When Andy Roddick announced his retirement, there was not a lot of questions as to what he was going to do afterwards. The only hint And...
Although I am sure Billie Jean, Andy's bulldog, will reap the benefits of Andy's retirement, I suspect this active tennis star will find something more to do with his life.
As Andy has devoted such a great deal of time and personal resources working with his charities, I suspect Andy will spend more time adding to his charitable load. Already, his mother, Blanche, is the director of his foundation, the Andy Roddick Foundation. He has won two humanitarian awards. He also started the San Antonio based Andy Roddick Youth tennis program, which includes several scholarships for elementary private school as well as college. Other celebrities such as Elton John and Cindy Crawford have supported his efforts.
Also, as Andy and his wife, model and actress Brooklyn Decker, have been married a few years, they may choose to start a family now. Turning 30 is a huge milestone in anyone's life and this may be the perfect time to transition from international tennis star to family man. I am not so sure that this retirement will mean that Andy will be out of the public eye. With an outgoing and affable personality as his, I have a feeling we may even see him on television, as a guest commentator or analysis. His effervescent personality cries for this sort of occupation. I am sure we will soon see what Andy has in mind.
With the sudden announcement of Andy's retirement, it made me wonder. What have other tennis stars done after retiring? Here is a brief list of what some of my own favorite men's tennis players did with their lives after retiring from tennis:
Bjorn Borg: Everyone knows and remembers this Swedish number one's name and his incredible talent. Most of all, we all remember his magnetic superstar vibe on and off of the courts. After his 1983 retirement, he settled in Monte Carlo as well as on one of Sweden's many coastal islands-he had a multitude of homes. He had two unsuccessful marriages, a child out of wedlock and in the early 1990's an unsuccessful return to tennis. Then he filed for bankruptcy. Now, the past behind him, he is the successful owner of the Bjorn Borg fashion brand. Now he is a self-assured and satisfied man. "It took many years to find peace with myself and to find what I wanted to do," he admitted to the London Guardian. Now he is happily living near Stockholm, with his young family and running successful business.
Marat Safin: Russian heartthrob Marat Safin stunned the tennis world when he beat Pete Sampras at the U.S. Open in 2000. This former number one, retired in 2009 after many years of injury-ridden success. When he retired, Safin had no interest in staying in the tennis world. "I could go and make commercials left and right and pretend like I am a celebrity, but that is not me," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. Elected as a member of the United Russia Party, Vladimir Putin's party, he is now representing the Nyzhny Novgorod region, about 300 miles from Moscow. Fellow rival Pete Sampras predicted more politics for Safin. "In 20 years Marat will be the President of Russia."
Andre Agassi: When Andre Agassi retired in 2006, he had won an Olympic gold medal, established himself as one of four men's players to win all four Grand Slams and he became the fifth all-time leader in earnings. When he went into retirement, he, his tennis star wife, Steffi Graf, and two children led a domesticated life, out of the public spotlight. Agassi founded the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, an organization that has made over an astounding 60 million dollars. Agassi's organization focuses on at-risk children, and includes the Las Vegas based, Andre Agassi College of Preparatory Academy. In 2009, he came out with a controversial biography, "Open." This book revealed the shocking revelation that he used illegal drugs as well as banned drugs. He even stated that the ATP was aware of his illegal drug use, causing other ATP players to be publicly angry with him.
Alex Corretja: In 1999, clay court specialist, Alex Corretja was number two in ATP rankings. Corretja was one of the most charming and fan-friendly players to ever grace the courts. In 2005, after he announced his retirement, he quickly became a journalist and commentator on Spanish television. He, along with his brother Ivan, started "Double Match," an organization to support young tennis and soccer players, in his home country of Spain. In 2008, he became a part-time consultant to Andy Murray, during the clay court season. Sadly, in 2009, he divorced his long-time girlfriend, then wife, Marta. They have two daughters. In 2010, this part time job became a full time coaching gig with Murray, which he continued for almost two years. In late 2011, it was announced that he reached an agreement to captain the Spanish Davis Cup team for two years, replacing his best friend and 2000 Sydney Olympics doubles bronze medal partner, Albert Costa.
Patrick Rafter: This former number one player won both the 1997 and the 1998 U.S. Open. This serve and volley specialist became the first Australian man to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles in nearly 40 years. During this period of time, Rafter launched the Patrick Rafter Cherish the Children Foundation. Since his retirement in 2002, Rafter, for many years, has been quietly out of the picture, getting married and having two children. That was until In 2010, when he became the captain of the Australian Davis Cup team. As the frustrated captain, he has been vocal in his harsh assessment of the players on the squad, harking back to his own days playing in the Davis Cup and his public criticism of Mark Philippoussis. In addition, Rafter has become an underwear "ambassador" modeling for Bonds.
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