Andy Roddick came to Rafael Nadal's defense, criticizing a controversial headline about the latter's potential ranking decline.
In a world of clickbait journalism, some publications opt for sensationalized titles, and one of them did that when suggesting Rafael Nadal's possible 'humiliating' rankings collapse. The headline in question referred to the potential consequences Nadal could face if he chooses not to play the Italian Open in Rome and the Roland Garros this season.
Earlier this year, Nadal dropped out of the Top 10 for the first time in his career, and since he's struggling with injuries, an even more significant drop can await the Spaniard. But with his legacy in the world of tennis and 22 Grand Slam titles to his name, using the word humiliating in the same sentence as his name is really inappropriate.
Moreover, as tennis fans know, Nadal's ranking drop isn't caused by his bad form or result which wouldn't be sufficient, but by being forced to miss the major part of the season.
Roddick, a well-respected figure in the tennis community, did not hold back in expressing his disapproval of the way the publication framed the story, referring to it as 'dumb' and 'stupid.'
"What a dumb stupid headline ……. Rafa will never have humiliating associated with his life. Guy does everything right. This is dumb."
One of the fans asked the former world no. 1 a very interesting question, stating: "Where is your objectivity when it comes to similar headlines on Nole?" But as Roddick explained, the question was completely irrelevant as the Serb is currently the highest ranked player on the ATP Tour.
"Nole is number 1 in the world currently. What similar headline would there be? Is there a potential rankings drop I’m unaware of?"
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