In the end a common bond of American brashness and a reluctance to accept second best to anybody wasn’t enough to save the 21 month coaching allegiance between Andy Roddick and so many of his compatriots’ tennis idol Jimmy Connors.
Officially it was 55 year-old Connors, winner of eight Grand Slam titles, who decided the things had reached the end of the road with the 25 year-old world no.6. But both men had come to realise the relationship was no longer truly viable because of Connor’s reluctance to travel.
Much of his advice was offered over the telephone with Roddick’s elder brother John taking over the role of coach. After winning through to the semi-finals of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships with an impressive 7-6, 6-2 win over world no.2 Rafael Nadal, Roddick revealed the split and said: “I’m just happy I was able to spend a little bit of time with such a legend.
“But communication got tough when Jimmy was not there. Maybe the match wasn’t on television. You came off the court and struggled to explain where your head was at. I think we did the mentor bit as well as we could but when I am going from Australia to Austria to California to Memphis to Dubai like I have done so far this year it becomes difficult.
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“It was as much a matter of logistics as anything and it was tough to ask him to come on the road two or three or four weeks at a time. He’s got a great family and he likes walking his dogs every morning. Plus I was keeping him away from the golf course a little bit too much. I am sad about it, as much from a personal stand point as anything. I really enjoyed my time with him.”
Connors had purposely distanced himself from the sport after retiring competitively in 1996 with his 44th birthday fast approaching. But he embraced the challenge of trying to push level back to the elite level occupied by Roger Federer and Nadal. “Maybe we didn’t get the results he wanted and it was tough for him to do it part-time but he was retired before we got together,” said Roddick.
“It’s completely amicable and we are still friends. I just have so much respect for him as a person and I’m thankful for what he was able to give to me as well as taking some time out of his retirement to spend it with me. I’m sure the phone number is still there for me if I need to bounce something off him. We’ve not talked about it but I don’t see him hanging up the receiver if I want to ask him a question. It ended up just about as well as something like this can be.”
Roddick next faces another tough assignment, a showdown with Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic who cruised through with an emphatic 6-2, 6-1 win against Russia’s Igor Andreev. And though that familiar face will not be amongst his entourage Roddick maintained he is far more accomplished player than when Connors agreed to become his coach in July 2006. “He’s got me to play a lot further up the court which means I have had to adjust my game,” he said. “He’s helped my backhand a ton. It’s a different shot than when we got together. It’s a lot more solid and of course I’ve just learned that fighting spirit.”
The pair linked together in the aftermath of Roddick’s disappointing Wimbledon third round exit against Britain’s Andy Murray – a humiliating affair that saw the former world no.1 and twice runner-up dispatched in straight sets. Within less than two months Roddick had progressed to the US Open final, winning the Masters Series crown in Cincinnati en route.
“When we got together I was as close to down and out,” said Roddick. “I spent the week after that Wimbledon as close to depressed as I have ever been as far as my career goes. I credit him with giving me that spark to get my career to get back in the top five and into a Grand Slam final pretty close there afterward.”
Roddick dismissed the suggestion that he will re-unite with his former coach Brad Gilbert (whose services has since been dispensed with by Andy Murray) as a complete impossibility. He also revealed that despite a huge respect for the guidance of US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe, he will not be asking him to join his own personal group.
“I know I can call Patrick any time I want to be a sounding board but I wouldn’t ask him to be my coach because I wouldn’t do that to our team,” said Roddick who maintained the US winning the Davis Cup last December was one of the greatest moments in his playing career. “I don’t want to put that weirdness into Davis Cup weeks.
“If I’m in New York, and I have been out there a little bit, we do go out to hit. He’ll run some stuff past and offer advice but as far as travelling, he has a baby girl at home and a wife who he loves very much. He’s set between his television commentary and the Davis Cup.”
