He speaks quickly , spilling forth all of the passion for tennis. He loved every minute of competition , gave it everything he had , leaving it all on the court. He won Wimbledon when he wasn’t expected too, and won the open 5 times on three surfaces. He also lost a number of heartbreakers , but he gave it his all.
There was only one Connors!! Passion, drive, dedication, never-say-die! Besides his obvious and immense talent, the intangibles you need to be a champ- this man had them in spades. One in a million! Love ya Jimbo!
Absolutely loved watching Jimmy play he most assuredly gave every last drop of blood sweat and tears he had in every game I ever watched and inspired myself and a few friends to play the sport! Congratulations Jimmy you did awesome 👏 !
I have no idea what the politics were in ‘74 that kept him from playing in the French Open. Didn’t start watching tennis until 78. He was the reason I started watching. Just happened to catch a match and was hooked on Jimmy because of his “never say die” attitude. He inspired that in me when I wanted to quit anything I was doing. All the antics and boorishness meant nothing compared to his heart for winning, not losing (very different thing) and refusal to quit until the last point was made. I go back now and then and watch his old matches when, in my old age, I have reasons to want to just sit in a chair and quit living. He still inspires me. I’m still refusing to be old. I’m living my life, loving people, working at age 80 and refusing to die until I die.
Up and coming tennis players take note...this is the man you should emulate as far as his journey to become the best...gave 110% all the time... and left nothing behind...he left a true legacy.
I was never a Connors fan.But i did admire that he always gave his all on the court,win or lose.And he always let the fans in.Especially at the Us Open.
Jimbo's behaviour on court was often over the edge, but man what a spectacular player ! He was robbed of a grand slam in 74. Remained foot to the floor until 1991. A true street fighter.
Because even then, he kept on moving forward, still grinding it out, all through those downs. He didn't give in and kept playing the game until his 40's and love him or hate him, he brought real passion and emotion to this now sterile and calculated game.
Connors was the most important player in the history of the sport. He raised the profile of the game, created broad appeal and every player after followed in his wake. Tennis was regarded as kind of a snooty 'gentleman's' game before Connors. He kicked the door down and the game was never the same after Jimbo burst on the scene.
a lot of kids wouldn't understand it now, but when I started watching Jimmy in the 70's I couldn't believe how hard he hit the living hell out of the ball....he PUNISHED that ball like nobody before him....and he hit so flat AND consistently....just an amazing competitor....he would have easily won the grand slam in 1974 if he wasn't banned from playing the French Open....an absolute Legend!
@ fromanotherstar. Connors may have won the 1974 French Open, but it would definitely not have been easy. Even though Borg was not yet a dominant champion in 1974, Borg would have had a great chance of defeating Connors.
I had the good fortune to sit behind the baseline and watch him play on several occasions. For his era he absolutely hit the cover off of the tennis ball. We use to describe his style of Tennis as “ pound from the ground “. Jimmy could run just about everything down. He was a relentless all court player who really never let an opportunity to hit a approach and volley to close out a point. I learned a lot from watching him play. His footwork and the way he set up his points had a great influence on my game.
Just listening to Connors speak, I hear that his deep abiding love for the game of tennis. Talking about his appreciation that the fans chose to watch tennis. And I love how he singled out Ferrer as his favorite. This guy works so hard and has such determination. He's had big wins over Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray and has been a Top 5 player up till this year, a few years into his thirties.
Sometimes he’s hard to like. I read his bio. Lots of cringe there. However, you have to respect his dedication and effort. Never give up. Max effort. Every time. A warrior.
Ive read a lot of stories that made Jimmy seem like a complete asshole. But let me tell you, there was and never has been a showman like Jimmy Connors on a tennis court. Like he said in an interview, he brought more to a tennis court than just tennis. Thank you for all the great memories. Ill take any match in the 91 US Open run than any match I can see today.
My two favourite tennis players are Rosewall and Laver, but if I had to choose one player to be in my corner I would choose Jimmy. I never forgave him for beating Kenny at Wimbledon and The US Open, but have always admired his fighting qualities. When he is interviewed, I warm to him more and more! A great champion!
Connors Americanized the game. He brought in the wild west and the drama that created modern tennis. Lendl, Mac ect. were the beneficiaries. They should have paid him a royalty.
Justin- you were a young player practicing at Brad’s house with Andre. I was working on the chimney. 1997. I was given the opportunity to watch you play with Andre. And then you guys wolfed down these HUGE salads!!! Andre when asked by me for an autograph, he was sooooo cool. He went to one of those big Nike bags and unzipped a side pocket filled with his Atlanta gold medal pic. He signed right there. Funny, now I live in LV. Continued success young man!!!!
I was never a fan of Jimmy's game, I preferred MacEnroe, even Becker and Edberg. But I have to say Jimmy's humility outranks them all and makes him a truly great man. Respect.
Say what you want about Connors. But you have to respect him as he was a poor boy playing a rich man's game. He certainly did not grow up with wealthy parents like McEnroe or Federer. Agassi was also a poor boy playing a rich man's game. Interesting that Agassi's dad and Connors' grandfather were boxers. Maybe this can explain why the two really dislike each other. Connors has aged well.
My first thought when I came across this was "great, one jerk interviews another jerk", but I do appreciate the insights from Connors, and like him or not, he's a big part of the history of the game. Good to see him giving proper respect to the giants before him like Segura. I still think in his playing days he was a jerk tho, and Gimelstob is worse today than when he was playing. Good interview though. Maybe two jerks makes a right.
Nick kyrgios is arrogant. Thinks he knows all. Jimmy speaks with passion and hummility. To every young punk of today who are arrogant. Listen and speak properly.
Nadal is by no means the fastest player, Gael Monfils outpaces him easily. I think peak M Chang was faster as well. Nadal is my 2nd favorite player of all time, #1 being RFed of course, and he is a beast but I don't think he's the fastest. I think his specialty is keeping the same speed throughout the entire match. His stamina is out of this world, his strength is outstanding and his speed is elite. Despite that I don't think he is the fastest.
Nadal has much superior power, stamina and mental strenght than either Chang or Monfils. Speed is just one of his talents, and not the most important by any means.
