[情報] A Work in Progress
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A work in progress
By Karen Crouse, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
LA QUINTA, Calif. -- They're so star-struck in the California desert, they'd
lose their bearings without all the streets named after celebrities. Take the
scenic ribbon of road leading to La Quinta Resort & Club. It's Eisenhower Drive
, which is not to be confused with Bob Hope Drive, Frank Sinatra Drive or Gene
Autry Trail.
A 21-year-old kid with a talk-radio caller's passion for sports was hanging out
at La Quinta this month when he bumped into a famous athlete. It was inevitable
, celebrities being as much a part of the desert landscape this time of year as
cacti.
Some of them can be as prickly, but not Joe Montana. The rabid sports fan's
eyes grew as big as the Sahara as he recounted his introduction to the Hall of
Fame quarterback.
"I said 'Oh, man, it's awesome to meet you' and he said, 'Oh, likewise!' "
Andy Roddick was beaming. He was higher than his ball toss.
"I can't believe I met Joe Montana," he said. "I can't wait to tell my dad!"
Well, then. Guess we can safely put to rest any assumptions that success has
changed Roddick.
In a sit-down interview after a practice session at La Quinta this month, the
Boca Raton resident came across as the same likable guy who won the 2003 U.S.
Open singles crown and acted as if he expected to wake up any second; who made
fun of himself on Saturday Night Live; who cringes and turns crimson whenever
somebody asks him what it's like to be Hugh Jackman hot.
Reflecting on success
U.S. tennis looks at Roddick and sees a cross between Pete Sampras and Jimmy
Connors. Teens look at Roddick and see a heartthrob. Marketers look at Roddick
and see Mecca. The paparazzi looks at Roddick and sees next month's rent check.
Roddick's mirror must have a five-year delay mechanism built into it because
when he looks at himself he sees... nothing special.
"It's funny," Roddick said. "The more matches I win, the better looking I get.
It's all kind of a trip for me. I don't really take it too seriously."
Roddick, who will compete at the Nasdaq-100 Open beginning this week, will make
light of almost anything but his tennis. He takes very seriously his role as
the conservator of the sport in the U.S., the deliverer of the goods.
His six titles last year were neat and his season-ending No. 1 ranking was an
unexpected treat. There are people who looked at Roddick's 2003 results and saw
a star who had arrived.
Roddick, not surprisingly, was not one of them.
What he saw was an unfinished project. "I got to Number One in the world
without being really a complete player," Roddick said.
He saw a backhand that needed polish. So during an off-season as abbreviated as
shorthand, he put a lot of elbow grease into that.
He saw a body that needed the very best pit crew. So he hired away veteran
trainer Doug Spreen from the ATP Tour.
He saw a program that needed updating. So he installed in his muscle memory the
will to follow his serve to the net, something he knows he positively has to do
if he wants to be more than a one-major wonder.
"I feel like I have a pretty legit shot at winning three of the four Slams
every year," Roddick said, throwing out the French Open on clay. "If I could
get one of them every year that would be great."
That's his goal and he's sticking to it.
Roddick's overall game this year looks more polished. His ranking, however, has
fallen to No. 3. He is 20-5, with all his losses coming to players outside the
top 10.
"I'm honestly not that concerned about it," Roddick said.
He's not deluded, merely realistic. He knows growing your game is like growing
out your hair. Sometimes there's an awkward stage before all the strands fall
beautifully into place.
Roddick's buzz cut was the talk of the Australian Open in the first week. Then
Roddick bowed out in the quarterfinals to Marat Safin, causing such alarm in
Melbourne you would have thought Roddick's hair was on fire. In fact, it was
Safin's game that was smoking.
Losses to Thomas Enqvist in Memphis, Vince Spadea in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Tim
Henman at Indian Wells, Calif., triggered more waves of panic. Never mind that
he captured his 12th career title in San Jose. "You lose a match where you played
high-level tennis and (everybody) is like, 'What's happening?' " Roddick said.
He laughed. "It's kind of funny and flattering at the same time. I never
thought I'd get to the level where if you lose a regular match it's like a
crisis. I try not to get too up or down. I still think it's a process where you
are continually trying to improve. It's pretty simple."
A 5-year-old follows his older brother John into tennis. From such simple
beginnings, Roddick's career has evolved to the point where, 16 years later,
unmarked SUVs with tinted windows and mercenary motives are following him
around.
Fame brings intrusions, questions
Fame can get pretty scary sometimes. Roddick was hanging out in L.A. after the
Australian Open with his girlfriend, actress Mandy Moore, when he noticed they
were being tailed by three SUVs.
It was feeding time for the paparazzi and Moore and Roddick were chum.
"You'd take a left, they'd be there," Roddick said. "We went into a store.
They'd be across the street waiting. It went on like this for like three hours.
Finally, I said, 'Screw that' and I did my best Miami Vice impression and lost
them."
"It was weird, though. That's almost stalking. I can only imagine what it's
like for the people who actually are really, really, really, really famous."
We started to tell Roddick that he is really, really, really, really famous,
but his earnest expression stopped us in mid-sentence.
No wonder Hollywood digs Roddick. In a culture that values celebrity over
actual achievement, there aren't too many people who spurn her advances.
Roddick intrigues Hollywood for the same reason Katharine Hepburn fascinated
Warren Beatty. Hollywood doesn't have Roddick at "Hello."
The writers of Will & Grace wrote Andy and Mandy into the opening dialogue on
a recent episode. "Why? Because he's so hot!" one writer told us.
Jhoni Marchinko, the executive producer of the show (and a former tennis player
) said they were looking for a high-profile couple with staying power, which
automatically ruled out Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck or Paris Hilton and
whoever.
"It sounds cute," Marchinko said by telephone, "but we thought Andy and Mandy
are a couple that is going to make it."
When Marchinko's words were relayed, Roddick fidgeted in his seat. He laughed
but his HaHa came out sounding suspiciously like Uh-oh. For the first time in
the interview, Roddick avoided direct eye contact.
"Um, I don't know what my reaction is to that," he said, studying his hands.
"That's one of the things I don't really care to talk about too much. The way
we act toward each other is not for public consumption."
Six days later, the first reports would surface in the celebrity gossip pages
that the couple had split up. Roddick would neither confirm nor deny the
breakup. Whatever the truth, it has become increasingly clear in the past year
that Roddick isn't entirely comfortable with the Hollywood scene embracing him
to the point of suffocation.
On being the kind of celebrity who always gets his name in bold print, Roddick
said: "I guess you have to notice what you do a little bit more, be more
careful, I guess, because someone's always watching you. I try as hard as I can
not to let it affect me. I'm not one who has a grudge toward it or resents it."
That doesn't mean Roddick won't occasionally run from it.
He likes to escape to his homes in Boca Raton or Austin, Texas. The latter has
become more than a refuge. "It has kind of become a hobby," said Roddick, who
has added a home theater and other upgrades to the property that he purchased
in November.
When he's in Austin, Roddick likes to go to Sixth Street and hang out. Nobody
bothers him too much and the music scene offers a lot more variety than your
FM radio dial.
"There are tons of musicians who are always playing," Roddick said, his face
lighting up. "I'll just kind of go down there and just wander in and out of
places."
Plugging into music, Roddick has found, is a lot like playing tennis. You get
the most out of it when you stay in the moment.
"I'm trying maybe to forget about everything that happened last year and start
a new chapter," he said. "I'm trying to focus on the here and now. I don't
think you're ever exactly where you want to be. But I'm not worried, if that's
what you're asking. The ingredients are there for something good."
--
"The canvas on the easel is empty.
He's got the paint in his hand and only time will tell."
-Brad Gilbert on how good Andy Roddick can become
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