Connors to Hit the Road With Roddick More Often in '07

From The Sun-Sentinel: Coaching bug has hit Connors

Jimmy Connors will be back in 2007 to coach Andy Roddick, which is not big news.

But he's going to just about double the time he spends with Roddick on the road, and that is.

Connors intends to travel with Roddick as much as 16 or 17 weeks and, when you consider that Roddick was on the road for ATP tournaments only 19 weeks this season, that's just about full-time.

Andy Roddick 2006 Thank You

Sure, his game lacks balance and artistry and he loses his mind at important moments in a match, his on-court behavior is occasionally debatable and his sense of humor seems to be an acquired taste.  But I can't help it - I still like Andy Roddick.

He just always seems genuine to me.

He posted this "thank you note" on his site today:

...2006 brought me more joy than any other year in my tennis career thus far. Yes, you heard me correctly. I had more exhilarating fun coming back this summer than I had had before. It was almost comparable to when I was first coming up when I was seventeen and had everything to prove. Going back to that place where I went into matches unsure of what was going to happen, to feeling like a force in the tennis world again was a crazy journey. 

Roddick Content With End of Season

From The New York Times: Roddick Happy With Season as It Ends

Although Andy Roddick will not be playing in the semifinals at the season-ending Masters Cup tennis tournament, he does not seem to be leaving dispirited...

Roddick briefly surrendered his top 10 status this season for the first time since 2002. But he enlisted the help of Jimmy Connors to overhaul his game. He went to a serve-and-volley style and quickly returned to the elite ranks, gaining his only victory of the year at Cincinnati in August and losing to Federer in the final of the United States Open...

Roddick Done in Shanghai

Two steps forward, one step back.  After looking good playing Roger Federer close in his first match, Andy Roddick falls back to earth disappointingly against David Nalbandian.

From Eurosport: Roddick out of Masters Cup

Andy Roddick's season is over after he lost in two sets to David Nalbandian 6-2 7-6. The Argentinean will progress to the semi-finals after Roger Federer beat Ivan Ljubicic 7-6 6-4.

Roddick, who rested during the Paris Masters in order to prepare for the season-ending tournament, was disappointing in the first set, dropping service games and unable to break himself.

Relying too heavily upon his serve, Roddick was undone by Nalbandian's superb backhand on numerous occasions...

Roddick and Connors Talk About Their Relationship, Briefly

It sounds like Andy Roddick and Jimmy Connors are still in the honeymoon stage. 

Connors was certainly good for Roddick's game last season, but I wonder if he can take Roddick any farther or if Andy has really maxed out his talent at this point.

And just as an aside, who ever thought Jimmy Connors would go all the way to China for any tennis player other than himself?

From Shanghai Daily: Connors finds a good student

"The most important thing used to be my victory, but now Andy is at the heart of the whole campaign," said Connors, who joined world No. 5 Roddick this summer.

"We are personal friends in the first place and plus I like his attitude," said Connors. "That's why I decided to give my advice and see where it will take him."

For his part, Roddick said the partnership is working out well.

"Everyone keeps asking what is the best piece of advice or lesson I've learned from Jimmy," Roddick said.

"I still can't explain it. But I'm learning so much, it's really exciting."

An Argentina-Russia Final; Fed: "Novak is a Djoke"

I love how Boris Yeltsin always elbows in on the action. So Andy Roddick essentially choked--2 df's in his last service game, folks--after a valiant fight back from 2 sets down v. Dmitri Tursunov. Here's the official match report.  Here's the AP report. Also, Safin lost to Blake in the dead rubber in two close sets.

As expected, Argentina smoked Australia; the final will be played in Russia. (Lucky mofos! Two-time home court advantage!)

Federer had some choice words for the injury-prone Novak Djokovic post-their tie-deciding match today--which have been censored from the Davis Cup site. The original 3 minute interview that was posted has since been cut down to 1:19 minutes. Listen here to the original version; here's the new Davis Cup site's version. *Ouch*--and for shame, DC staffers!

Here's the Davis Cup radio round up. Tons of pictures here.

The US-Federer Problem: 'Who Cares 'Bout Them Silly Furriners'?

Frank Deford has a good piece about Federer, Tiger Woods and American myopia when it comes to foreign athletes (and non-intranational team sports) in Sports Illustrated. Read 'American Underdogs'

ETA: And while you're over there, be sure to check out Jon Wertheim's first post-US Open mailbag, which talks bananas, fingers and Sharapova, as well as the (legit?) return of Andy Roddick, and more; and Richard Deitsch on the incestuous bonds between the tennis media and the players (ie. Mary Jo Fernandez and her IMG agent husband; the McEnroe brothers in Sharapova's 'I Feel Pretty' Ad). Scroll down to read "The Bottom One."

Roddick v. Roger

Damn, Roger's passing shots are WOW. I can't believe I'm saying this, but come on, ANdy! Let's make a match of this. Two breaks down already? Come on, Andy.

Nice to see Tiger Woods in Roger's box. You can bet Federer wants to floss a little bit. I'm expecting some amazing shots.

Sharapova Wins it All; So Does Martina

Well, Shark-apova did it. As much as I prefer Justine's game and am irritated by the shriekiness, I've got to hand it to Maria for coming out, guns blazing. Sure she's a cash whore, but the girl's got a champion's heart and drive. Kudos!

But have you guys read/seen Maria's post-match press conference? I saw it on The Tennis Channel, but the transcript is up. Lots of banana and on-court coaching talk--apparently her hitting partner/coach Michael Joyce held up four fingers. Sharapova, clearly irritated, dodged the question several times. I didn't see the majority of the match, so I missed it. Did anyone catch this? And was it clear on-court coaching?

ETA: Pete Bodo has a great column on Sharapova's win over at tennis.com.

Martina Navratilova also went out on top, winning the Mixed Doubles title thanks to some clutch serving by Bob Bryan and her own deft touch. And so ends the career of possibly the greatest tennis player of all time. Bravo, Martina!

I miss Misha Youzhny. But am pleased for Federer-Roddick. Fed has looked a little shaky and Roddick has looked crisper and more obnoxious than ever...but may the best Swiss win. Can't wait til tomorrow!

US Open Day 1: Ljubicic Loses; Agassi Wins

Match of the day? Agassi, Agassi, Agassi. From what I saw of it, Andrei Pavel was playing some great tennis; and Andre Agassi did well to dig out of  0-4 in the 3rd set. "You want to to be everything you hope it is," said Agassi. "It was perfect." Indeed it was. But can he take out Baghdatis, too? Here's a match review and Agassi's press conference.

Feliciano Lopez finally got his own back against Ivan Ljubicic and logged the upset of the day 6-3 6-3 6-3. LaLo had lost to Ljubicic at the Australian Open, and then again in a brutal 5 set match at Wimbledon. This win takes Lopez to 3-2 over Ivan lifetime. Poor Ivan is still getting no love from...well, anyone. This first round loss won't help.

Interesting factoid: Lopez never faced a breakpoint all match and didn't lose a single point (!) on serve in the 2nd set. Here's a match review.

In other news, 2004 champ Svetlana Kuznetsova escaped an upset in her three set win against a German qualifier; Lindsay Davenport's shoulder is feeling ok; Elena Dementieva got through despite 30+ errors; and Andy Roddick radiated confidence all over the court in his win over Florent Serra. Serra's no pushover, but I'm very eager to see what happens when Roddick comes up against a tougher challenge.

Be sure to check out press conference video and transcripts as well as the daily highlights video at the US Open site. Shame on the US Open for not even including tWorld Number 3 Ivan Ljubicic's interview transcript.

Roddick Wins, LaLo Blogs and I'm Having Tennis Dreams

I woke up an hour ago and just now realized that I hadn't seen the rain-delayed Ana Ivanovic-Martina Hingis final on TV yesterday, with Pam Shriver, John McEnroe and Feliciano Lopez "judging" (god knows what; I don't remember anymore), and with Patrick McEnroe commentating on the fact that Feli turns heads and is a great pick for the panel.

Disturbing. I never have dreams I'm not in. I feel like I'm crossing some sort of fandom threshold.

Regardless, speaking of finals, Andy Roddick beat Juan Carlos Ferrero for Cincinnati, his first title of the year, and a spot in the top 10. With the victory, he also wins the US Open series and has serious OOMF going into the US Open. Roddick was back to his old self out there--spectacular serving, big stick strutting, firing himself up--as well as looking much more comfortable at net. Jimmy Connors, well done. Dare we say it? Andy seems to have finally found his mojo.

ETA: Here's a good piece on the revitalized Roddick from Tom Perrotta: For Roddick, Timing May Be Key to Success

Also, the lovely Feliciano Lopez (pictured) is blogging from New Haven this week. He dishes a bit on doubles partner and best buddy Rafael Nadal--Rafa's in New Haven to practice (he'll be hitting with James Blake (!) today), but so far it's pretty uninspired stuff.

Here's the Pilot Pen/New Haven site.

Is it 2003?

Juan Carlos Ferrero v. Andy Roddick in the final of a tournament? Talk about flashback. I'm rooting for Ferrero, but I think Andy's got this one.

Read 'Resurgent Roddick and Ferrero set up final showdown'

More Bad News for American Tennis

The injury Andy Roddick sustained in LA has forced him out of the Legg Mason in DC, where he is defending champ. Sucks.

Gilbert Redux: Roddick, Agassi, Murray

The Guardian has a fascinating article about Brad Gilbert, with juicy tidbits about his varied career: For example, an "ESPN insider" says Gilbert has "an ego the size of Centre Court"--which is amusing to me because ESPN seems littered with football field-sized egos.

Also, Agassi credits him for his career-defining French Open win:

In 1999 Agassi found himself two sets down to Andrei Medvedev in the French Open final when rain stopped play. He returned to the locker room for a pep talk with Gilbert and emerged a different player, going on to take the match in five sets to become one of only five men to win all four grand slams. "It was maybe the biggest win I ever had and I won it because of Brad. His advice during that rain delay was the difference," said Agassi. "He knows the right thing to say at the right time."

And the Guardian says in no uncertain terms what most of us already know about the Roddick relationship--but who knew it was this bad?:

Andy Roddick went from being a tactical dunce to having enough court sense to win the 2003 US Open and become world No1 under Gilbert's tutelage. When they split acrimoniously in December 2004, Roddick quickly reverted to type. He will not talk about Gilbert but their enmity remains, so much so that Roddick did not conduct interviews in ESPN's studio during the French Open and Wimbledon if Gilbert was on the premises.

Yikes. I'm really dying to know what their falling out was about; anyone have an idea?

Read Gilbert talks a good game if Murray cares to listen

Sharapova & Roddick: BFF or FWB?

Sharapova was spotted taking in Andy Roddick's match v. Scott Oudesma (Andy won in 3 and hurt his back in the process) in LA on wed.

Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova have oft denied that they are seeing each other on the DL and insist that they are "just friends." Of course, "just friends" can watch each other's matches, but it does sort of make one go hmmm...

*AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Jimbo to the Rescue!

I'm absolutely thrilled by this match up. Roddick showed some good stuff last week in Indianapolis and it was clear that Connors had helped him make some possitive adjustments. I'm no Roddick fanatic, but I hate to see any talented player wallowing in so much insecurity (ahem, Marat). I also love the storyline. Old American great steps in to help struggling American make a comeback? It just screams TV Movie. Hell, I could even see this on the big screen. Anyone game to write it? We could use a decent tennis movie (I thought 'Match Point' sucked).

Dream pairing? Connors to coach Roddick

Blake Does It!

Wow, what a GREAT match. Guts and game! GUTS and GAME from James Blake in winning his 3rd title of the year. And great effort from Andy...though he lost, I think Roddick's found his mojo. Here's a match review.

In other news, David Ferrer over Jose Acasuso in 5 for Stuttgart; Vera Zvonereva wins Cincinnati, and Anabel Medina Garrigues wins Palermo.

Roddick or Blake?

Well, it's not a huge shock to see the American No. 1 and No. 2 meeting up in final of the kick off tournament of the U.S. Open Series, but kudos to Andy and James both. I saw the Roddick-Ginepri match and for the first time enjoyed watching Roddick play. Gone were the deer-in-the-headlights look of indecision, the abysmal volleys, the unnecessary swagger, the bonehead strategic "decisions." And he wasn't standing three miles behind the baseline!  Roddick spent 4 days with his new pseudo-coach/guru Jimmy Connors; Jimbo must have really tuned him up. Bravo!

Props also to James Blake for entering the top 5 for the first time! (And to Andy for creeping back into the top 10.)

Blake's brimming with confidence (5th final of the year, folks) and just beat Andy in Queens, but I'm going with Andy for the final. He just looked so together out there.

Blake, Roddick set up title duel

Roddick's Revenge and More Tournament Updates

Andy Roddick took out Gilles Muller, the guy that killed his mojo in the 1st round of the U.S. Open last year, in straight sets. Can killing your mojo-killer get you your mojo back? Hmm.

Andy's set up an all-American clash in the RCA semis with defending champ Robby Ginepri, who's had a seriously crap year until now. Roddick's also made the doubles final with Bobby Reynolds.

James Blake and Serena Williams also did their parts to stem criticism of recently much shat upon American tennis. Blake will face Xavier Malisse (who upset Fernando Gonzalez) for a place in the final; and Serena's got Vera Zvonareva, who took out Jelena Jankovic in Cincinnati.

Novak Djokovic, best known for delusions of grandeur, will face Olympic gold winner Nicolas Massu for the Dutch Open title. This is Novak's first ATP final.

In Stuttgart, it'll be David Ferrer (who beat Tomas Berdych in the semis) vs. Argentine Jose Acasuso for the title tomorrow.

In Palermo, it's Lucie Safarova v. Anabel Medina Garrigues and Tathiana Garbin v. Roberta Vinci.

Roddick on Connors, His Slump & the Summer

Andy Roddick's the second seed (behind James Blake) at the RCA Championships in Indianapolis (he's won it twice), which start tomorrow. The Indy Star has a nice piece on Andy's issues. Choice quote:

"Whatever it is, is between the ears," Roddick, who turns 24 on Aug. 30, said Friday in a telephone interview from California. "I might just need one good week to turn the ship. Or maybe back-to-back consistent matches. I'm not in the panic mode."

Read 'Slumping Roddick returns to Indy'

Day 6, Wimbledon: Murray d. Roddick

Murray d. Roddick 7-6 6-4 6-4

This was a full scale dismantling. Andy Murray (News/Blog Posts) has got excellent instincts and superb all court play, and he just strategically dissected Andy Roddick (News/Blog Posts) (I was loving those delicate lobs!)--without a coach. It was a real pleasure to watch Murray today, and he even broke out a quarter of a smile at the end of the match, which is about all you're going to get. Now I just hope Sean Connery gets his butt on a plane and comes out like last year. Though Andy's filled out a bit , he's still got that in media growth spurt, scarecrowish teen boy sense about him, and looks like he'd be all elbows. But he moves "like a cat," as (I think) Cliff Drysdale said.

Poor Andy Roddick. James Blake (News/Blog Posts) is now the number 1 American, and Andy will be out of the top 10 by the end of Wimbledon. Grass has always been his staple; we'll see if this blow affects his US Hardcourts swing, where he ruled (he won the US Open Series last year) before his shock first round exit at the US Open.

Here's a match review /a really great match article / Roddick's Interview / Murray's Interview.

American Mass Exodus at Wimbledon

Who would have thought that the only American to make it into the 2nd week at Wimbledon would be Shenay Perry?

Fond Send-Off for Agassi, Mass Exodus by Americans

Wimbledon Day 6 Super Saturday

Agassi (News/Blog Posts) v. Nadal (News/Blog Posts) and the battle of the Andys on Center Court.

You really can't ask for much more.

Nadal and Agassi have only met once before--Rafael egded Andre in (best 2 out of) 3 for the Masters Shield in Toronto last summer. You can bet that Agassi will have some extra motivation to get revenge before it's too late. Here's a short video recap of their first match up, with interviews.

Andy M. (News/Blog Posts) vs. Andy R. (News/Blog Posts) should be a classic... Roddick's got extra incentive to win it, almost as a point of honor, but also because of those, oh, 700 points he's defending from last year's final. This is Murray's opportunity to really declare himself as a comer and with all the hometown support (despite the World Cup debacle, which has escalated quite ridiculously; nice to see non-Americans acting the fool), this is his best shot to date--no matter what he says about his game being more suited to other surfaces.

I'm really looking forward to Lleyton Hewitt (News/Blog Posts) v. little Ollie Rochus (News, Blog Posts), Seb Grosjean v. Marcos Baghdatis (News/Blog Posts)and the battle of the big hitters Dinara Safina (News/Blog Posts) v. Ana Ivanovic (News/Blog Posts), too.

Video: Vijay Amritraj on Agassi-Nadal

Legendary Indian tennis Player Vijay Amritraj breaks down Nadal-Agassi. This video's also got  interview segments with Nadal and Roddick. Watch the video.

Roddick's Story

Poignant look at the trials and tribulations of Roddick, the pressure of expectation, with some cute childhood anecdotes.

Roddick needs Wimbledon to get back on track
Andy Roddick had smoked his 23rd and final ace past Juan Carlos Ferrero three years back, blowing the Spaniard out of the U.S. Open final in straight sets, when the new "It Boy" of American sport had officially become a prophet.

Wimbledon Draws are Out!: The Men

And ouch, what a draw it is. Federer's basically got most of the high-end grass courters in his quarter. Gasquet in the first round, or for all you Gasquet fans (myself included), Gasquet's got Federer. Roger could face Timmy Henman in the second round, and Tommy Haas, who just gave Roger trouble in Halle, in the 4th round. Red hot Mario Ancic and iron-serve Ivo Karlovic are at the bottom of Federer's quarter. Nalbandian or Blake in the semis. Sure, you can't bet against Roger, but wow, this is a tough draw.

Nalbandian's draw looks pretty straightforward until Blake in the quarters, but Poor Andy Roddick (and Marat Safin) are in Lleyton Hewitt's section. Andy Murray's in there, too.

Agassi's in Nadal's portion of the draw, so is Feliciano Lopez, his buddy and Wimbledon housemate who made the quarters last year (first Spaniard in 33 years to do so). F-Lo has been having a dismal year and drawing Ivan Ljubicic in the opening round won't necessarily help matters.

ETA: Player Reaction to the Draw

The Chronicles of Roddick

Tennis addict, player and ProTennisFan Vik weighs in on Roddick's issues:

Choice quote: After your serve, the last place you want to be in is in 'no-man's land', the area between the baseline and service line and where Roddick invariably lands up after half his serves.

A lot of the returns that come back to Andy can easily be picked off for volleys, IF he is at the service line after his serve and IMHO EVEN with his weak volley he can hit a number of these for winners! Next time you watch him play, watch where he lands after the serve and after that his feet are frozen 'til the return is over the net. It's already too late IMHO to hit a winner by then... Read the article

Wimbledon Seeds Out; Nadal is 2; Roddick 3, Venus 7

Not a huge surprise, but it'll be interesting to see if Roddick ends up on Federer's or Nadal's side of the draw. Nalbandian's seeded 4th; Hewitt's 6. Here's the full list.

Roddick Eyes Wimbledon

Roddick hopes his luck will change this year

Andy Roddick has an enviable record on grass and possesses all the weapons to succeed at Wimbledon. All he needs now is a slice of good fortune. Read on...

Blake Defeats Roddick at last.

That was a fun match, even more so because I was right ;-). Blake played an agressive, focused and thoughtful game. Andy, did not, though there were some really good rallies.

Roddick lost his opening service game and Blake was winning comfortably until he played a very loose game to get broken at 5-3. The next 4 games were quite close, with very pretty  tennis from both players, but Blake prevailed 7-5.  Former FO finalist Michael Stich, who was commentating for the Tennis Channel feed, was totally all over Roddick for alot of the match for making bad choices and not being prepared for James' returns. Roddick was serving at around 75% and Blake was just making some mind-blowing return winners. You could blame Roddick, however, for not placing his rockets better.

Roddick and Blake had the crowd laughing with some fun banter when Roddick made a winner that had Blake just sort of standing there. Such good-natured guys. Gotta feel for Andy Roddick--this ends his Queen's winning streak at 18 matches and 3 straight titles.

Now come on, James, make my weekend and beat Lleyton tomorrow!

Friday Interviews: Queen's and Halle

Here's Federer's post-Rochus interview, and Nadal's, Hewitt's, Roddick's and Henman's from Queen's.

The Battle for American Tennis: Blake v. Roddick

Sure, Roddick hasn't quite won yet, but it seems like a done deal serving 6-4 5-3 against Gonzalez at Queen's. Tomorrow should see James Blake take on Andy Roddick in a match that essentially will determine who is the best American tennis player. Roddick's serve was on fire against Gonzo, and if he keeps it up for the semis, it should be a spectacular match. I'm gonna go with Blake, though, to assert his ascendency with his first career win (he's 0-6 against Andy) over Roddick in 3.

*Photo from jamesblaketennis.com; as always, click on the photo for the full size version. James looks spectacular.

FO Rematches at Queen's: Blake v. Monfils; Nadal vs. Hewitt, Tim vs. Dmitri

Well, this should be an interesting set of quarterfinals. I'm going to say that revenge takes the day and Henman, Blake and 3-time Queen's champion Hewitt win. What do you think? Does Nadal have a chance?

Also: Roddick over Srichaphan in a straight sets after a tiebreak first set, and Monfils upset Ljubicic. Up next, Roddick's got this week's ATP blogger, super-friendly Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.

Don't forget to check out the video highlights from the Queen's website.

Queen's Club Transcripts

Hurray for Queen's Club! Not only is Stella Artois a great beer, they've also put up a great website. They've got full transcripts of post-match interviews (as well as audio clips). Here are Rafal Nadal after defeating Mardy Fish, Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis on their wins, Andy Murray on getting the early boot, Andre Agassi after the loss to Henman, and defending champ Andy Roddick on his 3-set scare.

And here's the archive.

Who's the Best Tennis Interview?

Fun rankings from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Blake Moves To No. 1 (Interview)

Shocked that Safin didn't make the list.

Connors Will Coach Roddick

But will it help him? Roddick seems to lack the ability to actually improve on his strategic game; and his hot shot serve and forehand are no longer above the pack enough to ensure his place in the top 10, IMHO. We'll see what Connors brings to the table. In any case, will be nice to see Connors sitting in Andy's box at the odd Grand Slam.

Roddick lures Connors into his back-up team

Bud Collins on Blake, Roddick

Well, James Blake just lost to Gael Monfils, but here's a nice piece from the Good Old Day, right after Blake beat clay court comer Nicolas Almagro. The gist: Blake is the number one American in all but number. Herrrrrrrrrrre's Bud!

While you've got to feel good for Blake, I feel sort of bad for Roddick, too. However, I think Blake's recent success will help alleviate the strain of being, Andy Roddick, the Lone American Hope.

Andy's already in London to prep for the abbreviated grass court season.

Also: Naysaying on the Connors-Roddick gossip from Andy's agent.

Connors to Coach Roddick?

Andy Roddick, a first-round loser, is considering an approach to Jimmy Connors to coach him on a part-time basis. It is understood that Roddick, a former world No 1 and US Open champion, would not require Connors to travel with him to every tournament on his schedule, but would like a working relationship similar to that between Federer and his coach, Australian Tony Roche...

Connors is apparently already aware of Roddick's interest in him, and may be willing to mull over a future working arrangement.

Scroll down on this page to read the whole story.

Connors as a coach? What do you think?

Audio: Roddick on His Injury

More bad news for former number 1s. First Lleyton's ankle, now Andy's foot. Here's the ABC/ESPN article.

Here are excerpts from Roddick's press conference at the World Team Cup: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Ace Hot List

Well, the most important tennis rankings are out.

For the men, the Spanish Armada is, of course, well represented in the top 10--  Rafael Nadal, Feliciano Lopez, Juan Carlos Ferrero. And apparently bald is also beautiful, with 2 shiny domes making the cut.

For the women, the top 10 is dominated by the Russians and sort-of Russians: Myskina, Dementieva, Kirilenko, Golovin and Sharapova.

The Women's and Men's Lists

I must say I disagree with the rankings. Ivanovic, Venus, Dementieva and Mirza are IMHO the most beautiful women on tour; and the spaniards should clearly have a lock on the top 4 (Feli first, and where is Moya?), and the absence of Ancic and Nalbandian is obviously poor judgement. (Roddick, top 10? Blasphemy!)

Clay Court Season American Style: Andy Roddick

Courtesy of Andy Roddick's website, here's his current clay court preparation.

"Hey, I’m back in Austin after being on the road for a while. Definitely looking forward to having a few days of down time and just hanging out. The weather is great, so we’ve been working the boat the last couple of days.

Bob Bryan came down and we’ve been hitting a little bit. The plan is to start intense training in a few days. I think Sam Querrey might come down to train as well. It’s not often that we get a few weeks off so everyone is catching before we gear up to go overseas."

So shall we bet on Roddick to lose second or third round of the French Open this year?

Andy Roddick and Vince Young Videoclips

Andy Roddick and Vince Young play a little tennis in Houston this week:

And some football as well:

Roddick Not All Bad

The way Andy Roddick's tennis game has been going, he's been getting mostly bad press lately.  So let's give him some credit this week.  Once again, he led the U.S. team to Davis Cup victory.  (Another 0-2 for James Blake, although one of them wasn't a live match.)

And with U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe having to miss this tie because his wife was due to give birth, Roddick had no problem with his recently fired coach Dean Goldfine taking over temporarily.

He and James Blake even had some fun with the situation in a press conference:

From the Desert Sun: Old coach no problem for the U.S.

When the team was inevitably asked about Goldfine taking over, Roddick said jokingly, "Why is everybody looking at me?"...

What's Wrong With Roddick? It's His Serve (!?)

The most surprising article of the week for me was Roddick must deal more aces by Charles Bricker in the Sun-Sentinel. 

Bricker actually makes a fairly good statistical case that what's really ailing Andy Roddick's tennis game these days is not his weak backhand, his oddly-timed net play, not even his idiotic match sense - but rather his serve.

"He's still averaging close to 130 mph -- highest on the ATP tour. He still hits the occasional 140 mph blast. But if you examine his serving the past two years, there is one statistic that jumps out at you. His number of aces is down, and not just by a few.

He's lost the accuracy that carried him to No. 1 and made him a feared player to virtually everyone but Roger Federer.

In 2005, Roddick averaged 13.2 aces per match and 5.0 per set. In 18 matches this year, all on hardcourts (the ATP doesn't count aces in Davis Cup matches), Roddick is averaging 9.9 aces per match and 3.7 per set.

Roddick's Odd Optimism

Andy Roddick has the press confused now.  A loss to David Ferrer is an upset, right?  So why in the world was Roddick so darn chipper after the match?

From the Miami Herald: No matter the spin, Roddick's reeling

Andy Roddick was disarmingly peppy for a man who had just fallen deeper into one of the most inexplicable slumps in tennis.

Roddick, formerly the successor to Pete Sampras, got outrun and outgunned by Spain's David Ferrer 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the NASDAQ-100 Open on Thursday.

Afterward, Roddick spoke hopefully about the r