San Antonio Express-News: Buck Harvey

Andy Roddick had been through three coaches in less than three years, so going
to a fourth this month shouldn’t surprise. He’s been searching to regain
whatever he had in 2003, when he won the U.S. Open at the age of 20.

But the latest change comes with some skepticism. He hired his older brother,
John, who runs a tennis academy in San Antonio.

From kids to center court? As a West Coast tennis columnist wrote, the move
“smacked of desperation.”

It also smacks of trust and comfort. Andy doesn’t need as much technical advice
as he does an emotional edge. So why shouldn’t he follow the one he followed
from tournament to tournament when he was young?

“I’m excited about it,” Andy said.

They are in Memphis now, just as they were in San Jose last week, playing in
another tournament. Andy is the top seed again, but it doesn’t matter much. The
Roddicks are reaching for more.

“The goal is multiple majors,” John said.

John never saw this life coming. He’s been happy in San Antonio, and his tennis
school just off Interstate 35 will continue to operate in his absence.

He’s had success with his juniors, too, and he wasn’t looking to coach his
brother. His brother wasn’t looking for his help, either. But then Andy went
from guru to guru to guru, switching seemingly every time he took a step
backward.

Andy dismissed his first pro coach, of four years, after he lost in the first
round of the 2003 French Open. Brad Gilbert then helped Roddick reach No.1 and
win the 2003 U.S. Open, but Roddick wanted a change when he began to struggle.

Dean Goldfine, a former U.S. Davis Cup and Olympic coach, came next. Roddick
reached the semifinals in the 2005 Australian Open, his first major with
Goldfine, and he lost to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. In this era,
losing to Federer is no crime.

But Roddick fell in the second round of the French Open, and worse was an
embarrassing first-round loss in the U.S. Open. When Roddick began this year
with another disappointment, in the Australian, he had reached a career
crossroads. Once tennis’ young, rising star, younger stars were passing him.

Mats Wilander said out loud what others were thinking. This “great” player,
Wilander said, had become “totally ordinary.”

Coaching was mentioned as an issue, as were flaws in Roddick’s game.

“The rest of the tour has found him slipping into cracks generally reserved for
the mediocre,” one wrote. “If he continues his recent slide, the Wimbledon
seedings might reflect a once-mercurial player in decline.”

That’s why this time in his career is vital, and why the hiring of John is under
scrutiny. Some have wondered about his credentials, and John answers them
without being defensive.

“It’s a fair question,” he says.

His last name is better known than he is, but he’s been around. If not for a
back injury, John likely would have put together a pro career.

His academy success says something about his teaching ability. He’s coached Andy
before, when Andy was 15 years old. And then there’s the basic question about
the role of the coach in tennis.

Cliff Drysdale, for example, thinks changing coaches is “like changing a
racket.” The move might be more psychological than anything.

To Andy, John is a familiar racquet with a comfortable grip. “He knows me as
well as anybody,” Andy says.

Brothers do, and they often know each other as no one else ever could. Andy
tagged along for years, mimicking John, meaning John was his coach without
anyone knowing it.

“It’s not uncommon to have a family member as a coach in tennis,” John said,
“because you know what makes them tick.”

John says there will be no dramatic changes, just adjustments. He wants to see
Andy move up a few feet when hitting from the baseline, and he wants Andy to
regain the confidence he had three years ago.

“My daily approach is,” John said, “keep playing and keep getting better. You
will get your opportunity, and then you better be ready.”

Both are aware of the downside. If Andy is already on a fourth coach, doesn’t it
make sense he someday will have a fifth?

They talked that out first. And now they are in Memphis, and they will be in
Vegas next week, and they will target Wimbledon in a way they never have
before. Together.