A WORLD OF FEAR AND HATE

"Alone in his already decaying pleasure palace, aloof, seldom visited, never photographed ..." --  "Citizen Kane"

Like all relationships, no one will ever know  what factors triggered their breakup. Roddick's announcement that Connors had resigned, however, smacked of orchestration.

The conventional approach to coaching is to see the world through the player's eyes. Connors' approach  differed: You will see the world through my eyes.

And as Roddick implied the view was peculiar. 

The magma of emotions seething inside Connors during his time with Roddick will never be revealed.

The likes of McEnroe and Federer wield the racket like a paint brush.

How he hated Mcenroe!

For Connors, the racket was an ax, used to destroy, maim, and mutilate.

Connors has spent much of the past year in mourning. In January 2007, his mother Gloria died. She was not only the person who brought him into the world, but she was also his coach, confidante and, only true friend -- someone he talked to 10 times a day.

"They're all out to get you, Jimmy," she'd told him more than once. Paranoia and fanatical dedication and devotion had taken the two of them to the top of the tennis world.

With his anchor gone, Connors viewed tennis in a light that was more harsh, painful and lonely than ever.

Even if he liked Roddick, it was supremely difficult for Connors to acknowledge anyone else with a racket but himself.

In Connors' mind, no one more than he had paid the price.

Connors' dysfunctional outlook on tennis and life doomed him as Roddick's coach.