MELBOURNE, Australia— In men’s tennis, coaching is in fashion like never before.

There’s Jimmy Connors, proud father of Andy Roddick’s backhand down the line, and Brad Gilbert, holder of a patent on Andy Murray’s near winning strategy against world no. 2 Rafael Nadal Where would Fernando Gonzalez be without the mind of Larry Stefanki, John McEnroe’s former mentor? Perhaps in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, but perhaps home in Chile belting forehands against a brick wall. Even the unassuming Todd Martin has joined the ranks of the all-healing super-coaches, without having traveled to Australia to watch the resurgence of his young charge, Mardy Fish.

There is one coach on tour, however, who knows full well he won’t receive any credit for his student’s successes. But Tony Roche doesn’t mind. After all, what can one expect when one sits in the box of Roger Federer, the game’s dominant player? In 2004, before Federer began working with the Australian great, he won three Grand Slam titles and finished the year with a record of 74–6, without a coach. Tough to improve on that.

The 25-year-old Federer returned to the Australian Open semifinals Tuesday with a convincing, if erratic, 6–3, 7–6(2), 7–5 victory over Tommy Robredo on a cool, breezy evening. As he continues to break records — he is now the first man in history to reach 11 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals — Roche’s presence is not a question of need. It’s what Federer wants, and Roche found out early that it can be difficult to say no to the world no. 1.

“I was just a little concerned that maybe I couldn’t do the job in terms of the traveling — sort of not getting any younger,” Roche, 61 said. “The way I coach is that I like to get on the court and do it, not sit on the sideline. I like to feel the ball that’s being hit at me. And I just sort of questioned that a little bit and initially said I didn’t think I could do it.”

Roche became more skeptical after his initial meeting with Federer, in Dubai at the tail end of 2004 when the temperature reached 110 degrees for four days. But after Federer asked if he could fly to Sydney 10 days before Christmas to train, Roche came around.

“I thought, jeez, here’s a guy who’s willing to sacrifice that around Christmas time,” Roche said. “I mean, that’d be the last thing you’d want is to get on a plane from Switzerland, fly all the way to Australia to train for 10 days, and then he had to go back and play Doha. I thought well, how can you say no?”

Roche has worked part-time with Federer ever since, traveling to Europe in the spring and otherwise speaking to him by telephone. Their most important moments, Roche said, come each winter in Dubai, before the season begins.

“The thing with Roger is that he feels he can still improve,” Roche said. “Just because you reach a certain level doesn’t mean you can’t get better. And he knows that the young guys that are coming along, they’re gunning for him, and he’s got to stay one step ahead.”

Federer is fond of tennis tradition, so Roche’s appeal is not surprising. He perfected the serveand-volley and still hits his backhand volley better than anyone on tour, according to Federer. Roche, who coached Ivan Lendl and Patrick Rafter, also won the French Open, the only major title to elude Federer. Federer has said he enjoys the more traditional workouts Roche advocates: “Thousands of backhands and forehands and volleys, you know, do it over and over again and hardly take any breaks.” Since he and Roche became a team, Federer has won five Grand Slam titles in eight tries.

Federer worked with his previous coach, Peter Lundgren, for six years, and the two were very close off court. Both men have said the relationship became stale, and at the end of 2003, the year Federer won his first Grand Slam title, Federer decided he needed a change.

“It’s important to have a lot of respect for your coach because that sometimes can go away,” Federer said. “Especially when you make the breakthrough with somebody, you kind of know him before. You’re looking up to the coach before, and all of a sudden the coach is looking up to you.”

Roche and Federer do not spend much time together, and that seems to suit both of them fine. “I don’t see an end to it any time soon,” Federer said. “He can decide whatever he wants to do really because he doesn’t quite need it anymore after all these years with tennis.”

As Roche looks on in Melbourne, Federer has not dropped a set. Roche expected more difficulties, especially in the third round against Mikhail Youzhny, the talented 24-year-old Russian who defeated Rafael Nadal at the U.S. Open. Roche said it was Federer’s best performance leading up to Tuesday evening’s quarterfinal.

“We’ve practiced with [Youzhny] a lot, and he’s unbeatable in practice,” Roche said. “He normally cleans Roger up.”

It’s hard to imagine Federer taking a beating, but perhaps such thoughts will give his next opponent, Andy Roddick, confidence. Roddick dispatched his good friend Mardy Fish 6–2, 6–2, 6–2 on Tuesday and pronounced himself fit for the challenge.

“I’m going to have to go with what I do well and try to attack him, at least make him come up with shots from uncomfortable positions,” Roddick said.

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Tennis fans in Israel who awoke in the early hours of Tuesday morning to watch Shahar Peer play Serena Williams already knew that the 19-year-old Peer is among the most dogged players in the world. Though Peer lost to Williams on Tuesday, at least an international audience has witnessed her talents and determination. Williams said she did not play her best, but gave Peer a proper send off.

“She obviously has a very bright future,” Williams said. “I think Israelis might be up at four in the morning a lot more.”

There’s no telling at this point when Williams might leave Melbourne, if ever. Despite poor conditioning and lack of match play, she has found her way through the draw, summoning powerful serves and passing shots when she needs them most. Her semifinal opponent is Nicole Vaidisova, the imposing 17-year-old Czech who will supply more power than any of Williams’s previous opponents, but perhaps more errors.

In early Wednesday action, Maria Sharapova advanced to the semifinals with a 7–6(5), 7–5 see-saw victory over Anna Chakvetadze.

tperrotta@nysun.com