"Tennis is more of a skill" – Stephen A. Smith disagrees with Andy Roddick saying tennis players are better athletes than NBA stars
“Tennis is more of a skill” – Stephen A. Smith disagrees with Andy Roddick saying tennis players are better athletes than NBA stars originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Stephen A. Smith disagreed with former tennis star Andy Roddick’s statement that tennis players are the best athletes in the world, even better than NBA stars.
Speaking on the “Quick Served with Andy Roddick” podcast, the former men’s world No.1 tennis player talked about the NBA game lasting only 48 minutes and being played in an air-conditioned arena. He also mentioned how basketball games have halftime breaks and timeouts.
In contrast, Roddick said tennis players play alone and endure a five-hour match under the heat in an open court without timeouts or a halftime break. He added that tennis players need to be strong, fast and mentally resilient.
Roddick’s comments were addressed during ESPN’s First Take show, with Smith, retired NBA forward Marcus Morris, and former hockey player P.K. Subban each giving their take on Roddick’s statement.
Tennis, hockey or basketball?
Morris began by stating that an average basketball player runs three miles per game, while tennis players only take one-step moves. He also argued that, unlike tennis players who play on their own on their side of the court, NBA players share the court with opponents and absorb physical contact during games.
Meanwhile, Subban argued that hockey is a tougher sport because it’s full-contact. He added that hockey players wear ice skates instead of sneakers, which makes playing difficult. He also mentioned that, unlike basketball, there’s no such thing as load management in the NHL.
Then Stephen A. jumped in.
“Tennis is more of a skill. Hockey, being able to skate like that, be on goddamn ice. I can’t go two feet on ice skates. It’s a skill. But when you talk about pure athleticism, and I think about the versatility that comes with it, I’m going to ride with the basketball player,” explained Smith.
“The fact is this. When you talk about the skill set, being on skates; that’s an incredible skill, and maybe that’s a different discussion. What requires the more skill? I get that. But putting the ball in the hole, compared to playing tennis, compared to playing hockey, yeah. But in terms of athleticism? I’m gonna say, Yeah, I think hockey and tennis are more about skill. I think basketball is about skill and about athleticism. I’m gonna go with basketball on this one,” he added.
Which sport has the best athletes?
The crew debates 🍿 pic.twitter.com/9JOiEvS06C
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 10, 2025
Epic French Open final
Roddick made his comments after watching the French Open tennis final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
In that match, Alcaraz saved three championship points in the fourth set and won the fifth set via a tiebreak. At five hours and 19 minutes, it was the longest-ever final in the history of Roland Garros in the Open Era and the second-longest Grand Slam final ever.
“To say one thing doesn’t mean you’re throwing shade at someone else,” explained Roddick.
“I’m celebrating and applauding one set of athletes. It’s the most complete examination of an athlete that I can think of. We used to get views as ‘Oh, you’re soft like country club sport.’ I don’t know that that narrative exists. I don’t know how you can watch and not say the athleticism on display is otherworldly. I think tennis players are the best athletes in the world,” he concluded.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
