Andy Roddick thinks Novak Djokovic could have easily made the Wimbledon final and possibly won the tournament, if not Grigor Dimitrov's unfortunate injury against Jannik Sinner.
At this year's Wimbledon, the Italian ousted Djokovic in straight sets in the semifinal before also beating Carlos Alcaraz for his first title at The Championships.
But before all of that happened, Sinner appeared to be set to exit the tournament at the start of the second week. In the round-of-16, Dimitrov was perfectly executing his tactic against the world No. 2 and led 6-2 7-5 through the opening two sets of the match. Then a classic case of brutal lack followed after the Bulgarian injured his right pectoral muscle while serving at 2-2 in the third set. He retired the match after consulting with the doctor.
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On the latest episode of the Served with Andy Roddick, podcast host Jon Wertheim acknowledged that Djokovic was still making deep runs in Slams but simply doesn't have an answer for the Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Roddick then remembered the Wimbledon case and used it to explain why there is always a chance of something positive happening for the 38-year-old Serb.
Roddick: Had Sinner lost to Dimitrov, everything would have changed for Djokovic
"But we forget things very easily. Do you remember Wimbledon this year, when it looked like Jannik Sinner was on his way out against Grigor Dimitrov?" Roddick said on his podcast.
"Lets assume Novak is healthy. Dimitrov was most likely going to win that match before he tore his pectoral muscle. If Sinner goes out there, the whole tournament changes. That Sinner matchup is rough for Novak because hes basically playing the prime version of himself. Sinner wants to get on the front foot. The question is: can Novak still defend against that power? Hes not faster than he was two years ago... Obviously not a criticism, and I say this with amazement - but that matchup is tough."
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After making his point clear, Roddick also stated that Alcaraz "did not play unbelievably well" at Wimbledon, which would further increase Djokovic's chances of beating the Spaniard had they met in the final.
Djokovic's 2025 Slam year also included an Australian Open semifinal retirement to Alexander Zverev, a French Open semifinal loss to Sinner, and a US Open semis defeat against Alcaraz.
