Roddick and Connors Split, We Learn More ...

By Dave “Large” Larzelere
Earlier today I spoke with Steve Tignor about the recent news that Andy Roddick had broken with his coach, Jimmy Connors. Steve is the managing editor of Tennis magazine and writes one of the best tennis columns on the web, Concrete Elbow, over at the Tennis website.
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Large: I always wondered if hiring Connors was more of a publicity move than anything else for Roddick. Did Connors actually help his game in any tangible way?
Steve: I think the biggest thing that Connors did for Roddick was boost his confidence, just having a guy like Jimmy working with him. Jimmy was never going to be a full-time 52-week-a-year coach for Roddick, but he definitely spent a lot of time with him on the court. I saw them work out at Indian Wells, and they were out there for a long time. It was a serious, hands-on session. And Roddick did have a big improvement after Connors came aboard, seemed more aggressive, took his backhand earlier and went for more with it. But after a while, his game started to revert and I think they both realized they’d gone as far as they could with it.
Large: When did the relationship start to fall apart? Was there any personality clash there?
Steve: No personality clash. I think the key moment was at the 2007 Australian Open. Roddick was playing well and there was a feeling like this was it, this was where he was going to make his big move. Connors went down there, and it was a tough time for him, his mother had just passed away. And then Roddick just got completely destroyed by Federer, and I think that was when Connors started to pull back a little.
Large: When did the break finally happen? We heard the news yesterday, but Roddick says it happened a week ago.
Steve: People have been expecting it for a while now. The Davis Cup last December was a big moment for Roddick and Connors wasn’t there with him, and at that point it seemed inevitable.
Large: How do you think Roddick is taking the whole thing? And where do you see him going from here, coach-wise?
Steve: Well he just beat Nadal and Djokovic in Dubai, so he’s off to a good start. Maybe he feels looser now, like there’s less pressure on him, I don’t know. But I don’t think he’s even thinking about who his next coach is going to be right now. One thing about Roddick is that he’s got a very good sense of himself and his limitations out there and he’s pretty confident on the whole. I don’t think the break with Connors will affect him too much moving forward.↵