Kristina Brandi retires

Kristina Brandi of Puerto Rico, who was once ranked as high as number 27 in the world, has announced her retirement. Brandi was a three-time member of the Puerto Rico Fed Cup team, and a member of the 2004 Olympic team. She has recently been featured in an ad for Rums of Puerto Rico.

Rum and Brandi

It's nice to see Kristina Brandi in a new ad for Rums of Puerto Rico. Here in the U.S., we rarely get to see anyone but the famous players in commercial spots.

Many of these are great ads, however, and I never tire of seeing them. One of my favorites--though I hold strong opposition to the very existence of McDonald's--was the briefly-shown McDonald's spot featuring the Williams sisters. The ending always cracked me up.

I regret that American Express did not use its Monica Seles ad during the 2007 U.S. Open. The look on Seles's face while the checkout clerk grunts with every sale ring-up is priceless.

The Sony Ericsson Cybershot phone spot featuring Daniela Hantuchova and Ana Ivanovic playing tennis on rooftop skyscrapers is another one that is very enjoyable.

I like all of the Sharapova Canon ads a lot, and I am especially fond of the first one ("Maria was here"). My favorite Sharapova ad, though, is the Nike "I Feel Pretty" spot. In 2006, when Sharapova ruled every moment she was on court at the U.S. Open, it worked out well that she was also the star of this terribly clever, ironic and entertaining ad.