‘A-Rod’ has not won a singles title since October and recently fell out of the top 10. Needing a spark, he asked Connors to provide one.

“I’ve got a coach,” said Roddick, the top seed at this week’s Countrywide Classic. “It means a lot when someone who’s won as much as Jimmy has and says he has belief in you. I’m pretty excited that I get to pick his brain on a more regular basis.”

After the French Open, 23-year-old Roddick called Connors. The eight-time grand slam champion, with 109 career titles, was delighted to help.

“I reached out to Jimmy after the French and we talked at Wimbledon, then l lost (in the third round),” said Roddick.

“We decided to give it a four-to-five day trial and it clicked. We both clicked. We worked hard.”

The coaching seems to be paying early dividends as Roddick reached the final of the RCA Championships in Indianapolis before falling in three sets to Davis Cup team-mate James Blake.

“He gave me some things to work on and I tried to apply them the best I could,” Roddick explained.

“I made some small adjustments and it felt right. I played some good stuff in Indy. I played a lot of matches on my terms. I’m pretty optimistic after the first week.”

Connors is trying coaching for the first time, at the age of 53, and sees vast potential in Roddick.

“It’s not major surgery and it’s not rocket science,” Connors said. “My job is very simply to make Andy the best he can be.

“Andy does what he does well. I would like to try and give him a little bit of what made me what I was. He can suck that up like a sponge.

“It’s not his game, it’s the intangibles. I want to make him the best he can be. He wants to be number one and will do anything that it takes.”