Re: 2010 Andy News Thread
USTA
http://www.insidetennis.com/2010/05/pmac-roddick-grew-tired-usta-demands/
PMac: Roddick Grew Tired of USTA Demands
U.S. Captain Warns USTA to Be 'Careful Not to Alienate Top Players'
by Richard Osborn
May 6th, 2010
No one can question Andy Roddick’s allegiance when it comes to Davis Cup. In 23 ties dating back to 2001, the Texan has compiled 31 singles victories for the U.S., second only to Cup stalwart Johnny Mac’s 41. Injuries aside, he’s always been there when his country has come calling.
When, in January, the 27-year-old announced that he would forgo the entire 2010 Davis Cup campaign due to a lingering knee injury, it was clear that it was a difficult, emotional decision.
“I’ll miss it, for sure,” said Roddick at the Australian Open. “It’s been a big part of my career so far. I don’t know if I’ve shut the door on as far as forever goes. We made the decision later on last year. That’s when my knee was still hurt. We didn’t think it was smart to be switching surfaces from hard to clay to hard, time zones, all that. Probably want to do that as few times in the year as we had to. That played a big part.”
Roddick then echoed Andre Agassi (whom Patrick McEnroe pulled back into Davis Cup service in 2005), saying, “I never wanted to be one of these guys who played when it was convenient. I feel like if you commit at the beginning of the year, then you commit. Last thing I’d want to do is have those guys go battle early in the year, then me waltz in and try to play later in the year when they’ve been the ones to get the team to that point.”
But there’s apparently more to the story. In his book “Harcourt Confidential: Tales From Twenty years In the Pro Tennis Trenches” (co-written by Peter Bodo and due in bookstores in June), PMac claims that by the end of 2009, Roddick “was growing a little tired of the extraneous demands of Davis Cup.”
“He was pissed by the way the USTA started nitpicking the players’ phone bills, or insisting that Mike Bryan’s girlfriend take a cab and pay her own way to the airport when she had to leave a tie a day early,” writes McEnroe, whose Davis Cup contract runs through 2011. “It was petty stuff, easily averted, and a transparent attempt by the USTA to show who’s in charge. But the reality is that the USTA has to be careful not to alienate the top players.”
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*EDIT*
http://www.fathead.com/tennis/andy-roddick/andy-roddick/?cm_mmc=CJ-_-affil-_-1006-_-hp
Andy Roddick is a Big FatHead
Andy Roddick, Tommy Haas and Aleksandra Wozniak join the Fathead Team
LIVONIA, Mich., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Fathead®, the leading brand in sports and entertainment graphic products, serves up the dramatic likenesses of three of tennis' most popular and captivating professional tennis players in the world. Led by American tennis superstar Andy Roddick, he is joined by top 20 ATP World Tour singles player Tommy Haas, and top WTA Tour Singles Player Aleksandra Wozniak. Fathead is best known for its officially licensed images of professional athletes, animated heroes, entertainment characters, team helmets and logos.
Fathead's new trio of tennis players have each entered into multi-year agreements with Fathead. Roddick and Haas will be the first players on the ATP World Tour to brand Fathead images that capture the players in eye-catching, on-court action. Wozniak is only the second player on the WTA Tour, following Maria Sharapova, to join the Fathead tennis roster.
"We are thrilled to have three of our clients at Lagardere Unlimited join the Fathead tennis roster. With Andy and Tommy being the first ATP players on Tour to have their own Fathead images, I am confident their international popularity will grow the Fathead brand and products amongst the tennis fans and industry tremendously," commented Ken Meyerson, President of Lagardere Unlimited.
"I am excited to have a Fathead and hope tennis fans enjoy this fun promotion," added Andy Roddick.
These three accomplished athletes join the Fathead Team with astonishing tennis resumes. Roddick is a current Top 10 ATP World Tour singles player, the 2003 US Open Champion and recent 2010 Sony Ericsson Open Champion. Haas, who has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world, is known for his powerful single-handed backhand and incredible ability to adapt to his opponent's style or the court surface. Wozniak is Canada's highest-ranked women's singles player in the world, known for her one-two punch of a huge backswing followed by a lightning fast whip-through.
"Today, through an exciting new partnership with Lagardere Unlimited, we are able to provide fans of Andy, Tommy and Aleksandra's with Fatheads of these incredibly popular tennis stars," said Nathan Partington, Fathead VP of Licensing.
A "Fathead" is a big, bold, life-size wall-graphic and has become the "must-have" item for fans of everything! Real. Big. Fathead athletes are approximately 6 feet tall by 3 feet wide and come with cool extra images for added impact and value. Fatheads are designed with a special adhesive backing that enables them to be placed and moved from any surface with no damage. The Roddick, Haas and Wozniak images can be purchased at
www.fathead.com.