Andy Roddick opens up about a tennis issue that leads to ‘fear and confusion’ after a strange phone moment with Lorenzo Musetti.
Andy Roddick recently shared how tough anti-doping tests can be on players, saying it can cause a lot of “fear and stress.” This came after Lorenzo Musetti used his phone during a late-night match in Lyon to update anti-doping testers about his location.
Musetti’s match went very late, and he needed to let testers know where he was because he had a scheduled 60-minute testing window at 1 a.m. If he missed it, he could face penalties. To avoid that, he asked to use his phone during the match and later won the game after over three hours of play. He eventually went on to win the whole tournament, earning his first big title since 2022.
On his Served Podcast, former US Open champ Roddick talked about the anxiety players feel from such testing. He mentioned that many players have been stressed out by false positive tests caused by things as simple as food. “It’s not just one person; it can affect a whole group of players,” he said. Roddick also brought up how players, including Iga Swiatek, fear getting those emails about test results and live in constant worry.
Roddick admitted he’s not sure why phone use during matches is still banned but guessed it might be linked to concerns about gambling. He noted that coaching through phones used to be banned, but now off-court coaching is allowed in both ATP and WTA Tours.
Looking ahead, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced that starting in 2027, top players on the ATP and WTA Tours will need to provide their whereabouts more frequently. This change comes because tennis lost a special exemption from the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Overall, Roddick’s comments highlight the pressure players face with strict testing rules and how it affects their mental health on and off the court.