[情報] Roddick has Beck's appeal
哼...我一點也不希望Andy變成第二個貝克漢
我相信他也不會讓他自己變成那樣的
根本難以想像Andy去拍洗髮精廣告會是什麼樣子 -.-...還好有擋下
我只想看他
好好打球
好好贏球
好好拿冠軍
好好拿第一
Ken Myerson 你不要太過火
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Roddick has Becks appeal
Barry Flatman in Houston
Times
Watch out David Beckham. With good looks and a glamorous lifestyle, the Andy
Roddick brand is set to go global
Natural talent aside, the most important prerequisites for superstardom are obv
ious in the man who will finish 2003 revered as the world's best tennis player.
Andy Roddick has it all: the photogenic face beneath an apparently unkempt ruff
led hairstyle that actually requires meticulous upkeep; the pop-star girlfriend
who is making her mark in the movie industry; and a readiness to explore areas
of high publicity potential far removed from the sporting arena.
Last week Roddick was sufficiently self-assured to subject himself to potential
ridicule, but came out smiling from the pivotal role in that traditional hour-a
nd-a-quarter of comical American television anarchy, Saturday Night Live.
This weekend he has been concentrating on the more traditional pursuit of year-
ending glory at the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston.
In between there was a more clandestine summons, and the effectiveness of the
United States Secret Service ensured that not a single prying camera caught an
image of the 21-year-old after he knotted a rare tie to take the place of honou
r at a soiree laid on by George Bush Sr. Most of the dignitaries who attended
the Texas cocktail party to celebrate Roddick's achievement of eclipsing John M
cEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi as the youngest American
to attain No 1 status left impressed by the youngster's intelligence, charisma
and ability to acquit himself well in any company.
Admittedly Mandy Moore, Roddick's partner of 16 months, should be able to help
her beau through such occasions. After four best-selling albums, the teenager
from the pop factory that produced Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake stars
as the daughter of a fictional American president in Chasing Liberty, her third
film, which is due for release early next year.
It is helpful that a sportsman's romantic interest comprehends fame. Even bette
r that she is versed in presidential protocol. Roddick's social ease seems perf
ectly in balance with his ability to wield a racket so aggressively that he can
dispatch a serve at the world- record velocity of 149mph.
As Ken Myerson, the agent who confidently predicts that he is set to make his
prime client the biggest commercial earner in the history of the game, says:
The kid is quite simply a natural. He has everything going for him, and tennis
should thank God for Andy, because right now the sport desperately needs stars.
He's the person so many always wanted to be at high school but were never quite
cool enough. He has all the pluses, even down to the pop- and movie-star girlfr
iend. Fame and stardom rest very easily with him.
As an executive of the sports management company SFX, Myerson should be more aw
are than most of the financial potential of a client sportsman who has an image
to match his talent and the willing aptitude to make the most of both gifts.
Whether SFX still represents David Beckham remains a matter of legal conjecture,
, but the England football captain's portfolio has become the template for mark
eting success, and replacements are needed.
Myerson, the president of SFX's tennis division, believes the similarities betw
een Beckham and Roddick are obvious. On a global level, football is obviously
larger than our sport, but Andy has all the marquee power to be the Beckham of
this game, he says. He has that superstar quality that Boris (Becker) and Andre
(Agassi) had. Football, of course, has a much bigger world audience and a much
larger infrastructure. It would be wrong to say Roddick is the new Beckham, but
he has the potential to be metaphorically Beckham-like in a tennis category.
Andy can transcend even that level because he is so incredibly multi-talented
from a management perspective. He is No 1 in the world, and in our industry, wi
th the things he can do to market himself, he is almost perfect.
Roddick has earned almost $3m in prize-money alone this year after winning his
first Grand Slam title at the US Open and five other tournaments, including the
pre- Wimbledon Stella Artois title at London's Queen Club. As endorsements have
already been secured with American Express, Rolex and Reebok, and another deal
is almost finalized with a car manufacturer, he is well placed to multiply that
income.
He is, however, selective. A shampoo commercial was turned down because it woul
d have demanded too much of his time, while overtures from Red Bull, the drink
often revered for its complementary qualities with vodka, were rejected on the
grounds that such a product would hardly enhance a developing profile.
Many sportsmen have allowed marketability to overshadow their competitive abili
ty. Agassi is regularly forced to recall that, in the cause of selling cameras,
he once made the statement that image is everything. More than a generation sep
arates the past two Americans to hold world No 1 status, but Agassi is confiden
t that Roddick will avoid the pitfalls.
"Andy probably needs to give me advice,"says the 33-year-old from Las Vegas. "S
ure a lot of people are tugging at him, but he seems to be doing a fine job. The
re were many times in my life where I looked for excuses to be distracted. I di
dn't need to look too hard, because there were a lot of them, but I could have
managed it with more skill. In Andy's case he's clearly doing something right."
While Agassi recovered from a disappointing start to claim his place in the las
t four of this $3.65m finale to the year, Roddick has had an indifferent week.
He cruised past Carlos Moya in his opening match, got jolted by Rainer Schuettl
er after losing two tie-breaks and scraped through to the semi- finals by recove
ering from the brink of defeat to overcome Guillermo Coria.
The demands of such a high-profile year have clearly taken their toll, and
Roddick is clear that his main incentive for this week is to secure the year-en
ding top ranking with another trophy.
Three defeats in as many group matches for Juan Carlos Ferrero ensured Roddick鈊s position at the summit.
Now it is almost time for a beach, some sunglasses and rest and recuperation.
For the time being those big deals can take a back seat, but big money is on
the agenda for the brightest commodity in the tennis world.
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