Get Smart: Roddick Got it Right by Hiring Connors
As a national sports columnist, I get paid to call things as I see them no matter what the sporting event I may be covering at the time. Having said that, I have had to rip a lot of athletes over the years for a multitude of infractions, both on the playing field and off. On the other hand, I also like to take the time to give credit where credit is due whenever the situation warrants.
At any rate, I have to say that U.S. professional tennis player, Andy Roddick, the world’s number one player at one time, may have just pulled off the best move of his career, which, at this point, would have to be described as “uninspiring.”
Two weeks ago, Roddick hired Hall of Fame tennis legend, Jimmy Connors, to become his personal coach and help him get back to playing at the elite level Roddick last displayed nearly three years ago.
Now, before I go any further, let me say that it is obvious to anyone who knows tennis that the majority of Roddick’s problems reside between his ears.
Roddick is young, and athletic and possesses a powerful serve that can be absolutely overpowering at times, and has been clocked at 155 mph, a record, which may never be broken – which makes the mediocrity he has achieved the past few seasons, all the more perplexing.
The questions are legitimate too. A few years ago, Roddick was being hailed as, not only the next great American men’s tennis player, but the next great player in professional tennis – worldwide.
Roddick, currently ranked number 10 in the world, turned pro in 2000 and promptly went on to become the youngest player ever to end the year in the ATP Top 20 in 2001. By 2003, at age 21, Roddick was ranked No. 1 and became the first American player to finish a year at No. 1 since Andre Agassi in 1999.
Although it took Roddick longer than expected to win his first Grand Slam title, he finally made the breakthrough in 2003 when he won the U.S. Open by beating Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets (6-3 7-6 6-3).
However, since that time, Roddick has struggled mightily – especially in Grand Slam events.
At the 2005 French Open, Roddick lost to the unseeded Argentine player Jose Acasuso in the second round, and at Wimbledon 2005, Roddick lost to Roger Federer in the final for the second year in a row. At the 2005 U.S. Open, Roddick suffered a shock defeat to World No. 70 Gilles Muller in the first round.
At the 2006 Australian Open, Roddick lost to Marcos Baghdatis and played tentatively throughout the majority of the match
After his fourth round exit from the 2006 Australian Open and first round exits from the 2005 U.S. Open and 2006 French Open, Roddick was criticized by tennis commentators and analysts who questioned his commitment to the game and his ability to play at the highest level of the professional tour. Their major argument was that Roddick lacks diversity and aggression on his backhand side and relies too much on his forehand.
So, the question begs to be asked – whatever happened to Roddick and why isn’t he now able to beat the likes of a Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, who has now also surpassed Roddick in the world rankings and is firmly the world’s number two player following Federer?
One reason.
Because Roddick lacks the killer mentality that Federer uses so ruthlessly against his opponents, beating them into submission routinely. Roddick lacks fire and it had spilled over into his game making him a complacent player who seems to be content with winning a few tour tournaments each year although they aren’t majors, which by the way, is the ultimate measuring stick for any professional tennis player.
Roddick himself said that he has never lost confidence in his abilities.
“I never felt that I couldn’t play tennis any more,” Roddick said. “It was just a matter of taking what you’re doing on the practice court and applying it in matches. Jimmy gave me some things to work on (for Indianapolis) and I went and tried to apply them the best I could, and I’m pretty optimistic after the first week.”
When he was initially approached by Roddick, Connors questioned whether Roddick, who has been accused of “lacking heart” in the past, would be committed enough to do the things it takes to play at a championship level.
“The one major concern from my standpoint was what he was willing to give and how much he was willing to give and it didn’t take him long to prove that to me,” Connors said.
If nothing else, Connors, who was a fiery, emotional player who won Four Grand Slam titles in his career, should help to light a fire under Roddick.
“I would like to try to give him a little bit of what made me what I was, and he is able to suck that up like a sponge. He’s proven that already,” Connors said in an interview. “It’s not always in the game. It’s the intangibles that could make the difference, along with a few tweaks here and there. I’m not sitting down there breaking down and criticizing everything. I’m just trying to make him the best that he can be.”
Whether Connors’ tutelage leads to a resurrection of Roddick’s career, should be answered very shortly at the upcoming US Open. If Roddick can’t get inspired enough to at least qualify for either the semis or the final, then we will all know that Roddick may be beyond help.
He certainly wouldn’t be the first athletically gifted athlete in any sport who couldn’t quite get it together between the ears. Whether this is the case with Roddick or not, we shall see. One thing for sure – Roddick’s performance in the US Open will answer a lot of questions about Andy Roddick. Whether or not he will like those answers, remains the question.
