Andy Roddick didn’t expect to find a connection between tennis prodigy Carlos Alcaraz and golf iconRory McIlroy – but after a landmark weekend for both, he couldn’t help but draw the line.
On Sunday, McIlroy captured his long-awaited career Grand Slam with a win at the 2025 Masters, while Alcaraz powered through Lorenzo Musetti to secure his first-ever Monte Carlo Masters title. Two different sports, two different stories – yet according to Roddick, there’s something about their journey, their style, and the pressure they carry that ties them together.
“Before Monte Carlo, people were already asking what’s wrong with Carlos,” Roddick said on the latest episode of The Served Podcast. “That’s how high the expectations are – just like they were, and still are, for Rory.”
McIlroy’s emotional win at Augusta came after years of close calls and near-misses. For Alcaraz, it’s less about redemption and more about momentum – but Roddick thinks they’re both feeling the same kind of spotlight.
A shared spotlight, aesthetic grace, and rising pressure
Both Alcaraz and McIlroy have a certain elegance that makes watching them feel effortless. That might be part of the reason the pressure on them builds so quickly.
“It’s like we forget how much work goes into making it look that good,” Roddick said. “You see Carlos slicing and sprinting and improvising mid-rally – or Rory with that swing – and it just looks natural. But when Rory dropped to his knees after sinking that final putt? That was years of everything bottled up.”
The numbers speak volumes too. Alcaraz is now No. 1 in the ATP Race to Turin and has opened his Barcelona campaign with a solid first-round win. McIlroy, now one of only six men in history to win all four majors, finally shook off what Golf Digest once called “the heaviest shadow in modern golf.”
Roddick’s commentary isn’t just about admiration. It’s a reminder that the road to greatness doesn’t always move in straight lines – and that sometimes, the most beautiful players carry the heaviest expectations.
As the clay season unfolds for Alcaraz, and McIlroy enters the next phase of his career with renewed confidence, both will continue drawing eyes – not just because they win, but because of how they do it.
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