Here is a little bit different perspective.
Roddick's reaction to fire not surprising
By KEITH NIEBUHR, Times Staff Writer
Published May 4, 2004
John Tobias had his ringer on vibrate.
When he awoke, he noticed 16 calls had been missed during the night. That's when Tobias, an agent for SFX Sports, knew something was up. He soon discovered that while he slept a fire that resulted in three deaths early Saturday morning had swept through the Grand Hotel Parco dei Principi in Rome, where some of his biggest clients were guests.
One was Andy Roddick.
"I talked to (Roddick) four or five hours after he had gotten out of the hotel," Tobias said. "He was really calm. Obviously, he was very disappointed and emotional about the people that lost their lives. He was shaken."
Immediately after the incident, Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion and the world's No. 2-ranked player, gave a few interviews, but he has since declined requests to talk about what happened. According to various reports, Roddick, staying in a sixth-floor suite, pulled hotel guests on his floor into his room so they could get fresh air from his balcony. He also assisted others, fellow player Sjeng Schalken included, in landing safely on his terrace by catching them as they jumped from higher floors.
"He said he was woken up in the middle of the night ... he was using the bathroom when he smelled smoke," Tobias said. "He opened the door and saw a bunch of smoke in the doorway, and he saw people trying to find good air, so he shuttled them into his room. He had a huge balcony."
While Roddick, 21, stayed in his room, SFX clients Bob and Mike Bryan and Paradorn Srichaphan left the building and waited out front for others to emerge. As time passed and they didn't see Roddick, they wondered about his safety.
"The other players were worried sick," Tobias said. "They said they were sitting outside a good hour before Andy came out. They were really worried about him. ... When people needed help, he helped them. He wasn't pulling babies out of a fire, but he stayed in the hotel and tried to make sure people were okay. That's just the type of guy he is."
Sounds a bit as if Andy is a little sick of the Andy Hero press too.