Around the World with Mr. Ed (May 19, 2001)
by Ed Toombs



Roddick and Coria charm the fans
We all know that the veteran stars of tennis are quickly jaded by the constant publicity that surrounds them. Hurrying through crowds of autograph-seekers, anxious to get back to the hotel. Understandable, as they live life in a goldfish bowl and have come to cherish the few private moments they have.

Fortunately, a new generation is always emerging: talented young players who are thrilled just to be among the elite and are savouring every moment.

Exhibit A: In Houston, Andy Roddick, the 18-year-old American sensation, offered to buy finals tickets for a couple of hundred fans who stayed to the end of his rain-delayed 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) semifinal win over Jerome Golmard. The match had been delayed for more than four hours, and the die-hard fans elected to stay late into the evening. "To win two straight would be great, especially for these fans here," said Roddick. "They have really inspired me, especially the ones who stayed to the end."

Exhibit B: the other teenage star of the moment, Argentina's Guillermo Coria. The 19-year-old Argentine up-and-comer has his own web site, at www.gcoria.com. Visitors to the site are invited to leave messages, and many do so, about 150 a day. Young Coria insists on answering each message personally. Does this bother him? "I love it," says the young Argentine star. "What bothers me is that many of them don't believe that I am answering: they think it's someone else."

One senses that Roddick and Coria, both prodigiously talented, will soon find that the fans seeking their attentions will overwhelm their capacity to satisfy the faithful. Hopefully, both the supporters of these young stars and the stars themselves will cherish these moments of relative innocence.


Rios in deep doo-doo

One pro who has lomg since lost his innocence, if he ever had any, is the former #1 Marcelo Rios.

The Chilean reached a low point in his career in Rome last week. At the players' party during the tournament, Marcelo indulged himself in indiscretions that earned him a $10,000 fine. On the way back to his hotel, Rios was involved in a tumultuous taxi ride that ended with the Chilean being charged with resisting arrest and assaulting police officers.

The ATP has already fined Rios $10,000 for his unspecified misbehaviour at the players' party. The Italian courts might have more sanctions to inflict on the Chilean star, as he will be facing charges relating to the incidents in Rome.

From a tennis fan's point of view, the tragedy is that Marcelo Rios, for all his personal flaws, plays a beautiful game of tennis.

We don't expect nice young men like Roddick and Coria to throw their careers in the trash, as has Rios. Nor do we naively expect them to be as attentive to individual fans as they are now, once the number of fans reaches unmanageable proportions. Very soon, the fans following Andy Roddick will make it unreasonable for him to buy tickets for all of them. Very soon, Guillermo Coria's volume of e-mails will make it impossible for him to give them all individual attention.

However, with the positive attitudes that Coria and Roddick possess, tennis will be in good hands.


You may read previous Mr. Ed columns by clicking here.

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