The Age: Roddick Takes to Jimmyball with Relative Ease

HE WAS the “Brash Basher of Belleville”. Or, as his bygone manager, Bill Riordan, often phrased it: “James Scott Connors, one in a million, the Andrew Jackson of Tennis.”

For those of you unfamiliar with US history, Andrew Jackson was the president between 1829 and 1837, a military hero called “Old Hickory” because he gave a lot of stick, went against the grain, and was the ordinary blokes’ favourite.

That fits Jimmy Connors — “Jimbo” his mum called him — who has dropped by Melbourne Park to personally anoint a pupil named Roddick as an honorary fourth generational Connors.

Here’s the way that line goes. Bertha Thompson, Jimmy’s grandmother, taught her daughter, Gloria, to play well enough in the tough Mississippi River town of Belleville, Illinois, to rank prominently in the Midwest and compete in the US Championships at Forest Hills (where Jimmy would win the titles of 1974 and 1976). Gloria, along with the grandmother the kid worshipped as “Two Mum”, taught Jimmy. And now Jimmy has been “retooling” Andy Roddick, to use Roddick’s verb.

Since he is 54 and wears scholarly horn rim spectacles, perhaps we should address him as Dr Connors, Ph.D. Not coach. In his case Ph.D. stands for pep, headwork and determination — qualities that Roddick has absorbed willingly and well.

As the “Mr Chips” of chips and chops and double-barrelled backhands, Jimmy obviously enjoys passing along the knowledge of three generations. “So far, so good” was his profound observation after Roddick brilliantly beat Mario Ancic by a couple of centimetres — two barely missed volleys — in five sets to attain the quarter-finals. Encomiums later, possibly.

This is not the Roddick who, as a fall guy, made Marcos Baghdatis famous in the fourth round a year ago. That was the beginning of a confused tumble towards the exit from the top 10 where he’d resided for four years, No. 1 in 2003. Andy’s July enrolment in Dr C.’s course, Jimmyball 101, almost immediately stopped the bleeding.

Click here to read the full article at The Age.