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John McEnroe Serves USTA Well In Wake Of Image Crisis

Jason Gimelstob -- an outspoken former doubles star and current announcer on the Tennis Channel -- unleashed a tirade on the radio against former tour player and model Anna Kournikova last month, putting in jeopardy a campaign for the United States Tennis Association. The ads are built around the premise that the world's best players, plus Gimelstob, are taking a road trip on a luxury cruiser to tournaments in the Olympus U.S. Open Series.

The USTA "switched to what-do-we-do-now mode" following the outburst, says Michelle Solomon, the USTA's chief marketing officer. It had originally wanted John McEnroe for the campaign, but feared he would be too expensive. It went back to the former player and pleaded.

Within three days, the USTA and its agency, Arnold Worldwide, shot new footage, which they digitally inserted into the existing ads, which debut today. In the ads, McEnroe dons several of the personalities he assumes in his life, including the unappreciated former star, the rock 'n' roller, and the reluctant elder statesman. "They should have asked me in the first place," says McEnroe, who will donate what he called the "minuscule amount" he was paid to his foundation.

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