Australian tennis’ most bitter feud reignites as Mark Woodforde slams iconic doubles partner Todd Woodbridge and admits their spat is ‘really hurtful’
- Mark Woodforde slams ex-doubles partner Todd Woodbridge
- Woodforde says their fractured relationship is ‘really hurtful’
- Woodforde says he’d like to patch up the broken friendship
Former tennis star Mark Woodforde has opened up about his fractured relationship with with ex-doubles partner Todd Woodbridge, admitting that their falling out is ‘really hurtful’.
The iconic ‘Woodies’ dominated the tennis court for over a decade after they teamed up in 1990 and won 11 tennis grand slam doubles titles, 61 ATP doubles tournaments, and received a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics.
Sadly however, Australia’s greatest tennis duo are no longer on speaking terms.
Former tennis star Mark Woodforde (left) has opened up about his fractured relationship with with ex-doubles partner Todd Woodbridge, admitting that their falling out is ‘really hurtful’
The iconic ‘Woodies’ dominated the tennis court for over a decade after they teamed up in 1990 and won 11 tennis grand slam doubles titles, 61 ATP doubles tournaments, and received a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics
Wooforde, 57, says the broken friendship is something he’d like to repair because it ‘absolutely cuts’ him.
‘We don’t have a lot to talk about these days,’ he told Mark Soderstrom on The Soda Room podcast.
‘I would love to be able to play some more of the legends events together, but it’s just at a position … it is where it is right now.
‘For someone you could rely upon for as many years and have great fun and success and joy with, to be at this stage now, it’s really hurtful – I’m still the same person.’
Wooforde (pictured winning an Olympic medal wit Woodbridge in 2000) says the broken friendship is something he’d like to repair because it ‘absolutely cuts’ him
Woodforde, who lives in California, revealed in 2020 that he felt betrayed when Woodbridge decided to play on the legends tour with Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman instead of him.
‘It’s probably one of the greatest quandaries right now. I wish Todd and I were in a better place,’ Woodforde said on the Break Point podcast.
Woodforde retired from tennis in 2000 and Woodbridge teamed up with Bjorkman where they found more success on the court, winning another five grand slams.
He said their success was nowhere near on the same level as The Woodies.
‘I guess The Woodies drifted into the background for him and he’s developing his own brand,’ Woodforde said.
Woodforde retired from tennis in 2000 and Woodbridge teamed up with Bjorkman where they found more success on the court, winning another five grand slams
‘So it’s disappointing for me, I still play the legends events so it’s kind of a head-scratcher to turn up and we’re not playing together.’
However, Woodbridge has always maintained that he is still close with Woodforde, insisting the pair still talk to each other and were very close despite living in different countries.
‘We are good friends and what we achieved together is very special,’ Woodbridge told the Herald Sun in 2020.
‘We don’t work a lot together or spend a huge amount of time together. We are very different characters and we live in different countries these days.
However, Woodbridge (pictured at the 2022 Australian Tennis Awards) has always maintained that he is still close with Woodforde, insisting the pair still talk to each other and were very close despite living in different countries
Woodbridge said the pair would always be close because they created an iconic Australian sports partnership.
‘When you can make it into Australian vernacular as ‘The Woodies’, well, then I think you have done something quite incredible,’ he said.