Tennis legend reports on shocking experience in Russia
He reached the Wimbledon final three times, won the US Open in 2003, and was number 1 in the world for 13 weeks: Andy Roddick was one of the best tennis players of his era.
Now the former world-class athlete has attracted attention in another way: with a dramatic account of an experience that happened to him on the sidelines of an important match.
Andy Roddick: “Was robbed by police officers”
“I was robbed by a police officer on a street in Russia in 2006 when we were there for the Davis Cup,” the American wrote. In a now-deleted tweet on the social media platform X: “It’s a true story. He came over and asked how much cash I had. I said $300. Then he ordered me to give the money or go to prison. I paid and he moved on. No emotion, just a transaction.”
Roddick, now 41, was part of the US team that traveled to Moscow to play a Davis Cup World Group semifinal against the hosts. Roddick and his colleagues James Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan lost 2:3 and missed the final.
Appeal in the context of the death of Kremlin critic Navalny
Roddick revealed the experience at the time on the day Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny died in a Siberian detention camp. Roddick, who frequently speaks out on political issues and is a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin and also former US President Donald Trump, combined his story with an appeal: “Let’s not get to the point where crazy s*** *e is considered normal. That’s not it.”
Roddick later replied to another user who asked him if he had considered going public at the time: “No. I wanted to do my job and get out of there safely. At the time I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it – now I understand better what’s behind it.”
Roddick’s posts have now disappeared from the platform, but various other critical statements on the subject of Navalny and dealings with Russia are still online.
2024-02-21 16:25:23
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