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ARF Charity Gala Raises Over One Million Dollars

Andy promised guests Wednesday evening that the night would be unforgettable. Hours later when Sir Elton John closed his stunning performance with a Lion King tribute, there was not a person in the ACL Live Moody Theater that would have disagreed.

The 6th annual Andy Roddick Foundation Charity Gala raised over one million dollars for children’s organizations. Andy was joined on the red carpet by his wife Brooklyn Decker, Terrell Owens, Fred Couples, James Blake, Bobby Bones, Mark Knowles and the Mayor of Austin, Lee Leffingwell.

The inspiring evening included a cocktail reception, dinner and live auction, an intimate performance by Elton John and after party hosted by SAP. Guests bid on one of a kind auction items including a spa day with Brooklyn Decker, golf with Andy and Fred Couples and unique trips to The Masters and Australian Open.

While the event focused on raising funds and awareness for several local children’s organizations, Andy and his friends kept the mood light hearted. Austin DJ Bobby Bones opened the event with some friendly digs at his good friend Andy, saying he was as nervous to get on stage as Andy is before the French Open. Andy took the stage next and returned the favor with some witty banter. Following the live Auction, Sir Elton John took the stage with a dynamic set including his legendary classics. Andy was humbled when Sir Elton John complimented the tennis star’s continuing philanthropic efforts and big heart, even calling him a “mench” in between songs.

Following several standing ovations for the once in a lifetime performance, guests mingled on the W Hotel patio at the SAP after party. It was an evening full of surprises, good people, good times, and most importantly great efforts towards improving the lives of children.

September 23 2011 | Posted in Andy Roddick | Read More »

“Serving Children Today for Tomorrow”: The Beneficiaries of the Gala

The Andy Roddick Foundation’s Sixth Annual Charity Gala is proud to bring award-winning singer/song writer Elton John back to Austin yet again. Even though the American’s philanthropic endeavors began in Boca Raton, this event will be benefitting local children’s organizations, such as KIPP: Austin Public Schools, The Settlement Home for Children, Austin Partners in Education, A Glimmer of Hope, Austin Children’s Shelter and the Andy Roddick Youth Tennis Program.

The “Knowledge Is Power Program” focuses on giving low-income students who are economically disadvantaged and mostly grade levels behind an enriching college-preparatory education. KIPP: Austin had 87% of the graduating Class of 2010 matriculate to college, and the 99 other KIPP facilities that provide a free education are located in 20 states and the District of Columbia are having similar successes. For more information, go to www.kippaustin.org

The Settlement Home for Children is a residential treatment center in North Austin, and it is dedicated to helping children who have been abused or neglected by resolving their emotional, behavioral and familial problems and providing quality residential care. This “home” provides 27 beds for girls between the ages of 7 and 17, who are in need of 24 hour therapeutic care at the specialized or intense level, and gives them a family setting as well as the opportunity to attend on-campus or public school. For more information, go to www.settlementhome.org

Knowing that education is as fundamental as learning how to swing a racquet, the ARFoundation will also donate to the Austin Partners in Education. This organization works to foster effective volunteer-driven community partnerships that support and enrich student learning and success through Classroom Coaching, Mentoring, Adopt-a-School and general volunteer programs. Enriching both the students and the volunteers who work for this program, it helps solidify the necessary life skills every child needs. For more information, go to www.austinpartners.org

The Glimmer of Hope organization works to program young people and senior adults with the attention and support needed to help create awareness and balance with health care, education, life skills, fine arts, safety and basic needs. Camp Glimmer is supported for the ARFoundation to give children the opportunity to experience a first-class summer camp to enrich their spirit and skills. For more information, go to www.aglimmerofhope.org

Austin’s Children’s Shelter does more than provide less fortunate children with a roof over their heads, it gives supportive services for children, youth and young adults from birth to 22 who have experienced significant loss, trauma, abuse and/or neglect in their lives. Most of the time, these children have been removed from their homes by protective services and are in need of both healing and the teaching of life skills to help them get back on their feet and grow to as independent as possible, while the shelter still providing them with a Transitional Living Program. For more information, go to www.austinchildrenshelter.org

The final beneficiary of the September 21 event is the The Andy Roddick Youth Tennis Program which was developed through the combination of visions of Rene Lacoste, the Roddick family, and both the Rene Lacoste Foundation and the Andy Roddick Foundation. In 2007, tennis was at the hands of any underpriviledged child who wanted it. Weekly, these children take part in tennis clinics and mentoring sessions that focus on Nutrition – Making Healthy Choices; Social, Career & academic potential; Values for Life; Speakers Program; and Mentoring Relationships.

For more information, go to www.andyroddick.com

If you haven’t already become a part of Andy’s initiative to assist the children of Austin, go to www.andyroddick.com now for tickets, proshop purchases that all benefit the ARFoundation, or to make a donation. You too can serve children today for a better, brighter tomorrow.

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September 22 2011 | Posted in Andy Roddick | Read More »

6th Annual ARF Charity Gala w/ Sir Elton John!

Grammy and Academy Award Winning singer/songwriter Sir Elton John will headline the 2011 Andy Roddick Foundation 6th Annual Charity Gala Wednesday, September 21st at ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas.

“I am thrilled to have Sir Elton John perform at the Gala again, it is a privilege to have him join our efforts,” Roddick said. “He is a musical legend and dedicated philanthropist. I am excited for the evening’s potential to raise awareness and funds for the children’s organizations the foundation support.”

In his four-decade career Sir Elton John has sold more than 250 million records and held seven consecutive No. 1 US albums. His single “Candle in The Wind,” has sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best selling single in Billboard history. The versatile artist has won six Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award. John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996 and received a knighthood from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. This will be the fourth time Sir Elton John has performed at the Andy Roddick Foundation Gala. Sir Elton John also performed at Andy Roddick’s wedding to wife Brooklyn Decker.

The evening will include a cocktail reception, dinner, live auction by Auction Source, performance by Sir Elton John and an after party sponsored by SAP. Proceeds from the September 21st Gala will benefit the Andy Roddick Foundation.

For more information on tickets visit: http://www.andyroddick.com/2011gala

ABOUT THE ANDY RODDICK FOUNDATION

Founded in 2001, the goal of the Andy Roddick Foundation is to improve the quality of life and enhance educational and economic opportunities for all children based on the principles of respect for family, education and morality. To date the foundation has raised more than $10 million for various children’s organizations including current beneficiaries KIPP: Austin Public Schools, The Settlement Home for Children, Austin Partners in Education, A Glimmer of Hope, Austin Children’s Shelter and the Andy Roddick Youth Tennis Program. For more information on the Andy Roddick Foundation, please visit www.andyroddick.com.

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September 16 2011 | Posted in Andy Roddick | Read More »

“I was there…in New York”

Brandy Aldrich and her husband went to the US Open in New York and managed to get courtside tickets for Andy’s first round match against Michael Russell. Keep reading for Brandy’s account of their trip:

“Since I can’t sleep in to save my life I was up about 7:30 AM. I decided to clean up the suitcases. They were a mess after we were frantically searching for our charger. Around 8 AM our hotel phone rang. I thought that was odd since we hadn’t order a wakeup call or anything. There was a gentleman on the line and he said that he had ridden the shuttle with us a few times to the Open. He asked if we were staying for the night match and if we had tickets. I said that we were able to get extend our stay and get some tickets. He then asked if I wanted better seats….ummm sure! I went to the door and there was an older man with glasses and an LSU tee shirt standing there. He handed me two tickets and said, “Here, enjoy these.” I knew these tickets were for sure better than ours because they were bigger and blue. As I’m walking back into the room I notice they say BOX 56F instead of a row number and that COURTSIDE is written below that. I start flipping out!!!! I screamed to my husband (who was half asleep still at least, the phone call woke him up) “WE HAVE COURTSIDE SEATS!!”

I immediately pulled up the Arthur Ashe seating chart and found out that we were about 10 rows FROM THE COURT! I would be just mere feet away from Andy Roddick!!!
Now finding a camera/charger was much more important. Since we turned in our day session tickets we had all day to scour NY for an electronics store. Lucky for us our hotel had a shuttle stop at the mall and the mall had a Best Buy nearby! We rush over there, find a charger that works with our camera battery and head back to charge!!!! I could not wait for the night session. I was seeing Andy Roddick, LIVE and from COURTSIDE seats!!!!

Time seemed to crawl by….finally it was time to enter the grounds, get some yummy BBQ Chicken Pizza for dinner and settle down in my awesome courtside seat. The players finally came out and I was ecstatic as Andy was right there in front me!!!! I took picture after picture, got a couple of his Box and of Brooklyn for the husband and enjoyed the match. I was totally fine with his first round match going to four sets. I got to see him play longer!

I had the tennis ball I had gotten from practice in my bag. I know that following the match the winner signs some autographs while exiting the court. I was going to try and get down there to get an autograph. What better way to cap off an amazing dream already come true, right? Sadly the security officer right there was mean and wouldn’t let me down. So I took pics of Andy signing autographs. I noticed that his box and cleared out and I had I thought. I wondered if I’d be able to run into Brooklyn or his coach on the concourse. I took a walk to find out!

What a good walk it was!!! As I was making my way around I saw a small entourage of people walking and recognized the woman as Brooklyn. I had my camera and an autograph book so I decided to ask her for a picture. She was so nice and said yes and also signed an autograph. I knew my husband was going to be so jealous. But hey, I got him a picture of Brooklyn Decker! I figured if I can’t meet Andy then his supermodel wife is the next best thing!”

Thanks, Brandy. If you’ve seen Andy play recently, we’d like to hear about it! The address to write to is: iwasthere@andyroddick.com

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September 14 2011 | Posted in Andy Roddick | Read More »

Nadal Too Strong, Roddick Out in NYC

“Yeah, I’m okay,” World No. 21 responded at net after the match when defending champion Rafael Nadal inquired about Andy’s quad injury. In a match of fast action, Roddick was defeated in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3, in the 2011 US Open quarterfinals.

Coming into the match, the 2003 Champ knew he’d have to serve well, hit hard, and keep the points short to win, which also turned out to be the Spaniards plan. Being broken immediately, Roddick kept his head down and forged ahead, getting on the board to hold twice. In the second set, however, a quad pull made movement and defense extremely difficult, though he was able to hold a game. In the third, after a second trainer visit courtside at 3-love, Roddick felt a surge of retaliation to push to 5-3, and with Nadal serving, Roddick tried to break to stay in the match, but it was not in the cards.

Even though Roddick’s run in Flushing Meadows has come to an end, his serving was in top form today with eight aces and a 137-mph rocket. Stay tuned to AR.com for a post-match interview and calendar updates for the fall.

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September 10 2011 | Posted in Andy Roddick | Read More »

2011 US Open Quarterfinal Preview

In Friday’s blockbuster Quarterfinal match, Andy will take on defending champion and World No. 2 Rafael Nadal. “I’m gonna have to play pretty aggressively now, similar to what I did today,” Andy admitted the challenge ahead. “He’s one of the greatest ever, so I’m gonna have to, you know, have a repeat at least.”

Nadal defeated Gilles Muller in the fourth round to reach the Quarterfinals. Andy and Rafa have played 9 times before, with the Spaniard holding the 6-3 edge. Most recently they battled at the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

The energy on the court will undoubtedly be matched by the support of the fans. Both Andy and Rafa have enthusiastic followers in Flushing Meadows. If you can’t catch the action in person, tune in to CBS!

Check out some stats on Nadal courtesy of the ATP World Tour:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Rafael-Nadal.aspx

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September 9 2011 | Posted in Andy Roddick | Read More »

Lucky 13! Andy into Quarterfinals

“Put us on 13. 13′s open. Let’s go play. I don’t care where we play,” Andy encouraged the referee, and play he did!

Andy rocked Court 13 Thursday, upsetting David Ferrer 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to book his spot in Friday’s Quarterfinals. The match originally intended to be played on Armstrong was moved after two games to the outer Court 13 since the court surface on Armstrong was damaged from the heavy rains.

It was rare treat for only a handful of lucky tennis fans that snagged on of the 584 seats. “The atmosphere was really cool,” Andy said. “It felt like an intimate little rock show. It was great.” Andy even took a victory lap around the court high fiving fans.

The match which spanned over two days, multiple courts and what seemed like an endless rain delay tested Andy both physically and mentally. The American’s focus and resilience throughout earned him the victory over 5th seeded Ferrer. Andy fired 19 aces and rallied from a break down in the fourth set to set up the Quarterfinal clash with Rafael Nadal. It is likely, however, that tomorrow’s much anticipated match will not be played on Court 13.

Check back to AndyRoddick.com for more updates from Flushing Meadows.

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September 9 2011 | Posted in Andy Roddick | Read More »

Rain Postpones Wednesday’s Action

Matches at the US Open were canceled Wednesday for a second consecutive day. Andy and Ferrer were able to take the court hours after their scheduled 11:00am start for enough time for Andy to break the Spaniard and take the 3-1 lead on his serve. Following their quick appearance on court, the skies opened and despite hope in the locker room, players lounge and referees offices, play was never able to resume.

The forecast was uncertain as tournament organizers and athletes alike took to their Twitter accounts with updates and predictions of when they would be able to return to the courts. It is a challenging result to not have completed a single match on a day when every woman and man competing in the Singles draw were scheduled to play.

Check back to AndyRoddick.com for schedule updates!

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September 8 2011 | Posted in Andy Roddick | Read More »

US OPEN Fourth Round Preview

Andy and Team Roddick will have to wait patiently today as weather has delayed Tuesday’s action. The American was originally scheduled to take Arthur Ashe Stadium Court at 7:00PM EST against David Ferrer. US Open organizers are watching the weather radar carefully in hopes of finding a window of dry skies to narrow what is nearing a three hour delay.

Ferrer ousted Florian Mayer in straight sets to reach the Fourth round. The 5th ranked Spaniard has only dropped set in his 2011 US Open. The two have battled eight times before, most recently at Davis Cup in Austin, Texas this spring. Ferrer holds a 5-3 record over Andy, however, this will be their first match on a Grand Slam stage.

In case you missed it, click on the below link to watch Andy’s post match press conference Sunday>
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Media/Videos/2011/09/35/US-Open-2011-Sunday-Interview-Roddick.aspx

Also check out some stats on David Ferrer courtesy of the ATP World Tour:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/David-Ferrer.aspx

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September 7 2011 | Posted in Andy Roddick | Read More »

Roddick Surpassed the Frenchmen in Straight Sets

In front of a packed Saturday afternoon crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium, American Andy Roddick defeated France’s Julien Benneteau in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(5), to earn a spot in the Round of 16 in Flushing Meadows.

Coming out on fire with a whipping serve and dominating serve-and-volley offense, Roddick lead 5-0 in the first before Benneteau was able to get on the board. The American served out the first set in 25 minutes, 6-1, and continued to forge ahead in the second. The Frenchman, however, began fighting back and earned himself a break point at 3-2, though a signature Roddick T-ace made that only a memory. The Wild Card’s unforced errors, 36 to be exact for the match, held him back from coming close to another break point, though Roddick found one just in time to take the set, 6-4.

Going into the third, Benneteau put it all on the line while Roddick continued to serve-and-volley, serve well, and keep the pressure on. Point-for-point, these two went unbroken and found themselves in a tie-break. With this being a strength of his, the No. 21 seed took a commanding 5-2 lead, though Benneteau attempted to pull a “Pennetta”, who earlier today recovered from a 2-6 tie-break deficit to win the match. However, with the final points coming off of Roddick’s racquet, all Andy had to do was hold. A passing shot that went long was Benneteau’s 36th unforced error and the American’s winning point, 7-6(5).

Stay tuned to AR.com for the Round of 16 preview as Andy will face Spain’s David Ferrer(5) at the 2011 US Open.

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September 5 2011 | Posted in Andy Roddick | Read More »