SMASH Magazine's Spring Issue Presents a First-Hand Report on What It's Like to Return Roddick's Serve
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Doug Drotman
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631-462-1198
doug@drotmanpr.com
03/05/07 - New York, NY--The Spring issue of SMASH – a cutting-edge tennis lifestyle magazine for teens from the publishers of Tennis Magazine – features a first- hand account of what it’s like to return Andy Roddick’s serve, a talk with music man Gavin DeGraw on his tennis connections and an inside look at Maria Sharapova’s winter vacation. Here are some of the highlights:
A Rally with Roddick
Andy Roddick warns ace tennis reporter Joel Drucker, “Death and destruction for you soon enough, buddy.” Drucker dared to tell the king of tennis that he could return his serve and pledged to donate a reasonable sum to Roddick’s charity, the Andy Roddick Foundation, if Roddick aces him ten times. The spring issue of SMASH features a play-by-play of the resulting smack down.
Roddick points out, “Club players serve with their wrists, good players serve with their arms and shoulders, but the really good players get their legs and hips into it.”
So what does it feel like to have a Roddick serve come at you? “It’s one thing to see Roddick’s serve in your living room or even courtside,” said Drucker in SMASH. “But you enter another realm when you plant your body on the baseline and see firsthand the familiar image of Roddick’s butt sticking out and his right arm about to crank its way into gear.”
Musician Gavin DeGraw on his Tennis Connections
If you’re talking tunes with James Blake, Andy Roddick or Jim Courier, singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw will come up. DeGraw, 30, is their buddy – he’s played concerts at their charity events and has even taken to the court, though he doesn’t exactly make beautiful music with his racquet, reports SMASH. DeGraw says he is a disaster on the tennis court. He and fellow musician John Mayer once played tennis with Roddick and Blake during a charity event. “It reminded John and me of when we used to play in bars, you know, before we were out touring, and people would try and come up and try to sing with you. It was kind of like two musicians bastardizing the great sport of tennis. Two worlds collide. But if Andy and James picked up a guitar they would have their struggles with music.”
Maria Sharapova Talks About her Winter Break
“We tennis players don’t get much time off,” Sharapova tells SMASH. “If you blink, you miss the entire so-called ‘off-season,’ before you’re back on the court – so you have to make the most of it. I went to the Four Seasons Resort in Costa Rica, and it was amazing. It isn’t too often that I get to wake up and have no sense of what time it is.” Her typical day? “Wake up, open the blinds and the windows, go back to bed. Wake up again, take a golf-cart ride to breakfast, eat a breakfast burrito, then decide if I want to lay out by the pool or the beach.” SMASH features some of her personal vacation pics including Sharapova swinging through the jungle.
The spring issue of SMASH also features an interview with America’s newest tennis sweetheart, Ana Ivanovic; tips on how to stay off the injury list; a talk with Syracuse University’s women’s tennis coach Luke Jensen; the 10 albums Bob and Mike Bryan can’t live without; a spring preview of the best new equipment; and the top ten ways to climb the ranks in junior tennis.
SMASH, the new tennis lifestyle magazine, is from Miller Publishing, the publishers of TENNIS Magazine and TENNIS.com. SMASH’s tagline, “It’s a Tennis Revolution,” speaks to the quarterly’s fresh, irreverent approach. Fusing tennis and pop culture, the magazine’s design, regular features and photography are cutting edge, creating a voice similar to that of the popular action sports titles. The magazine’s accompanying official website, www.SMASHtennis.com, offers additional information and a forum for junior tennis players, including blogs, polls, message boards and much more.
About Miller Publishing Group: MPG publishes TENNIS Magazine and SMASH. TENNIS is the world’s largest tennis title, with a circulation of more than 600,000. TENNIS publishes 10 times annually plus its popular “Year-In Pictures” issue. MPG also owns TENNIS.com, the world’s leading tennis website, as well as Peterbodostennisworld.com and SMASHtennis.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Doug Drotman
Drotman Communications
631-462-1198 (doug@drotmanpr.com)
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Links:
http://www.smashtennis.com/
