Andy Roddick singles out the best volleyer in women’s tennis of all time

Speaking on his ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, Roddick was asked about the best volleyers in WTA history and wasted no time before naming Martina Navratilova.

He also mentioned multiple-time Grand Slam doubles champions Gigi Fernandez and Lisa Raymond as players who stood out to him.

When it came to current players, Roddick pointed to Jessica Pegula, Taylor Townsend, and Sara Errani as some of the best active volleyers in women’s tennis.

On the men’s side, he mentioned Rafael Nadal, John McEnroe, and Stefan Edberg among his top choices.

“You are going to get Navratilova on the women’s side more often than not.

“My mind goes to Gigi Fernandez, who I was watching at the Hall of Fame last month doing clinics and it was so much fun. I am not a natural volleyer; I suck at it.

“Lisa Raymond was amazing. Jess Pegula is really good now, great racket control. Townsend and Errani are fantastic.

“On the men’s side the ones which rip off first. McEnroe, as far as creativity, artistry, feel and how to float the ball, pacing, and how to knock it down vs give you time to get back. Edberg as far as crisp, classic, what you want to see. [Pat] Rafter. All these guys are elite 12/10 athletes and movers, running to spots and coverage.

“Nadal was a great volleyer. One of the best volleyers I have ever seen who doesn’t get enough credit is Lleyton Hewitt. Again, Nadal is one of the greatest movers of all time and so is Hewitt.

“If you had [Pete] Sampras doing volley drills he would have been great, add in his athleticism and his ability to run to a spot and create power off of power, it changes everything. The fact you couldn’t lob him, you had to hit such a good lob to get it over Sampras. There are no slow guys who are great volleyers when we are talking about singles.

“But Navratilova or any top player on Earth who played before 1985 is a great volleyer. But the best of all time, you take Navratilova how she volleys and layer on top of the physicality and ability to cover spots.

“So if you come in you hit a slice, it’s tougher to lob off that, and are charging forward and you can shrink a space. You are hitting a passing shot and trying to pick a spot to hit it and they make the lane feel so small.

“Just crisping a volley is something a lot of people can do. But you have to be able to cover a lot of ground and your tennis IQ has to be through the roof. Navratilova on the women’s side is the best I have ever seen. The total package. Men’s side you have some more options.”

Andy Roddick’s choice of Martina Navratilova as the best volleyer in women’s tennis supported by her Grand Slam doubles record

Navratilova was not just a singles star – she was equally dominant in doubles, where strong volleying is crucial, collecting 41 major titles in that discipline alone.

Her combined total of 59 Grand Slam titles remains unmatched in the Open Era.

And even at the very end of her career, she was still showing off her skills, taking home the US Open mixed doubles title at age 49. That moment summed up how remarkable her volleying was throughout her career.

While Townsend and Errani are both highly ranked in doubles, Roddick did not mention current world number one Katerina Siniakova during his discussion.