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  • Roddick to spend less time with Connors

    1/13/08 4:45 AM | Johan Lindahl
    - Jimmy Connors looks set to cut back his travel time with Andy Roddick at the end of his protege's run at the Australian Open.

    Roddick dropped a few hints to that effect after winning the tune-up Kooyong Classic over Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets to claim a trophy hat-trick at the special event.

    The sunglasses-clad Connors, 54, was in the Roddick box during the final and will guide his man through the Open. But Roddick suggested that the arrangement might change.

    - Jimmy will stay for the Open. We've not gotten a lot of face time, since I had some injuries in the autumn and then focused on the Davis Cup, spending a lot of time with the team.

    - He won't travel 30 weeks per year and I wouldn't ask him to. We'll focus more on preparation, spending off-weeks together instead of him showing up at tournaments as a band-aid (plaster) effect."

    Nevertheless, Roddick will take what he can get from the old master.
    - It's beneficial to be around him. I'm excited to get time to prepare for a few days with him.

    "I'm happy and ready to go for the Open", said Roddick, a former No. 1 and 2003 US Open champion. "I hope that my form is indicative of how I'll do next week".

    - I'm as hungry as ever after winning Davis Cup. I'm still eager at 25. I'm excited to give it a go next week at the Open.

    Roddick said he got accustomed to the Aussie heat by training for ten days in Hawaii with Connors.
    - The week before Christmas we began all-day physical training. We focused on what we had to do.

    Roddick reached the semi-finals in Melbourne a year ago, falling to Federer two weeks after beating the Swiss in what turned out to be a meaningless Kooyong final in 2007.

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