When he awoke, he noticed 16 calls had been missed during the night. That's when Tobias, an agent for SFX Sports, knew something was up. He soon discovered that while he slept a fire that resulted in three deaths early Saturday morning had swept through the Grand Hotel Parco dei Principi in Rome, where some of his biggest clients were guests.
One was Andy Roddick.
"I talked to (Roddick) four or five hours after he had gotten out of the hotel," Tobias said. "He was really calm. Obviously, he was very disappointed and emotional about the people that lost their lives. He was shaken."
Immediately after the incident, Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion and the world's No. 2-ranked player, gave a few interviews, but he has since declined requests to talk about what happened. According to various reports, Roddick, staying in a sixth-floor suite, pulled hotel guests on his floor into his room so they could get fresh air from his balcony. He also assisted others, fellow player Sjeng Schalken included, in landing safely on his terrace by catching them as they jumped from higher floors.
"He said he was woken up in the middle of the night ... he was using the bathroom when he smelled smoke," Tobias said. "He opened the door and saw a bunch of smoke in the doorway, and he saw people trying to find good air, so he shuttled them into his room. He had a huge balcony."
While Roddick, 21, stayed in his room, SFX clients Bob and Mike Bryan and Paradorn Srichaphan left the building and waited out front for others to emerge. As time passed and they didn't see Roddick, they wondered about his safety.
"The other players were worried sick," Tobias said. "They said they were sitting outside a good hour before Andy came out. They were really worried about him. ... When people needed help, he helped them. He wasn't pulling babies out of a fire, but he stayed in the hotel and tried to make sure people were okay. That's just the type of guy he is."
SIDE WORK: Tampa's Mardy Fish is making his mark on and off the court. Ranked No. 20 in the world, Fish has been featured in Teen Vogue, Ocean Drive magazine and on the ESPN morning show Cold Pizza. Now comes the latest, a story in ESPN the Magazine and a photo profile for an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair.
"His opportunities absolutely are coming in," said Audrey D'Onofrio, Fish's publicist. "I'm having to balance his time. He brings so much to the table. He's really good-looking, he's a great player and he's a nice person. He's definitely a fresh face. And it's funny, he kind of looks like (famed soccer player) David Beckham.
Fish's Vanity Fair shoot, conducted by well-known commercial photographer Bruce Webber, was last week at Boylan Studios in Manhattan. For the shot, which will be used to promote the Olympics, Fish wore a cowboy hat and Nike gear.
"It's a little different," Fish said. "It's not something I really dreamed about, but I think it kind of comes with the territory."
Of the Vanity Fair gig, Fish's father, Tom Fish, a Vero Beach resident, said the family, including Fish's mom, Sally, is "all excited."
ODDS AND ENDS: The French Open, the season's second major, begins May 24. ESPN will televise about 90 hours, more than half live. ... Marat Safin, Max Mirnyi and Andreas Seppi lost their rackets and equipment in the Rome fire. ... John McEnroe will co-host a talk show for CNBC weeknights at 10 beginning July 7. It will cover a wide range of topics.
LAST WORD: "We didn't know where the fire was in the hotel. ... The smoke was getting stronger and stronger. I had a hard time breathing. ... I felt like I was in a bad movie." - Tommy Haas, ATP Tour player, on his Web site.
