Know When to Hold 'Em

Like most people who appear frequently on television, Andy Roddick looks smaller in the flesh. But he doesn't look any less square-shouldered, raw-boned, or lean. And one thing that rarely comes across on television, where we customarily see Andy in full battle regalia and wearing his game face, is his friendly, gregarious nature.

After spending the better part of the day with him yesterday, I find myself unmoved from my default position on Boy Andy. He's a decent, smart, good-natured kid with a significant goofball quotient that co-exists, sometimes in seeming contradiction, with his high-dose of testosterone. He's an industrial-grade competitor armed with a thundering, meat-and-potatoes game, and that almost begs for him to be cast as somehow menacing, which makes him a textbook example of someone into whom the naturally suspicious or timid read too much.

Andy - just stop and savor the name for a moment; is it not the most disarming and cuddly of all male names? - is a a strapping lad who loves to compete at tennis in away that appears to personify the sunny and straightforward American "can do" ethic. He's the flip-side of his chief tormentor, Roger Federer, who embodies the artful subjugation of the same killer instinct (he is, after all, as European as Roddick is American). We might as well  be real about this folks:  When any champion worth a lick sets foot on a court, he's got a single aim. I think we all know what that is.

I went to Boca Raton to interview Andy for a major feature in Tennis magazine, and I can't give away the store at this blog (the full interview won't hit the stands until mid-March). But I can pinch a few things off the shelf, and tell you a little about the day. We met up at the Embassy Suites hotel in Boca early in the morning, hopped into Andy's loaner Lexus (accompanied by Stuart Kozlowski, a childhood friend and recent law school grad), and rolled south, toward Hollywood, where Andy was doing a round of promotional appearances and interviews for his upcoming (Friday night) charity event - a  poker tournament featuring A-list celebrities (including Serena and Venus Williams), erstwhile high rollers, and spectators. A measly Lincoln - 20 bucks - will get you in, and it will all go to benefit the Andy Roddick Foundation, which helps abused and at-risk kids in South Florida.

We rolled tape for the 40-minute drive, covering a wide range of topics, including Roddick's assessment of his chances next year against The Mighty Fed. The gist of his thoughts was that for an extended period that only ended this summer, the gap between the two players only grew wider. But the U.S. Open final, and Roddick's clash with TMF at the ATP Masters Championships in Shanghai (where Roddick blew a match point and ultimately lost), has Andy thinking that the gap is closing.

There's no point fudging the reality; Federer has owned Roddick for some time now. But at some level, every player needs to come off the court after getting waxed by Federer thinking something like this: Man, I missed some backhand returns today, but next time -  next time I'm taking that boy behind the woodshed! That this assessment may be ludicrous to delusional matters not a whit; you have no chance to beat the man if you think any less positively. These days, I think only Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Marat Safin regularly have that kind of gumption.

We arrived at the studio of Big 105.9, Miami's classic rock station, where Andy was scheduled as a surprise guest on the morning talk show, Paul and Young Ron. Waiting to be called in, I asked  Andy about the controversy surrounding the NCAA football national championship game (it will be Ohio State vs. Florida) and he confessed that he had thought the opponent for the Buckeyes should be Michigan - until a friend told him, "I thought that if you want to national champ you'd at least have to win your conference. . ."

When I asked Andy if he thought his beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers would ever be good again, he became somewhat defensive. "We're not so bad," he protested. "We beat the people we were supposed to beat this year."

During a commercial break, we were ushered into the studio, where one of the two talk radio hosts  (full disclosure: my notes say only, "big fat guy in black" and "big fat guy in white" and "neither looks particularly young") boomed out, "Hi, Randy!"

Without missing a beat, Roddick quipped, "Ah, big name. Let's butcher it."

BFGB (I think it was Paul)  then checked out our entourage, which had come to include Rhiannon Ellis, who was doing a lot of PR and organizational work for the poker event, and her assistant, Brenda. Looking at me, Paul asked, "Is that your dad over there?"

Ouch. Everyone laughed out loud.

Young Ron (BFGW?) then opined that I looked like Johnny Unitas, except that Unitas was dead.

The TR hosts returned from break and continued to talk via telephone with Rob Halford, the aging lead singer for the heavy metal outfit, Judas Priest. Halford, whom someone recently named the No. 2 metal shrieker of all time (right behind Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin), was told that Andy Roddick had just dropped into the studio. Halford told some boring story about having played (tennis) once with John McEnroe. It's tough being an American tennis player these days.

They got rid of Halford and got to talking with Andy, who dove right into his mission: pitching his poker event. He did a good job of it, too. Then BFGB (or was it BFGW?) wanted to talk about Serena Williams's pit bull - the one that had gotten hold of some poor security guard's backside, and how Serena had originally denied that it was her dog. "I can relate to that," Andy said. "You're on the road four months, you get home, you don't even know. . . is that my dog?"

They launched into a spirited discussion of Kid Rock, after which one of TR hosts started to play a recording of Maria Sharapova, shrieking as she struck the ball. Andy managed to squeeze in some more details about his foundation and the work it was doing, after which he offered the TR hosts a seat  at one of the poker tables. "Oh," Andy said to BFGW, "we have an open bar, too. So at five hundred bucks a pop, you'll walk away way ahead."

They then talked the usual guy talk about Paris and Nicky Hilton (both of them will be at Andy's event), and eventually got around to Andre Agassi, just as the segment was closing. "I had to play five minutes after Andre lost at the Open," Andy said, turning serious. "After watching this. . . role model, I was, like, so stunned by the whole thing that I went out and couldn't hit a ball for an entire set, which I lost."

That was it. BFGB signaled the end and went to one of those commercials where the TR host personally pitches the product: "If you're a car shopper. . .let me tell you, my wife and I both drive (insert name of imported automobile) and we love these vehicles. . ."

Andy posed for pictures with a few of the guys in the studio and called his mother, Blanche, who is heavily involved in running Roddick's foundation. He was getting nervous. He wanted everything to go smoothly - for the event to be a big success. I could tell that he was deeply involved in every aspect of the planning.

Our next stop was the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, where the celebrity poker tournament will be held. We sat around one of the gaming tables, and someone decided that it would be more interesting for the TV news cameras if we all were playing poker. So they rounded up a dealer and we began to play as Andy chatted with a young reporter. The reporter had never played poker before, but he beat Andy out for a big pot on the second hand dealt. Andy pretended to be upset and said in a stage whisper, "If he doesn't know what he's doing, how am I supposed to be able to figure out what he's doing?"

While the TV crews were filming, I noticed Charlie Bricker, of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (story here), standing nearby. We chatted a bit, and then it was his turn to have a tete-a-tete with Roddick. Michelle Kaufmann of the Miami-Herald came over (story here), and we caught up a little, too, until it was her turn to interview Roddick.

I was once again struck by something that people like me manage never to think about and probably can't afford to think about: a top player spends the bulk of his time answering the same questions, over and over. It can't be helped, and it isn't anyone's fault, but it probably helps explain why the players treat doing press as such drudgery. With a cause to promote, though, Roddick was thoughtful and forthcoming to all comers, finding slightly different ways to say the same thing to the same questions:

Why poker? - It's a great game, and it's perfect for tennis players. It's social, in a sport in which everyone is always focusing on his own needs. It has no language barriers. You don't need any equipment except a deck of cards and chips. It kills time. James Blake is probably the best of the American players. . .

Who's going to win the Ohio State-Florida game? -  I'm picking the Buckeyes. I thought Michigan should be in there but a friend said something. . .

What influence did Andre Agassi have on  you? -  I once got the chance to ask Andre if there was anything he regretted about his career and he said, "That I didn't start my charity work earlier. . ."

When Andy was done with this round of interviews, he wanted to go over to the concert venue where the poker event will be held to meet with the guys in charge of setting up the sound and lights and VIP "Green Room". He wanted me to see the set-up, and how slick it was going to be. I found this touching; he reminded me of the neighbor who wants to show you how he turned his basement into a rec room, complete with recessed lighting and a wet bar. But first, he needed to go to the men's room. For the third time since we'd arrived at the casino.

"What?" Stu proclaimed. "You've got the bladder control of a three-year old."

"Dude," Andy replied. "I'm hydrated!"

He took off jogging, headed for the men's room at the far end of the enormous casino. I was impressed by his continued enthusiasm; I've been with players who turned cranky and withdrawn after doing far less than Andy had already undertaken this day. He had connected with a lot of people, including a classic casino habitue, a white-haired old lady rocking a Member's Only jacket. She had blundered over to talk to Roddick in the middle of one of his interviews. He engaged her until one of our entourage calmly ushered her off to the side.

Over at the arena, Andy walked me through the layout and we met with the facility staff. Andy suddenly realized that he ought to have a roving camera crew, so that the spectators in the $20 seats, who were going to be looking down on the action from at least 10 feet above the floor of the arena, would get a good close look at the celebs. They debated the cost and logistics of having a live feed to monitors and the equivalent of a sideline reporter, and Andy decided quickly. "We need that. I'll go out of pocket on the cost if I have to."

We shook hands all around and headed back to the car. It was a little after one, and nobody had eaten anything since about 8. But Andy needed to have some racquets strung, so we had one more stop. On the way over, we got to talking about Serena Williams.

I think Serena's going to be great next year. You saw her at the (U.S.) Open, and she's been playing these exos (exhibitions) in the off-season. I know she's been hanging in Florida a little more, obviously training a little more. I think it'll be a good thing for the game. I mean, they need them. It's such an unreal story, when you think about it. We take it for granted. Really think about it - sisters, both No. 1 in the world, both winning all the time.

Think about it. The Manning brothers (NFL starting quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning) are great. Peyton's one of the best ever. But their dad was a pro quarterback, too. Think about the sisters. Where they came from. No experience in tennis, dad figures, "These women make a lot of money in tennis, I'm gonna put them in here." And look what happens. It's totally taken for granted.

I feel like they get a lot more negativity than they should. I really think they're misunderstood. If you're just around them - it's tough. Every person since they were 14 has wanted something from them. When you get around them, they're so sweet - oh my gosh - so giggly and stuff.

I've known them since I was 10. I was at Macci's (the Rick Macci Tennis Academy) with them, before they were supernovas. . .

I interrupted, suggesting that the Williamses had handled things badly, and seemed overly evasive and unforthcoming about what they were doing, and why. It seemed they wanted it both ways, stardom without the work or responsibility that comes with it. To which Andy replied:

To be honest with you, I saw them hit - eight hours a day, when they 10, 11, and 12. They never got a break. I never saw them take it easy. Ever. And for someone to sit here and tell me they can't do that? That's ridiculous to me. I witnessed it. They get bumped for not working hard? Oh my god, dude. They were manic. . . And the worst thing is, if they had come out and said up front, "We're not playing now, we need a break from all the work and stress", you know they would get it at the other end - guaranteed: "Oh, poor stars, poor little rich kids, they want to lead 'normal' lives. . ." No question they would get that.

I found this slightly disconcerting. Andy seemed so passionate about the subject that I have to wonder if I hadn't missed something critical, somewhere along the line, in the way I judged the Williams situation. And it wasn't the only subject that I came to see in a slightly different, perhaps clearer light.

We made a quick stop at the tennis shop where Andy gets his frames strung. He hobnobbed a little with the folks minding the store, picked up two freshly strung frames and dropped off two others. He paid for all four with his credit card while a few tennis ladies and weekend warriors lurked around the circular clothing racks discreetly eavesdropping and whispering amongst themselves.

When we pulled out again, Stu and Andy had a lively debate over whether it would be Taco Bell or Subway or perhaps even room service. The subject that soon came up after the executive decision on lunch was made (Quiznos!) was whether or not the serve-and-volley game was a relic of the past, or simply unfashionable.

"I'm gonna break it down for you," Andy said. "What's the primary difference between now and even ten years ago?"

"Well, in terms of the way people play or the equipment they use?"

Naw. It's not equipment, dude. Roger uses the same racquet Pete used. I've used the same racquet for what, eight years now. It's been around. It's not equipment. The only thing that's different is the Luxilon strings. That doesn't make you hit harder, it just lets you take wooly mammoth swings all day long and the ball comes down. You get a greater margin for error, but that doesn't add to the speed of the game. Everything's slowed down. You can see James (Blake) take a full swing at my serve, hit it completely flush, and it lands halfway between the service line and the baseline. It's not gut anymore.

*The thing is, everything's become a lot slower. It's not rocket science. What will that lead to? More emphasis on returns and movement. So - it's just a matter if the conditions change again. If they do, you'll see people play accordingly. You're not going to come in if you're playing in a sandbox. Guys are fast enough today as it is, you give them an extra half-second on every ball and that makes a big difference.

I like to do my due diligence before running off at the mouth, and if you ask any player who's been around - a Bjorkman or Henman or Ferreira - you'll hear something pretty similar I think. I was the only big server at the Masters, but you don't hear talk about that. There seems to be an obsession with power, but then. . .there's a lot of talk about the serves, nobody claims to have slowed anything down, so it's a 52 week coincidence - apparently.

I think it will have to go back the other way. There's a happy medium somewhere. I remember watching Michael Stich and Guy Forget one time.They hit, like, 14 aces in a row. I don't think you want that, but then again, you want a mix. You see a lot of similar players out there now, running, hitting. . . I think a faster court or a medium court adds to a bigger mix of styles. There should be slow season and a fast season. I'm not saying every week should be fast, I'm saying there should be a conversation.*

It was getting toward 2 PM, and Andy's coach, Jimmy Connors, was waiting for his protege back at the hotel. It was time for Roddick to think about the day job, and I found myself wondering how he would find the energy to get through a  rigorous practice session. Tennis isn't poker; in the card game, you can win on a bluff.

Maybe that's another reason that guys like Andy Roddick find relief in poker.

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