Art (if advertising can be called that) Imitates Life

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Sep 1, 2005

When Andy Roddick has his mojo working, such as he did back in 2003 when earning the United States Open title, his rocket serves overwhelm opponents, allowing the other parts of his game to coast along with him to victory. After Pete Sampras retired and Andre Agassi's hairline (or lack thereof) made it apparent that there was a limited amount of mileage in the former Mr. Brooke Shields' tank, the search for an heir apparent began. Andy Roddick was quickly (perhaps too quickly) anointed, proclaimed to be the man who would represent American dominance at the sport of tennis in the earliest stage of the new century. We citizens of the U.S. of A are accustomed to being on top, having been spoiled for years by the stellar play of stars such as John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Sampras and Agassi. It seemed logical to presume that another American phenomenon would immediately follow, and Roddick appeared to fit the bill. The fact that he was a good looking guy with a brash personality who dated pop stars like Mandy Moore made him that much easier to market. So American Express had the bright idea of coming up with an alter-ego to represent his mojo in a series of television commercials. In them, while Andy Roddick makes sure to get a full night's sleep in order to be well-rested for competitive tennis, his mojo carouses the night away with Andy's AMEX card. The next morning he is surprised to find himself lethargic on the court, feeling as if something is missing. The tagline: Have you seen Andy's mojo?

Sports reporters in the real world are now asking this very same question after Roddick was shockingly vanquished in the first round of the 2005 US OPEN. Convenient excuses for his loss to Gilles Muller, a lefty from Luxembourg who entered the match ranked 68th in the world, did not readily present themselves. Andy Roddick has the luxury of being healthy instead of battling nagging injuries, and appears to be in fit condition. The hard court is his favorite surface, for it accentuates his strengths and minimizes his flaws. He was the winner of the U.S. Open Series leading up to the year's final Grand Slam event, giving him the extra motivation of being able to double the $1.1 million top prize if he came out on top. Andy had even looked respectable in his most recent loss to nemesis Roger Federer, a player who has Roddick's number along with that of every other player on the tour. The betting money was on Federer once again being too much for Andy to handle when their paths next crossed. But very few people would have wagered that Roger and Andy would not be facing off in this year's US OPEN because of Roddick's failure to make it out of the first round.