Tennis Stars Moving Off Sports Pages Ahead Of ’05 U.S. Open

Agassi Re-Ups With Genworth Financial

The ‘05 U.S. Open, which begins today at the USTA’s National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, has “spawned a glut of publicity for men’s tennis beyond the traditional sporting media,” according to Dale Robertson of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Andy Roddick is on the cover of the August issue of Cargo, Marat Safin is in a seven-page spread in GQ, Rafael Nadal is in Vogue, Roger Federer made the premiere edition of Men’s Vogue, and James Blake is profiled in Sunday’s N.Y. Times Magazine (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/29).

MOJO RISING: In N.Y., Karen Crouse writes with Andre Agassi’s “tennis star dimming, Roddick is becoming the celebrity of men’s tennis” in the U.S. Roddick: “The powers that be in tennis realize you have to have an American star for the sport to succeed in this country. I understand that, too. I realize I'm kind of the persona of American tennis right now” (N.Y. TIMES, 8/29). Friday’s edition of ESPN2’s “ESPN Hollywood” went behind the scenes of the filming of Roddick’s new American Express ad. The ad features Roddick and Mardy Fish practicing on the court and has Roddick “losing his mojo” and asking Fish, “Mardy, do you ever feel like you’re just missing something?” (“ESPN Hollywood,” ESPN2, 8/26).

FOUNDATIONS: Genworth Financial extended its deals with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf through ’07. A new print and broadcast advertising feature debuts today, and for the first time, both athletes will wear the Genworth name on their sleeves during competition. Meanwhile, for every pair of mi adidas shoes sold at the Sport Performance Store in N.Y. during the U.S. Open, adidas will donate $100 to the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation. Agassi earlier this year signed an endorsement deal with adidas, ending a 17-relationship with Nike. The commitment adidas gave to Agassi’s foundation was a large part of the reason he switched to the company (THE DAILY). Agassi’s business manager Perry Rogers said that the sum of his endorsements is $22-23M, and that “most of the endorsements will continue after” Agassi retires. A “portion of each Agassi endorsement deal goes to his foundation” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 8/28).

FREE TO ROAM: In N.Y., Selena Roberts noted Federer has no agent, so he is “free to turn down David Letterman, to write his own speeches, to be his own man.” He is “constantly aware of how his voice carries as the No. 1 ranked player in the world whether he is talking to the Swiss news media or opening the Nasdaq market as he did on Thursday.” Federer said of off-court opportunities, “If it makes no sense or if it is only PR or whatever, if it’s not credible, then I think that’s very important to know. I believe that’s my strength, because I don’t talk when I don’t think it’s appropriate” (N.Y. TIMES, 8/27).

Nadal Starts Trend With Capri-Style Nike Pants

SHORT PANTS: In Ft. Lauderdale, Sarah Talalay wrote while Capri pants “have been fashionable among women,” the Capri-style Nike pants worn by Nadal have “pushed the trend into the sports world.” The pants, which come in white and black, are on back order from Nike, and “tennis stores can’t keep [them] on the shelves.” Teen People Fashion Dir Jorge Ramon said that it is a combination of Nadal’s “on-court success, teen idol good looks and charisma that have led to interest in the pants” (SUN-SENTINEL, 8/28).

ROOM FOR TWO: In today’s N.Y. TIMES, Roberts writes Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams “are remarkably alike in their improbable journeys and oversized fame, in their fashion obsessions and intense playing styles, in their dramatics on court and revealing poses in magazines. But is there room for two on Madison Avenue? To happy marketers, yes.” Max Eisenbud, who reps Sharapova, said of his client, “She has had the ability to say no. She’ll say no to the private plane that will take her to present at the MTV music awards. Most people can’t lay off that, but she has her priorities” (N.Y. TIMES, 8/29). The MTV Video Music Award show was staged last night in Miami (THE DAILY).

EMPHASIS IN THE RIGHT PLACE? In N.Y., Marc Berman notes Williams is wearing 13-carat diamond earrings valued at $40,000 in her first match today. Federer: “I think in men’s, it’s still the game that counts more. Maybe women’s, it’s sometimes more of their personality. They’re more sexy, let’s say, they show more skin. They talk more about that than actually their forehand and backhand” (N.Y. POST, 8/29). Justin Gimelstob, who is writing a blog for SI.com during the tournament, wrote, “Pretty soon the WTA practice courts, and maybe even the match courts, will resemble a women’s volleyball court, with g-strings and bikinis being the only logical next step” (SI.com, 8/26).

AmEx' Full, Back-Page NY Times Ad Features Roddick

SONY ERICSSON: WTA CEO Larry Scott and Venus Williams appeared on Saturday’s edition of CBS’ “The Saturday Early Show” where they discussed the U.S. Open and the popularity of women’s tennis. To demonstrate some of the technology being introduced by tour sponsor Sony Ericsson, Scott presented CBS’ Russ Mitchell with the company’s new walkman phone that updates scores and shows video clips from U.S. Open matches (CBS, 8/27). Venus penned a column in Saturday’s N.Y. DAILY NEWS, writing, “This season has been a great one for women’s tennis. Off the court, Sony Ericsson became the sponsor of the WTA Tour. I love their W800 Walkman” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/27).

AD-IN: U.S. Open sponsor Polo Ralph Lauren ran a two-page ad in Sunday’s N.Y. Times. Canon has several ads in today’s special U.S. Open section in USA Today: a full-page ad featuring Sharapova; a half-page ad featuring her logo; and a quarter-page ad with Agassi and Graf. The N.Y. Times’ special tennis section today has ads by Continental Airlines, The Long Island Railroad and XM Satellite Radio. AmEx runs a full, back-page ad featuring Roddick pumping his fist, with the header, “Have You Seen This Man’s Mojo?” (THE DAILY).