Former tennis great Andy Roddick stirred the pot this week when he claimed tennis players are the best athletes in the world, even better than NBA players. But not everyone is ready to serve up that hot take, especially Stephen A. Smith.
Speaking on his podcast Quick Served, Roddick argued that tennis demands an unmatched level of physical and mental endurance. He pointed out that tennis players battle alone, without timeouts, halftime breaks, or teammates, often enduring five-hour matches under the blazing sun. Compared to the 48-minute, air-conditioned NBA games with regular breaks, Roddick says the solo grind of tennis makes its athletes the most complete.
“We used to get viewed as soft, like ‘country club sport.’ But how can you watch the French Open final and not say the athleticism is otherworldly?” — Andy Roddick
That bold take came right after Carlos Alcaraz’s marathon French Open win over Jannik Sinner, a five-hour, 19-minute battle that became the longest Roland Garros final in Open Era history.
Enter Stephen A.—And He’s Not Buying It
Roddick’s comments made their way to ESPN’s First Take, where Stephen A. Smith, Marcus Morris, and P.K. Subban debated the issue.
Stephen A. wasn’t impressed.
“Tennis is more of a skill,” Smith said. “But when you talk about pure athleticism, the versatility, speed, strength, and agility, I’m riding with the basketball player.”
Smith clarified that this wasn’t about disrespecting tennis or hockey. He acknowledged the technical difficulty of skating in hockey or the precision required in tennis. But to him, NBA players combine skill and elite athleticism in a way few others do.
“Putting the ball in the hole while dealing with contact, playing defense, sprinting, jumping, basketball demands more physically.”
NBA Legend Morris and Subban Chime In
Former NBA forward Marcus Morris pointed to the three miles an average player runs each game and the physicality involved, unlike tennis, which he said involves mostly short, one-step movements. He also emphasized shared court space and constant contact as factors that elevate NBA athleticism.
P.K. Subban, the retired NHL defenseman, took a different angle, claiming hockey players have it toughest of all due to the combination of full-contact play and skating.
“There’s no such thing as load management in the NHL,” he added.
Ultimately, the debate seems to boil down to how you define “best athlete.” Roddick emphasized endurance, solo performance, and mental toughness, while Smith and Morris leaned into explosiveness, versatility, and contact.
Roddick summed it up best:
“To say one thing doesn’t mean you’re throwing shade at someone else. I’m just applauding one group of athletes.”
But Smith fired back with equal clarity:
“Skill is one thing. Athleticism is another. And in that category? I’m going with basketball.”
The debate is far from over, but one thing’s clear: there’s no easy answer when greatness takes so many forms.
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