"I love Roger Federer as a human being, I didn’t show up at the track every morning like, ‘F**k Roger!’" - Andy Roddick

Andy Roddick might have lost 21 of his 24 matches against Roger Federer, but that does not mean the American hates the sight of the 20-time Grand Slam champion. Roddick will be the first person to remind everyone of that, as he did so in a recent interview with GQ Sports.

The former US Open champion shed light on his own work ethic during the conversation, saying that he has always known that putting in the hard work is a "non-negotiable" for him.

He chalked it down to his own insecurity, having come to terms with the fact that he did not have the same natural ability as that of Federer. That insecurity, in turn, made him worried about when all his success would go away from him, propelling the American to push himself to the limits all the time.

“The work was non-negotiable. I never viewed myself on the same level ability-wise as a Roger Federer, so I always had this insecurity where if it got away from me…” Roddick said.

Eight of the 24 matches between the duo came in Grand Slams, with Federer winning all of them.

Four were in Major finals -- three at Wimbledon and one at the US Open. Nevertheless, Roddick made it clear that he loves the Swiss maestro as a "human being," adding that he didn't show up to practice every morning cursing Federer.

“I love Roger. I do. I love him as a human being. I didn’t show up at the track every morning like, ‘F**k Roger!’ To me it was like the sky. You’re not always looking at it, but you know it’s there,” Roddick said.

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"Andy Roddick was in the shower for twenty minutes, just sitting there with water running down him" - American's trainer Doug Spreen on 2009 Wimbledon final loss to Roger Federer

Andy Roddick, 2012 US Open - Day 10

One of Andy Roddick's most painful losses to Roger Federer came in the final of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, a marathon five-setter that marked the longest men's singles final in history in terms of total games. At the end of four hours and 17 minutes, the Swiss maestro prevailed 5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14.

Recalling how Roddick reacted to the loss, the American's former trainer, Doug Spreen, revealed that Roddick sat in the shower for 20 minutes with the water running down his body.

"I don’t think that people got the true sense of how much his heart was ripped out that day. He was back in the shower for twenty minutes, just sitting there with water running down him," Doug Spreen said in the same interview.

Spreen also disclosed that Federer came into the locker room following the end of the match to tell Roddick's team that he felt really bad for him and that he hoped the American could win the Wimbledon title some day. Spreen was touched by the 20-time Grand Slam champion's heartfelt gesture:

“Federer said, ‘I feel really bad for you guys, and I feel really bad for Andy. I hope he gets this one time. He (Federer) didn’t need to do that, and it was heartfelt."