Roddick Searches For That Connors Magic

Andy Roddick charged into last year's U.S. Open fully under the spell of Jimmy Connors. On the court, he showed a swagger he hadn't shown in months. His two-handed backhand had more sting, his legs more life, and his serve as much zip as ever. Off the court, his comments had more bite, too. When Roddick reached the final and pushed Roger Federer to four sets, it seemed that this odd couple — one a hard-serving jock with a polished persona, the other a soft-serving lefty who'd sooner punch an opponent in the ribs than give him a point — would make a fine pair.

Roddick and Connors are still together, but as their second U.S. Open approaches, their relationship isn't meeting the high expectations of American tennis fans who watched Roddick give Federer trouble in last year's Open final and nearly upset the world no. 1 at the year-end Masters Cup.

Back then, Roddick was on the upswing. These days, his confidence, though not gone, seems diminished, and his stature is fading as a few of the game's talented youngsters blossom into top professionals. After Federer, Novak Djokovic is the favorite to win the U.S. Open, followed by Rafael Nadal, so long as the Spaniard's left arm and right knee are healthy. Marcos Baghdatis, who has slumped more weeks than not since reaching the Australian Open final in 2006, is on the move again, and in search of another late-night floodlight like the one that shone on him and Andre Agassi last year, during the last victory of Agassi's career. Richard Gasquet finally showed that he might live up to his potential when he beat Roddick at Wimbledon this year. The list of contenders is getting longer, not shorter.

For Roddick, the latest disappointment came last week when he lost to David Ferrer, a lightserving Spaniard, in the third round in Cincinnati, where Roddick won last year on a hard court that is considered the fastest of the summer season. Roddick faced one break point the entire match and lost it, while Ferrer saved three. The 24-year-old American, who spent most of the match five feet behind the baseline rallying with an opponent who prides himself on his steadiness, was his own worst critic after the match.

"It's like trying to knock a guy out from five feet away," Roddick said. "It's probably not going happen. You got to get in tighter so your balls at least connect. You know, that's my fault. I just … kind of resorted to what wasn't working for me before."

It's not the first time this season that the new, aggressive Roddick, the one who calls the shots and tries to finish points on his own terms, has resembled the defensive teenager of his past. In Indian Wells, Calif., earlier this year, Nadal pushed Roddick around on a hard court. Nicholas Mahut couldn't beat Roddick in the Queens Club final on grass, but the erratic Frenchman dictated play most of the match and should have won. Gasquet, also French and also unpredictable, trailed by two sets and a break at Wimbledon before he stunned Roddick, the twotime finalist, in five sets. Gasquet hit an astonishing 94 winners.

Roddick and Connors are not about to panic about what Roddick, speaking in Cincinnati, described as his first bad match in three weeks. Roddick's stats for the season, however, suggest there's more to worry about than a few bad matches at the wrong moments.

In his prime, Connors excelled at most of the things that Roddick doesn't do well. He returned serves as well as or better than anyone on the tour, his backhand down the line was the best in the business, and he perfectly positioned himself point after point. There's no mystery, then, why Roddick brought Connors aboard. If he could return a little better and improve his backhand and strategic choices, he'd be in the hunt for titles at three out of the four majors.

Yet in 2007, his first full season under Connors, Roddick has had one of the worst years of his career as a returner (see table). This year, he has won only 17% of his return games, 5% less than last year. In the four return categories tracked by the men's tour — return games won, points won off first serves, points won off second serves, and break points won — Roddick ranks among the worst in the game. He doesn't break the top 50 in a single category and is ranked 60 or below in three of them.

Consider a few of the men whose return numbers are similar to Roddick's: Teimuraz Gabashvili, Benjamin Becker, and Florent Serra. Combined, those men have two career singles titles, an overall losing record, and world rankings in the 50s and below. They are all journeymen. Roddick's serve, which rates among the very best in every category tracked by the tour, continues to save him from being one of them.

Patrick McEnroe, the American Davis Cup captain, said he was a little surprised by Roddick's poor return numbers but added that he wouldn't put much stock in those stats unless a player had really fallen off (Roddick is ranked no. 4 in the world, but will be seeded no. 5 at the Open because of the tournament's ranking cutoff date). He agreed that Roddick needs to return more aggressively — "I'd like to see him on a 30 all point, step around and hit it as hard as he can, hit it down the middle if he wants" — but explained why doing that might not be as easy as it sounds.

"The problem he has is that's not really his mindset," McEnroe said. "People forget that as a kid he was a counter-puncher and didn't have a big serve."

Connors didn't set out to do anything radically different with Roddick than Roddick's previous coaches: Brad Gilbert, Dean Goldfine, and Tarik Benhabiles all wanted Roddick to play more aggressive tennis. Last year, Connors seemed the perfect messenger for this well-worn advice. The U.S. Open is here, and it's time to send the message again.