LONDON, June 30: As the rain threatened to wash away most of Saturday's play at Wimbledon, Andy Roddick had more reason than most to pray for better weather. Roddick, the world number three, has been spending time between matches at the All England Club by playing cards with his coach Jimmy Connors and has been losing on a regular basis.

While the American is an expert at sending down aces, he obviously finds it harder to win with them at cards. And with the former US Open champion's practice schedule on Saturday disrupted by the rain, Connors had plenty of time to take his money at blackjack yet again.

Roddick, a two-time Wimbledon runner-up, joked that he has amassed such big debts that he needed to win his fourth round match against France's Paul-Henri Mathieu, worth a guaranteed £88,550 prize money, just to pay off Connors.

“Seems like most things I do with Jimmy turn into a competition,” Roddick said.

“But I don't want to talk about us playing cards because it hasn't been good for me this week. I have to win my next round just to...Never mind.

“I like playing poker but he's realized that's a losing proposition there.

We've been playing more blackjack and I haven't been getting many blackjacks.”There's little prospect of Roddick getting back his losses from Connors on the golf course either.”—AFP