Yep. In a vacuum, it's an incredible point on its own.. But for it to be in the middle of a historic dream run, where it was the turning point of that set and that match... Makes it 100 times more awesome.
@@willritter4076 Tell me, are you not quite right anymore? Connors was highly focused in this game. He really wanted the point and the break. That's why he didn't want to risk anything. By far the best point ever. Above all, because he carried everyone away with him. Unfortunately, players like that don't exist anymore.
Almost brings tears to my eyes, it's so good. I agree with McEnroe. Greatest point ever at the USO. Watched it live in 1991 and it's just as stunning now as then!
@@markflemmer1326 Jimmy was a grinder but was a cavalier go for broke player. He's what you call a paradox. He had a sense of the romance of the game of tennis and a love of the players of bygone times. It was instilled in him by his Mom and Grandparents. Kinda how Cus instilled a love of boxing in Mike and a love of the history of the fight game and old time fighters.
Get chills every time I see this. I'll be 39 in a few months...so to revisit this run Jimbo made when I was a kid and now I'm about to be the same age...it's even MORE remarkable now than it was then.
Same here. I remeber this match. Getting chills and remembering how excited I was when he whipped that" down the line. Fist pumping Nd working the crowd. My all time favoutite.
Jimmy Connors could he play started the rot of slandering,sledgeing,badgering,along with Ilie Nastese,in the early to mid 70s then McEnroe after that .Connors is the Godfather of Tennis when it comes to win at all costs.Great player/Bad Sportsman, eventually mellowing into be a great sportsman.
Nobody before or since had the incredible intensity and vibe like Connors. He could whip a crowd into a frenzy like no other. The entire sports world is lacking players like him. He truly made tennis a more exciting sport when he was playing.
I lifted a Tennis Racket in 1976 because of Jimmy Connors, yes there have been magnificent players and athletes since Jimmys retirement but none of them could get near him for fight ,tennacity, determination,the never say die attitude and that brilliant forehand return.. 🎾
Connors loved playing in New York, and New York loved him! When he made his famous championship speech when he was the bad boy back in '78 where he said, "You may not always like me, but I like you," he won MORE than the US Open that day. He WON NEW YORK!
@@iggypopisgod9 Courier was under appreciated, but he clearly had the endurance. He had steamrolled to the semis. Very few people remember it was Courier and Edberg in the finals that year, but many remember Connors that year.
This is my favorite point I’ve ever seen in tennis. That run was electric, even though Connors didn’t even make the finals. I miss tennis having that level of interest in the US.
Watched it live at the time from UK. As for greatest? Your forgetting his round earlier V Krickstein Lol. Both epic wins. Throw in his first round win also. Inspiring run to the semi finals.
It seems like yesterday watching this match LIVE at night w my entire family going absolutely wild w emotions on that point. Unbelievable memories nearly 30 years later, thank you for posting. WOW!
I remember jumping up and down on my couch and doing the triple pumper lawnmower celebration imitating Jimmy Connors when i was a little kid watching this with my Dad. Rest easy, dad! Thanks for the video & good memeories.😉👍
I watched this live..with a few interruptions D: ....the tension was such that the hairs on my neck stood on end. Just about incomparable. Connors is a true legend of tennis. Pure theatre.
As an 11 year old kid growing up in the inner-city, THIS was exciting point was the official start of me loving/appreciating tennis as a whole! I'd never really paid attention to the sport until this magical moment. Now, at the age of 39, I can't stop watching it!
Not to mention, hitting a two handed backhand lob when the ball is over your head is not easy and Jimmy did it twice. It's very awkward position. Awesome.
I remember that exact sequence 0:48 on break point when I was just a kid, and I remember jumping off the couch voting for Conners!!!! I've never gotten as excited for a tennis point since...
It was because of this match when I was 13 I picked up dad’s old racket and balls and used a backboard and our garage door to learn how to hit a ball. I was cheering for this guy, and I had no clue who he was, but he brought you along for the ride and I’ll always be grateful to the one and only Jimbo for introducing me to the greatest sport ever. ❤️
You know what is miss these days in tennis is the emotion and sheer joy of making a great point. 2:01 ,you dont see that anymore. All we have now is motionless robots.Form is temporary but class is forever.Jimmy Legend !
I must've seen this a million times, and I still can't believe how the fans just absolutely blew up after that point. They were totally driving him to win that match.
When you take everything into consideration, the rally itself, the fact that he was 39, and the importance of the particular point (break point) at such an important juncture of the match, I agree with the OP and think this is probably the greatest tennis point in history.
Just saw this on Family Guy, also this literally is the loudest anyone can make the US Open crowd roar and cheer, any points that have even been close to rivaling this point is the overhead hit 8 ft behind the baseline by Federer in ‘08 against Djokovic, the tweener Federer hit in ‘09 also against Djokovic, or that passing shot Federer hit against Del Potro the day after.
Some player! People around the world watched tennis because of this guy, love him or hate him. I marvelled at the excitement he brought to the game and he gave so many hours of pure entertainment with his great talents. Amazing! Agassi was his next generation successor. Identical game actually.
Connors was a relentless attacker but he could also hustle around the court and counter punch like crazy. I have been fortunate to have watched him live quite a few times. You had to be there sitting behind the baseline to realize what it was like for his opponents on the other side of the net. I would describe his style as pound from the ground and hustle for every point. Jimmy never gave up on a point.
Agree with most of it, as I saw him a few times as well at the Open, clay and hard courts. Have to disagree about him as a relentless attacker for most of his career. Definitely a counter puncher for the last 2/3 of his career. In the early days perhaps you could say that, when he wielded that crazy metal weapon at a time when the aging Aussies were slower, hit the ball with much less pace and used wood. He would attack with no fear. He could not do that when Vilas, Borg and Mac came on the scene with their passing shots.
@@Arturo-sm1tb I don’t think that old Wilson metal racket gave any advantage over wood rackets, otherwise many more players would have switched to it. I think it just suited Jimbo’s game better. In the last part of his career he also got a new racket when the technology started to make real significant improvements
This was at a point in time when Jimmy was 39. He was seen to be too old to win anything and his success behind him. The match before this was a 5 setter against a young up and coming player, and people couldn't believe Jimmy had gotten into the quarter finals, which this match was.
Omg unbelievable my friend actually sent me this because in P.E class I was playing pickle ball and when a person hit it it was on the ground and it was suppose to bounce once and it did and was so low so I dove and got the point and got a burn from the gym floor!
In the 70s tennis was so popular in the US. You were lucky if you could find a public court to play on. They were booked solid. TV ratings for the tournaments were through the roof. Jimmy Connors was a huge part of this phenomenon. He was so much fun to watch; The swagger, charisma, confidence, and never- say-die style of play. Professional tennis has never been quite the same since he departed.
I believe it. I got started playing in the 80’s and it was the same as far as availability. We’d, mom dad & I hit our go to court which were four courts and they’d often be taken already, then drive around trying to find an open one somewhere. Sometimes we’d just wait. Sometimes make reservations, but that seemed always funny to me as I thought it should just be first come first serve. Funny going with papers from the community center to kick someone off because we had official reservations. Always loved Jimbo.
Yup, I agree, I played tennis in college. I would say the golden age was 1974-88, public courts installed lights it got so popular. I remember playing at 1am in the summer when I was a kid it was so nuts. By 1991 it wasn't far off its peak but few people EVER generated the interest Jimmy did when he took the court.
They are both lefties and are hyper-competitive and passionate. They are polar opposites with regards to how they hit the ball. Jimmy loved hitting the ball flat whereas Nadal imparts way more spin on the ball. Love them both though.
@@MrRazorblade999 I agree. We need more right brain tennis. That is where the flair, creativity, and passion come from. Left brain tennis is as you say, robotic and passionless.
