‘I played Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray – it’s clear who has the highest tennis IQ’

Andy Roddick believes Andy Murray ranks above the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic when it comes to his intelligence on the court.

Murray failed to hit the heights of his three biggest rivals but was one of the few players to provide a sustained challenge while Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were at the peak of their powers.

Roddick believes Murray was able to compete with them for so long because of his tennis IQ, which trumped that of any other player the 42-year-old has seen.

Speaking on the Served podcast, Roddick said: “What Murray’s gone through, and I’ve said on this podcast before, I think Murray might have the highest tennis IQ that I’ve seen and been around.

“He competed with these kinds of superheroes without the biggest shot on the court, without being the fastest one of them, still moves great but plays well for extended positions. He’s a master of nuance.”

Murray recently agreed to coach Djokovic into and through the Australian Open in a surprise move which made headlines earlier this month. It sent the tennis fraternity into overdrive, with Roddick among those to have hailed the partnership as a stroke of genius.

He believes Murray’s experience in dealing with long-term setbacks, such as the hip injury which threatened to derail his career, will help Djokovic as he enters his twilight years.

Roddick explained: “What did Murray spend the last five years of his career doing? Problem-solving for what you’ve lost, right?

“And to various degrees of whatever, but like, that struggle that Murray went through is of value to Novak at this age. Like me saying Novak at 38 isn’t as good as Novak at 32 shouldn’t be controversial, right? He ticks a certain way.”