Andy Roddick met Jannik Sinner for the first time in his life during this past US Open and it didn’t take long before he realized that the 23-year-old was very similar to Roger Federer in one aspect.

The 2003 US Open champion, who lost four Grand Slam finals against Federer, spoke several times over the last couple of years about how he used to get irritated and annoyed by how relaxed and calm the Swiss tennis icon used to look even before the biggest matches.

Since the Italian made the final at Flushing Meadows this year and the American former world No. 1 was also there in the latter stages, they stumbled upon each other in the locker room. And after greeting the eventual US Open champion and seeing how he was looking just before one of the biggest matches of his career, Roddick instantly remembered the former 20-time Grand Slam champion from Switzerland.

“I said hello to him because you walk in the locker room and my locker is way to the right but he takes up kind of that centre area right before you gotta make a move left or right in the men’s locker room. Darren (Cahill) was there and Andre (Agassi) was there and at that point it would have been like I was just being a (expletive) if I didn’t say hello to all of them,” the American former world No. 1 said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.

“I had never met Jannik Sinner before in my life. I don’t know a lot of the players because I’m not at all the tournaments. I said hello quickly and then got out of the way because my biggest fear ever is being in someone’s way when they’re getting ready for a match or something.

“But he is the most relaxed person I’ve ever seen beside of Roger before a Slam final. It feels like he has this very quiet confidence about the way that he goes about things. Even his celebrations aren’t for anyone else, it’s like this relief like okay and you feel like he was ready to start again like an hour after the US Open, which is a problem for the rest of the earth.”

Sinner actually idolized Federer

Unfortunately for the 23-year-old, he came on the scene when the Swiss’ career was basically over because of those persistent knee injuries. And since the 43-year-old didn’t get to play much after the 2020 Australian Open, the Italian tennis star never got a chance to play against his idol on the court.

But while the now two-time Grand Slam champion regrets never getting to play Federer, he certainly doesn’t regret looking up to the Swiss and hoping to one day be like him.

“It has always been Roger Federer. I dreamed of playing with him but unfortunately it never happened. Who knows if one day we will be able to do a performance together. I’d really like to. He is a very good person as well as being a great champion,” Sinner told an Italian paper earlier this year.

Roddick was ‘driven crazy’ by Federer’s calmness

After beating Juan Carlos Ferrero for his first Grand Slam title just days after turning 21, the American was tipped to achieve more success on the biggest stage. But while he managed to reach three Wimbledon finals and make one more US Open final, he never again won a Major. And the Swiss was to blame for that because he was the one who beat Roddick in all of those four Slam finals.

“I don’t have a lot of regrets. I don’t envy people for their successes. I am more than happy that these three have won all of the tournaments that they’ve won. I was very jealous and still jealous of Roger because he was the guy I played most in the biggest matches,” the 2003 US Open champion said on his podcast a few weeks ago.

“Just because we were good on the same surfaces at the same time was his ease of operation, it just drove me crazy. Because I could see him on the Saturday before Grand Slam losing to some chucker on our practice court and I walked by and he was smiling, laughing.”

Of those four losses, the most painful came in the 2009 Wimbledon final after Federer edged out the American 5-7 7-6 (6) 7-6 (5) 3-6 16-14 in one of the most epic finals ever at The Championships.

Also, Roddick lost back-to-back finals at The All England Club in 2004 and 2005 and he was also beaten by the Swiss in the 2006 US Open final.