Tennis-X.com Notes: McEnroe Loses WTT Breaker, Gilbert Confirmed

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Jimmy Connors on coaching Andy Roddick: "I would like to try to give him a little bit of what made me what I was, and he is able to suck that up like a sponge. He's proven that already. It's not always in the game. It's the intangibles that could make the difference, along with a few tweaks here and there. I'm not sitting down there breaking down and criticizing everything. I'm just trying to make him the best that he can be." -- Don't be afraid to bark at that backhand Jimmy...Monday WTT results: John Paul Fruttero, who beat Pete Sampras 5-0 last week, gets blanked 5-0 by Jaymon Crabb; Martina Navratilova goes 1-1 in doubles to edge her Boston Lobsters over the Delaware Smash; Sampras loses his singles to Jan-Michael Gambill (ouch) but wins in doubles as his Newport Beach Breakers edge the Houston Wranglers 20-19. Tuesday WTT results: Sampras sat out of the Newport Beach Breakers line-up, with his team going on to beat the John McEnroe-led New York Sportimes 21-20. After McEnroe won his singles (d. Ramon Delgado) and both doubles, the entire match was tied at 20-20 and came down to a match-determining tiebreak, where Delgado then gained revenge over McEnroe by rolling him 7-0...Andy Roddick on his part-time coaching relationship with Jimmy Connors: "We both clicked. I then had a good week in Indy. It means a lot when someone who's won as much as Jimmy has says he has belief in you. I'm pretty exited that I get to pick his brain on a more regular basis. I've been going into matches hoping that something good would happen as opposed to making something good happen. I never felt that I couldn't play tennis."...Guillermo Coria, Lleyton Hewitt, no year-end championship for you...From Joel Drucker writing for CBSSportsline.com on the Andy Roddick-Jimmy Connors phenomenon: "Certainly Connors doesn't need the money, nor is he necessarily keen on schlepping week after week to pro tournaments to handle such coaching duties as booking practice courts and finding hitting partners. Those matters will remain in the hands of Roddick's brother, John, a former All-American at the University of Georgia. Connors says he and Roddick have agreed to partner through the end of 2006, which to me is a mix of trips to tournaments and hours of cell phone calls. It's the first question that's intriguing. Here's where the two share common ground: Both hail from the no-nonsense Midwest, earnest jocks willing to work hard and have a bit of fun. Each enjoys emoting on the court, too, as you might expect from two high-intensity Americans who always celebrate their birthdays during the U.S. Open. Where they differ was revealed in one of Roddick's comments: "I'm looking forward to picking Jimmy's brain on a regular basis. Last week, as Roddick made his way to the finals in Indianapolis (with Connors at home watching on TV), he made an effort to hit returns earlier, particularly on second serves. In baseline rallies he also struck his backhand more decisively. Both these steps are signs of Connors' input; Connors never backed off from taking a good swipe at the ball. If Roddick can commit to taking balls early like this -- and he'll need to practice hours to get the technique down -- he might benefit on several fronts."...Grammy award winning artist Lionel Richie will join Andy Roddick at the second annual Andy Roddick Foundation Charity Gala and Auction on Tuesday, Nov. 21st, 2006 at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin in Austin, Texas...Former ATP player and current Masters Series-Canada Tournament Director Grant Connell writing for the Toronto Sun: "Last week, the WTA Tour announced that our sister tournament in Montreal, the Rogers Cup, will be the first event to allow on-court coaching during matches. While the new protocol is designed to make the game more fan friendly and entertaining for TV and in-stadium viewers, I believe more importantly, it will increase the quality of the game. As a former player on tour, I first thought this addition might take away from the essence of the game. Being all by yourself (or with your doubles partner) with your thoughts on court is one of the toughest mental experiences an athlete could encounter. Are they ruining the purity of my sport? After further discussion with friends and colleagues, I've come to realize that tennis may be the only sport that hasn't allowed in-game assistance. If done right, it will enhance the product on court and could really take tennis to a whole new level. Under the WTA testing that will take place next month in Montreal, women may request their coach to come on court once per set as well as during set breaks. Additionally, if a player takes a medical time out or bathroom break, the opposing player only may request her coach. Here's where I think the rules become interesting. Players designate their coach in advance of the match, but are allowed to designate a fellow player or other individual to serve as her official coach for the match. If you don't have a coach, pick a friend on tour to come help you out. Better yet, which sponsor is going to attempt to create a contest allowing a fan to coach a player?" -- Circus time! Pick a friend! Pick the tournament's sponsor's director of marketing! Point to someone in the crowd and yell 'Coach me!'...John Lloyd on the open Brit Davis Cup captaincy: "The Davis Cup is something I've loved and I'd be an idiot if I wasn't interested. The competition fascinates me," Lloyd told BBC Sport. "But the bottom line is that no-one's mentioned it to me, and there would be a lot to discuss if they did. The job's changed a lot since I was a player."...From tennisnews.com: "The USTA today announced that ratings on NBC for the first week of the US Open Series increased on NBC, with the Sunday final of the RCA Championship that featured James Blake defeating Andy Roddick up 50% over 2005 (1.2 vs. .8) and the Saturday semifinal (Roddick vs. Robby Ginepri) up 13% over last year (0.9 vs. 0.8)." -- Is our math (or "maths" as the Brits say) bad or do those numbers not add up?...Nicole Vaidisova blogging for the WTA: "I just wanted to chill out in the hotel. I watched that movie, Something's Gotta Give, and had to unpack all my bags, which I don't really like. That's one of my least favorite things about traveling on the Tour -- all the packing and unpacking. It never ends and you always have to worry if your bags are too heavy and whether you're going to be hit with a huge charge at the airport. This morning, I woke up at 8:45. I am still on Florida time (I live and train at the IMG/Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida) and came from Europe two days before that so the jet-lag is still a bit there. But I had a Starbucks breakfast -- coffee and a chocolate muffin -- breakfast of champions. Then, back to training -- some jogging and exercises with my dad, who's my coach, on the track, which is right by the courts, followed by lunch in the players' lounge. Because of the extreme heat right now in California, they have to turn the lights down in the lounge so that they can keep the air conditioning running and not use up too much power. I must say though that I prefer the Stanford heat over the Sacramento heat. That was like a sauna. After lunch, back to the hotel for yet another movie -- this time, Alien vs. Predator. I know, I know, it's a terrible movie, but for some odd reason, I liked watching it. It's like the smart person in me knows it's a bad movie, and I shouldn't watch it, but the silly person says that it's great. The silly person won." -- Starbucks and two movies, nice day...From Haaretz.com: "Anna Smashnova began defense of the Budapest Grand Prix yesterday with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 defeat of Eleni Daniilidou of Greece and then had her day crowned with an award from the International Tennis Federation for her contribution to the Fed Cup. Smashnova has played 61 Fed Cup ties for Israel, more than any other player on the circuit."...From FOX Sports Australia: "Tennis Australia announced extra security today for its team contesting the Davis Cup semi-final in Buenos Aires after Lleyton Hewitt threatened to boycott the tie, saying he feared for his safety. Former world No.1 Hewitt is reviled in Argentina after a series of clashes with players from the South American country and said he was apprehensive about the September 22-24 tie. "The biggest concern is my safety," he said. "The situation has got steadily worse for visiting teams and it takes only one whacko over there to turn things on its head. I've got my family to think about and there are issues around the security situation." But Tennis Australia spokesman John Lindsay said his organisation was taking the issue seriously and doing everything it could to ensure a safe environment for the players. "We have been over there and reviewed the security situation and are liaising with the Argentinians to make sure everything is satisfactory," he said. "We have made some recommendations about steps we would like to see taken and are implementing extra security measures of our own. The security and safety of all our players is an important consideration for Tennis Australia." -- Take as as many trips over there as you want, Lleyton is pulling...From Tennisreporters.net's Matt Cronin on Jelena Jankovic: "By the end of August, she will have to choose whether she will pay for Serbia or Montenegro, as the two countries will have spit by then. The edge should go to Serbia, given that she grew up there and her mother, Snezana, is a native, but her dad, Veselin, is from Montenegro, so things could get tricky around the dinner table. "There's a lot of talk and questions as to which country I will play for," she said. "There's so much politics and I really don't know yet." Like many Eastern Europeans, Jankovic is blunt. Vera Zvonareva crushed her in Cincy last week and while she said that the Russian is playing very solid, Jankovic said that the reason why she played so badly was because she just had her period. "I felt really dizzy. My legs were heavy, but I gave my best anyway," she said."...Andy Murray has reportedly been given the OK to play Washington next week, coming off a neck injury...From the Brit Lawn Tennis Association: "The LTA today announced that Brad Gilbert will join the organisation and as part of his role has agreed to become Andy Murray's new coach. Brad will also play a vital role in supporting wider LTA performance programmes. Roger Draper, Chief Executive of the LTA said: "We promised a new approach to coaching and I am confident that Brad will bring that to the LTA. He has a world-class track record and will play a central role in helping us improve our performance and success from elite players like Andy, through to our up and coming talent. Brad will be fully focussed on front-line coaching and is not a replacement for the position of Performance Director. As part of our new strategy for British tennis we want the best people in the world actually 'on the ground' helping create more tennis champions." Brad Gilbert commented: "I am really looking forward to working with Andy as he is one of the most talented young players on the tour. I am also looking forward to working at the LTA and it is great to see Roger Draper making changes for the benefit of British Tennis." Andy Murray commented: "While growing up, Agassi was one of the players I looked up to. He won several Grand Slams and reached number one in the world with Brad so I am delighted to now have Brad as my coach."