick also reminisced about taking on Carlos Alcaraz in\u00a0simulated golf last week\u00a0after the World No. 3’s appearance at the Charlotte Invitational exhibition event. The 42-year-old claimed that the young Spaniard took a “perfect swing” despite being in an undesirable position.<\/p>\n

“[Carlos Alcaraz’s golf swing] is so good. Literally, I video’d one swing without him knowing,” Roddick said (22:27). “He’s behind a tree, has to hit a 30-yard draw. Three seconds earlier, he was telling me he can’t hit a draw on purpose. 175 yards to tier drop on the green… perfect swing! Annoyingly good.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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