kills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. [url=http://www.customn

The news that Novak Djokovic and coach Boris Becker had split up after three successful years was the headline-maker to a season of shocking coaching changes, but it was just the crowning touch.Johanna Konta had a spectacular rise into the top 10 in the past 15 months under the guidance of Spanish coach Esteban Carril. His reward? Fired.ATP No. 3 Milos Raonic upset Roger Federer en route to the Wimbledon final. Raonics assistant coach Carlos Moya also looked on and counseled Raonic as he came within a point of knocking out Andy Murray -- and taking his place opposite Djokovic in the championship match of the ATP World Tour Finals. Soon it was bye-bye, Moya.Thomas Hogstedt coached Eugenie Bouchard from 2015 to mid-2016 and then led Madison Keys to a career-high No. 8 ranking, starting this past May. His reward: walking papers.And how about Karolina Pliskova, a US Open finalist riding a career-high No. 6 ranking, firing the coach who helped get her there, Jiri Vanek, who was hired only two years ago? He quickly landed a job with Pliskovas fellow Czech and rival Petra Kvitova -- while Pliskova hired the coach Kvitova let go in January, David Kotyza.A person who didnt know better might conclude that the surest way for a coach to keep his job these days is to make sure his players ranking drops 20 spots and he or she loses in the first week at all four majors.The really surprising WTA changes are the ones involving Pliskova and Konta, Craig Kardon, coach of Coco Vandeweghe, told ESPN.com. They had great success, which suggests theres more there than meets the eye. It could be the amount of travel. It could be money. It could be how they get along. The turnover is understandable; the big question always is, Why?The sheer amount of turnover this year might seem puzzling, especially in light of the success many of the players in question have enjoyed. But theres been a sea change in the sport. Coaches used to get fired when players results peaked or tailed off. Now they are dismissed more easily when a player feels a new voice might help move him or her to the next level.The domino effect has become more visible over the years. Players watch each other and feel increased pressure to make moves to keep up with their rivals. Also, the pool of available, quality coaches is smaller than the number of talented players. The Czechs, for example, are a fairly tight-knit, if competitive, group. Kotyzas availability since early in the year might have been on Pliskovas mind all along. At the elite level, each coaching change sometimes involves two coaches and two players.Theres another argument, though:Todays players cant seem to find a coaching match, and thats a real problem, said Pam Shriver, 21-time Grand Slam doubles champion and ESPN tennis analyst. Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Eugenie Bouchard. You cannot have that many [coaches]. I think its a little bit of our instant gratification; nobody has the patience in this day and age.But dont expect more than the boilerplate response Raonic posted on Instagram (I wish [Moya] all the best) if youre looking for answers. For, as Kardon said, Coaches dont talk that much among ourselves about our disagreements with our players, and we dont bad-mouth other coaches or their players.Paul Annacone, whose winning record as the coach of Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and Tim Henman is matched only by his record of longevity with those men, offered another perspective:When you become a San Antonio Spur, you have to learn the system of head coach Gregg Popovich, said Annacone, who is a Tennis Channel analyst. That takes time. But tennis is an individual sport, so the direct communication really speeds process. It also means it makes it go stale more quickly.How then did Annacone end up working with Sampras for six consecutive years and Federer for 3??Apart from bringing something positive on the coaching side, which obviously a lot of the guys who parted with their players this year did do, you have to keep the relationship dynamic, Annacone said. You have to keep communication fresh and candid, even if that means asking if its time to freshen things up, to make some changes or do something differently.Or as Shriver asked, Whats wrong with [coaching] relationships that ride out good and bad?Although Annacone also was surprised by many of the year-end coaching changes, his first instinct is to give the players the benefit of the doubt. He said of Konta, It just seems to be a case of the relationship getting stale. Shes a thoughtful person. Sure shes capable of making a mistake, but I would be shocked if she did anything rash or short-sighted.For most players, struggling to make it to the elite top-10 level or better, the relationship with a coach is an intense one full of dramatic highs and lows. Financial or logistical realities might demand an excess of everyday contact or call for irritating sacrifices. The constant travel and daily practice routine can become a grind.Coaches often are the last to know when the relationship isnt working anymore.Id say its the coach saying Lets move on only about 10 percent of the time, Annacone said. Coaches are wedded to the idea of improving their players. They dont like to give up. They also like to keep their jobs.?Players get tired of a familiar voice telling them to do the same thing over and over, which is a lot of what most coaches do because tennis is a game of repetition and execution. A pro wants to hear new voices, partly because, at the top-100 level, the fresh insights and new ideas any coach can bring to the table are limited. Successful coaches are high-value targets, and one-on-one relationships can quickly burn out. Its a volatile combination.As the coaching industry has matured, and coaches have moved around, it has reached the point where learning about rivals from their former coaches might play a part in the hiring process. Its almost like a form of insider trading.Who can forget the sight of Sascha Bajin, Serena Williams former hitting partner, turning up in the coaching box of Victoria Azarenka? Or the supercharged atmosphere that surrounded the Australian Open match between Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych?after Berdych hired Murrays former pal and coach, Dani Vallverdu.It might seem like a head game sometimes, but not very much, said Kardon, who also coached Martina Navratilova in some of her glory years. Theres something to be said for having the services of someone who has coached the very top players.Kardon, who also worked at one point with ATP pro Vince Spadea added, Vince just wanted to know about [Navratilovas] training methods, her habits, her champions mentality. Thats legitimate, its a good way to go.A year of focused, us-against-the-world labor in the pro trenches exposes the character of both coach and player. Its difficult to sustain the relationship if the character or personality components dont mesh after the initial learning phase is done.Hogstedt did excellent work with 21-year-old Keys in 2016 and has an astute tennis mind, but hes better known for his high-skill nuts-and-bolts approach than as a mentor for young players. It might explain the breakup.If a coaching relationship is to endure beyond that 12-month honeymoon phase, there has to be a real bond and a lot of communication.You have to ask the tough questions, Annacone said. Take yourself out of it, as if you werent the coach.When Federer and Annacone finally parted, it was after nearly four years together, over lunch in a waterside restaurant at Federers training base in Dubai. The men talked through it; they even discussed Annacones potential successors. Both men knew the time had come.Unlike so many of todays abrupt player-coach breakups, at least that partnership was given a chance to succeed.Wholesale Custom Nationals Shirts .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Custom Nationals Jerseys . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. http://www.customnationalsjersey.com/ . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Custom Nationals T-shirts . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. Nationals Jerseys China . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse.MINNEAPOLIS -- Maya Moore scored 27 points, Sylvia Fowles had 15 points and 17 rebounds and the Minnesota Lynx held on to beat the Washington Mystics 75-69 on Friday night.Western Conference-leading Minnesota (23-5) has won 10 of its last 12 games and eight straight at home.Tayler Hill had 15 points, and Leilani Mitchell 13 for the Mystics (10-17). They have lost two straight and nine of 10.Moore was 7 of 17 from the floor and made 12 of 13 free throws. She has scored 20 or more points 13 timmes this season.ddddddddddddWashington used an 18-6 run between the third and fourth quarters to tie it at 55 with eight minutes left. Hill split a pair of free throws to pull the Mystics to 63-61 with two minutes left. Moore stumbled to one knee, but pulled up and made a one-footed jumper at the top of the key to stretch the Lynxs lead to 68-63 with 44.7 remaining. ' ' '