Connors Resigns... Roddick Rocks On...
Andy Roddick announced this week that Jimmy Connors, his coach since July 2006, had resigned last week to spend more time with his family. Ironically, Roddick is having one of his best weeks in a long time having beaten Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the Dubai tournament this week. It’s great to see Roddick serving and playing so well given how hard he works and the tough losses he’s endured the past couple years including at the 2008 Australian Open. Jimmy Connors was definitely a positive
influence on Andy and managed to lift Roddick’s spirits because he, Connors, believed so much in Roddick’s potential at a time (after being upset at Wimbledon in 2006) when Roddick was having a major tennis career crisis. Connors also improved Roddick’s backhand, especially his down the line shot and encouraged Roddick to venture to net more frequently. At the very top of professional tennis, technique, strategy and conditioning matter, but success is often so much more about what happens “between the ears.” It seems that the belief in himself and “fighting spirit” that the legendary Jimmy Connors was able to foster in Roddick was what meant the most to Roddick. Andy is still in quest of his second Grand Slam title and it will be interesting to see how he moves forward in terms of adding another coach again to join his brother, John Roddick in his corner.
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