Jimmy Connors

Infobox Tennis player


playername= Jimmy Connors
country = USA
residence= Belleville, Illinois
datebirth= birth date and age|mf=yes|1952|9|2
placebirth= East St. Louis, Illinois
height= height|m=1.77
weight= convert|70|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
turnedpro= 1972, international debut in 1970
retired= 1996
plays= Left-handed; two-handed backhand
careerprizemoney= US$8,641,040
singlesrecord= 1241–277 (81.75%)
singlestitles= 147 including 109 listed by the ATP Players' Guide
highestsinglesranking= No. 1 (July 29, 1974)
AustralianOpenresult= W (1974)
FrenchOpenresult= SF (1979, 1980, 1984, 1985)
Wimbledonresult= W (1974, 1982)
USOpenresult= W (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983)
Othertournaments = Yes
MastersCupresult = W (1977)
doublesrecord= 173–78 (68.9%)
doublestitles= 15
highestdoublesranking= No. 370 (March 1, 1993)
updated= August 28, 2007

James Scott "Jimmy" Connors (born September 2, 1952, in East St. Louis, Illinois, also known as "Jimbo" [http://www.mensvogue.com/health/articles/2007/08/connors?currentPage=1 Holding Court] ] ) is a former World No. 1 American tennis player. He held the top ranking for 160 consecutive weeks from July 29, 1974 through August 29, 1977 and an additional eight times during his career (a total of 268 weeks). He won eight Grand Slam singles titles and two Grand Slam doubles titles with Ilie Năstase and was the mixed doubles runner-up with Chris Evert at the 1974 US Open. He is considered to be one of the top male tennis players of all time. [Raymond Lee: The greatest tennis player of all time on Tennis week, September 14, 2007:http://www.sportsmediainc.net/tennisweek/index.cfm?func=showarticle&newsid=17405&...] He is a former coach of Andy Roddick, the winner of the 2003 US Open.

Although Connors never won the French Open, his victory at the 1976 US Open came during the brief period (1975 through 1977) when that tournament was held on clay courts. Connors is, therefore, one of only three men (Mats Wilander and Andre Agassi are the others) to have won a Grand Slam singles title on grass courts, hard courts, and clay courts.

Connors also won the U.S. Open singles championship itself on on grass courts, hard courts, and clay courts, the only man to accomplish that trio of wins.

Career

In 1970, Connors played his first international matches and recorded his first significant victory in the first round of the Pacific Southwest Open in Los Angeles, defeating Roy Emerson. In 1971, Connors won the NCAA singles title while attending the University of California, Los Angeles. He turned professional in 1972 and won his first tournament at Jacksonville.

Maverick

Connors acquired a reputation as a in 1972 when he refused to join the newly formed Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the union that was embraced by most male professional players. He avoided the mainstream of professional tennis to play in, and dominate, a series of smaller tournaments organized by Bill Riordan, his manager and a promoter.

In 1974, Connors and Riordan began filing lawsuits, eventually amounting to US$10 million, against the ATP and its president Arthur Ashe for allegedly restricting Connors's freedom in the game. It started when Connors was banned from the French Open in 1974 after he had signed a contract to play World Team Tennis (WTT) for Baltimore. The ATP and the French Tennis Federation opposed WTT because it conflicted with the French Open; therefore, all entries to the French Open from WTT players were refused.

Grand Slam tournaments

The French Open was the only Grand Slam singles tournament that Connors did not win in 1974. He won the Australian Open, defeating Phil Dent in four sets in the final. Connors then beat Ken Rosewall in straight sets in the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open. His exclusion from the French Open possibly prevented him from becoming the first male player since Rod Laver to win all four Grand Slam singles titles in one year. Although he reached the semifinals four times, Connors never won the French Open, failing to achieve a Career Grand Slam.

Connors reached the World No. 1 ranking on July 29, 1974, and held it for 160 consecutive weeks, which was the record until Roger Federer beat it on February 26, 2007. Connors held the World No. 1 ranking for a total of 268 weeks during his career.

In 1975, Connors was the runner-up in the three Grand Slam singles tournaments he had won the year before. The 1975 Wimbledon final was a duel between lawsuit opponents, as Connors lost to Ashe in what most consider to have been a great upset. Shortly thereafter, Connors dropped the lawsuits and parted with Riordan.

Challenge Matches

In 1975, Connors won two highly-touted "Challenge Matches," both arranged by Riordan and televised nationally by CBS Sports from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first match, in February and billed as US$100,000 winner-takes-all, was against Rod Laver, fourteen years Connors's senior at age 36. Connors won that match 6–4, 6–2, 3–6, 7–5. In April, Connors played the man who had beaten him in the Australian Open final, John Newcombe, in a match billed as a U.S. $250,000 winner-takes-all. Connors won the match in four sets.

Björn Borg

In 1976, Connors played Björn Borg, the new Wimbledon champion, in the final of the US Open, which now was being played on clay. Connors saved four set points in a third-set tiebreak to beat the Swede 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(9), 6–4. Connors finished 1976 as the top ranked player for the third consecutive year.

In early 1977, Connors won his first World Championship Tennis (WCT) Finals, the championship tournament of the WCT tour.

Despite his success, Connors remained an independent character. At Wimbledon in 1977, he refused to participate in a parade of former champions to celebrate the tournament's centenary and was booed when he played in the final the following day. He lost in five sets to Borg, who a month later was able briefly to interrupt Connors's long hold on the World No. 1 ranking. Connors then lost in the final of the US Open to Guillermo Vilas.

Having irritated sponsors and tennis officials by shunning the end-of-year Masters championships for the previous three years, Connors entered the competition for the first time in January 1978. In the round-robin portion of the tournament, which had just moved to New York City, Connors lost a celebrated late-night match to Vilas 6–4, 3–6, 7–5 but took the title by defeating Borg in the final 6–4, 1–6, 6–4.

Borg beat Connors comfortably in the 1978 Wimbledon final, but Connors defeated the Swede 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 in the final of the 1978 US Open, which was held for the first time at the Flushing Meadows venue.

Connors lost his stranglehold on the top ranking to Borg in early 1979. He returned to the French Open in May, losing in a semifinal. He also lost in the semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open, repeating those results in 1980 and 1981. His best win during these years was in 1980, when he took his second WCT Finals by defeating the defending champion, John McEnroe.

Later years

In 1982, at age 30, Connors was back in the Wimbledon singles final, where he faced John McEnroe, who by then was established firmly as the world's top player. Connors recovered from being three points away from defeat in a fourth-set tie-break to win the match 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 and claim his second Wimbledon title, eight years after his first.

Connors then defeated another of the next generation of tennis stars, Ivan Lendl, in the US Open final and soon regained the World No. 1 ranking. He beat Lendl again in the 1983 US Open final.

Connors's last Grand Slam final came at Wimbledon in 1984, where again he faced McEnroe. This time, McEnroe won easily 6–1, 6–1, 6–2. Though beaten, Connors's competitive fire was undampened. Asked afterwards if he now admitted his rival was the better player, he simply replied, "Never."Fact|date=April 2008

A low point in Connors's career occurred on February 21, 1986, when he was defaulted in the fifth set of a semifinal match against Lendl at the Lipton International Players Championships in Boca Raton, Florida after being angered by the officiating. He paid a US$20,000 fine and accepted a ten-week suspension from the professional tour, starting March 30. He was forced to miss the French Open, marking the first time that any player had missed a Grand Slam tournament due to suspension.Fact|date=January 2008 He subsequently lost in the first round at Wimbledon and the third round at the US Open, a tournament where he had reached at least the semifinals for twelve consecutive years.

Connors gradually transformed himself into a respected elder of the tennis world in the later years of his career. He continued to compete forcefully against much younger men until he was well into his 41st year. In the fourth round of the 1987 Wimbledon Championships, Connors defeated Mikael Pernfors, ten years his junior, 1–6, 1–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6–2 after having trailed 4–1 in the third set and 3–0 in the fourth set. In July 1988, Connors ended a four-year title drought by winning the Sovran Bank Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C. It was the 106th title of his career. Connors had played in 56 tournaments and 12 finals since his previous victory in the Tokyo Indoors against Lendl in October 1984.

At the 1989 US Open, Connors defeated the third seed (and future two-time champion), Stefan Edberg, in straight sets in the fourth round and pushed sixth-seeded Andre Agassi to five sets in a quarterfinal. The defining moment of Connors's later career came in 1991. His career had seemed to be at an end in 1990, when he played only three tournament matches (and lost all three), dropping to No. 936 in the world rankings.

But after surgery on his deteriorating left wrist, he came back to play 14 tournaments in 1991. An ailing back forced him to retire from a five-sets match in the third round of the French Open against Michael Chang, the 1989 champion. But Connors made an improbable run to the US Open semifinals at the age of 39. On his birthday, he defeated 24-year-old Aaron Krickstein 3–6, 7–6(8), 1–6, 6–3, 7–6(4) in 4 hours and 41 minutes, coming back from a 2–5 deficit in the final set. Connors then was defeated in a semifinal by the reigning French Open champion, Jim Courier.

Connors won a record 109 men's singles titles.Fact|date=January 2008 He also won 15 doubles titles (including the men's doubles titles at Wimbledon in 1973 and the US Open in 1975).

Distinctions and honors

In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, ranked Connors as one of the 21 best players of all time. [ Kramer considered the best player ever to have been either Don Budge (for consistent play) or Ellsworth Vines (at the height of his game). The next four best were, chronologically, Bill Tilden, Fred Perry, Bobby Riggs, and Pancho Gonzales. After these six came the "second echelon" of Rod Laver, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Gottfried von Cramm, Ted Schroeder, Jack Crawford, Pancho Segura, Frank Sedgman, Tony Trabert, John Newcombe, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Björn Borg, and Jimmy Connors. He felt unable to rank Henri Cochet and René Lacoste accurately but felt they were among the very best.]

Connors played more tournaments (401) and won more matches (1,337) than any other male professional tennis player in the open era. His career win-loss record was 1,337-285 for a winning percentage of 82.4. [ [http://www.tennisfame.com/famer.aspx?pgID=867&hof_id=18 James Scott Connors] ]

Connors was the only player to win the US Open on three different surfaces: grass, clay, and hard. Connors was also the first male tennis player to win Grand Slam singles titles on three different surfaces: grass (1974), clay (1976), and hard (1978).

Connors was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998.

tyle of play

Larry Schwartz on ESPN.com said about Connors, "His biggest weapons were an indomitable spirit, a two-handed backhand and the best service return in the game. It is difficult to say which was more instrumental in Connors becoming a champion. ... Though smaller than most of his competitors, Connors didn't let it bother him, making up for a lack of size with determination." [http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014143.html ESPN] ] He refused to accept that he was beaten and gave everything on every point of every game, no matter how apparently hopeless the cause.Fact|date=January 2008 Of his own competitive nature Connors has said, " [T] here's always somebody out there who's willing to push it that extra inch, or mile, and that was me. (Laughter) I didn't care if it took me 30 minutes or five hours. If you beat me, you had to be the best, or the best you had that day. But that was my passion for the game. If I won, I won, and if I lost, well, I didn't take it so well."

His on-court antics, designed to get the crowd involved, both helped and hurt his play. He once said, "I want to bring the crowd into the match; in short, turn it into a football game."Fact|date=April 2008 Schwartz said, "While tennis fans enjoyed Connors' gritty style and his never-say-die attitude, they often were shocked by his antics. His sometimes vulgar on-court behavior -- like giving the finger to a linesman after disagreeing with a call or strutting about the court with the tennis racket handle between his legs; sometimes he would yank on the handle in a grotesque manner and his fans would go wild or groan in disapproval -- did not help his approval rating. During the early part of his career, Connors frequently argued with umpires, linesmen, the players union, Davis Cup officials and other players. He was even booed at Wimbledon -- a rare show of disapproval there -- for snubbing the Parade of Champions on the first day of the Centenary in 1977." His brash behavior both on and off the court earned him a reputation as the brat of the tennis world. Tennis commentator Bud Collins nicknamed Connors the "Brash Basher of Belleville" after the St Louis suburb where he grew up. [ [http://www.espnmediazone.com/press_releases/2007_08_aug/20070807_BudCollinsJoinsESPN.htm Bud Collins Joins ESPN] ] But Connors himself thrived on the energy of the crowd, positive or negative, and manipulated and exploited it to his advantage in many of the greatest matches of his career.

Connors was taught to hit the ball on the rise by his teaching-pro mother, a technique he used to defeat the opposition in the early years of his career. Hitting the ball on the rise enabled Connors to reflect the power and velocity of his opponents back at them. In the 1975 Wimbledon final, Arthur Ashe was the first to determine how to counter this strategy.Fact|date=April 2008 Ashe took the pace off the ball, giving Connors only soft junk shots (dinks, drop shots, and lobs) to hit.

Ashe and Jimbo did not get along. When Jimbo had three legs of the grand slam in hand, he was denied the opportunity to play the french open and sued Ashe, et al, due to Ashe's role in the ban. They settled out of court.

In an era where serve and volley was the norm, Bjorn Borg excepted, Connors was one of the few players to hit the ball flat, low, and predominantly from the baseline. Connors hit his forehand with a continental grip and with little net clearance. Some considered his forehand to be his greatest weakness, especially on extreme pressure points, as it lacked the safety margin of hard forehands hit with topspin. His serve, while accurate and capable, was never a great weapon for him as it did not reach the velocity and power of his opponents.

His lack of a dominating serve and net game, combined with his individualist style and maverick tendencies, meant that he was not as successful in doubles as he was in singles, although he did win Grand Slam titles with Ilie Nastase and Chris Evert and amassed 15 doubles titles during his career.

Racket evolution

At a time when most other tennis pros played with wooden rackets, Connors pioneered the Wilson T2000 steel racket, which utilized a method for stringing devised and patented by Lacoste in 1953. [ [http://www.itftennis.com/technical/equipment/rackets/history.asp Racket history] ] "The T2000 set the wood racquet traditionalists on their ears with its lightweight steel construction. It didn't need a racket-press (it didn't warp), and its slender framework meant less wind resistance." [http://80s-tennis.com/pages/jimmy-connors.html Jimmy Connors racquets] ]

He played with this chrome tubular steel racket until 1984, when most other pros had shifted to new racket technologies, materials, and designs. The T2000 in the eighties "had the aura of a dinosaur - it had been introduced in 1968."

In 1984, Connors switched to the new Wilson ProStaff that had been designed especially for him. But 1985 again found Connors playing with the T2000. Not until 1987 did he finally switch to a graphite racket when he contracted with Slazenger to play their Panther Pro Ceramic. In 1990 Connors signed with Estusa..

Connors experimented with lead tape which he would wind around the racquet head to provide the proper "feel" for his style of game.

Commenting

Connors commentates for the BBC during Wimbledon. This often coincides with John McEnroe's own stints as an analyst and commentator, often leading to much banter between the two former arch-rivals.

Coaching

On July 24, 2006, at the start of the Countrywide Classic tournament in Los Angeles, American tennis player Andy Roddick formally announced his partnership with Connors as his coach. On March 6, 2008, Roddick announced the end of that 19-month relationship.

Personal life

Connors and Chris Evert had planned to marry in October 1973, but it was called off.

In 1980, Connors married "Playboy" model Patti McGuire. They have two children and live in the Santa Barbara, California area.

In the spring of 2006, Connors had successful hip-replacement surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. [http://www.jimmysnewhip.com/JimmyConnors/JimmysHip.asp]

On January 8, 2007, Connors's mother and long-time coach, Gloria, died at the age of 82. [cite web |title=Gloria Connors, 82; son inherited passion for tennis |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2007/01/14/gloria_connors_82_son_inherited_passion_for_tennis/ |date=2007-01-14 | author=Associated Press |publisher=Boston Globe |accessdate=2008-07-06]

Grand Slam singles finals

Wins (8)

Runner-up (1)

won 236/lost 50NH = tournament not held.

A = did not participate in the tournament.

SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

Career singles titles (147) and runner-ups (54)

" 106 titles are registered in the ATP Web site, 3 titles in the ATP Players' Guide, and 30 are not listed in any ATP Statistics"

Singles titles listed by the Association of Tennis Professionals--ATP (109), 107 in the Web site and 2 others in the Players' Guide

* * ATP Web site non-listed tournaments

Other (non-ATP, exhibition/invitational and special events) singles titles - draw less than eight players (14)

References

ee also

*Tennis male players statistics
*World number one male tennis player rankings

Further reading

*cite book |author=Busch, Diane; Busch, Jim |title=Jimmy Connors, A Biography: Eye of the Tiger |publisher=Dorrance Publishing |location=Pittsburgh, Penn |year=1998 |pages= |isbn=0-8059-4434-6 |oclc= |doi=
*cite book |author=Sabin, Francene |title=Jimmy Connors, King of the Courts |publisher=Putnam |location=New York |year=1978 |pages= |isbn=0-399-61115-0 |oclc= |doi=

Video

*"Charlie Rose with Jimmy Connors (August 7, 1995)" Studio: Charlie Rose, DVD Release Date: October 5, 2006, ASIN: B000JCF3S8
*"BIOGRAPHY: Jimmy Connors DVD" [http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=76356&name=Jimmy+Connors+DVD A&E] 2002.
*"JIMMY CONNORS PRESENTS TENNIS FUNDAMENTALS: Comprehensive", Starring: Jimmy Connors; Chris Evert, Foundation Sports, DVD Release Date: May 1, 2006, Run Time: 172 minutes, ASIN: B000FVQWCY.
*"Wimbledon 1975 Final: Ashe vs. Connors" Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: October 30, 2007, Run Time: 120 minutes, ASIN: B000V02CTQ.

External links

*ATP|id=C044
*ITF male profile|number=10000289
*DavisCupplayerlink|id=10000289
* [http://www.tennisfame.com/famer.aspx?pgID=867&hof_id=18 International Tennis Hall of Fame profile]
* [http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/about/history/jimmy_connors.html Official Wimbledon website profile]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/2966926.stm BBC profile]