Jimmy Connors
Tour Finals W (1977) | | |
WCT Finals | W (1977, 1980) | |
---|---|---|
Doubles | ||
Career record | 174–78 (68.9%)[a] | |
Career titles | 16 | |
Grand Slam doubles results | ||
Australian Open | 3R (1974) | |
French Open | F (1973) | |
Wimbledon | W (1973) | |
US Open | W (1975) | |
Team competitions | ||
Davis Cup | W (1981) | |
Coaching career (2006–2015) | ||
|
James Scott Connors (born September 2, 1952),
Career
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2024) |
Early years
Connors grew up in
Connors won the
He turned professional in 1972 and won his first tournament, the Jacksonville Open. Connors was acquiring a reputation as a maverick 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, in order to play in and dominate a series of smaller tournaments organized by Bill Riordan, his manager. However, Connors played in other tournaments and won the 1973 U.S. Pro Singles, his first significant title, defeating Arthur Ashe in a five-set final, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2.
Peak years
Connors won eight Grand Slam singles championships: five
and in the other four years chose not to participate. He played in only two Australian Opens in his entire career, winning it in 1974 and reaching the final in 1975. Few highly ranked players, aside from Australians, travelled to Australia for that event up until the mid-1980s.Connors is one of thirteen men to win three or more major singles titles in a calendar year. Connors reached the final of the US Open in five straight years from 1974 through 1978, winning three times with each win being on a different surface (1974 on grass, 1976 on clay and 1978 on hard). He reached the final of Wimbledon four out of five years during his peak (1974, 1975, 1977 and 1978). Despite not being allowed to play or choosing not to participate in the French Open from 1974 to 1978, he was still able to reach the semifinals four times in the later years of his career.
In 1974, Connors was the dominant player. He had a 99–4 record that year and won 15 tournaments of the 21 he entered, including three of the four Grand Slam singles titles. As noted, the
In 1975, Connors reached the finals of Wimbledon, the US Open and Australia, but he did not win any of them, although his loss to John Newcombe was close as Connors lost 9–7 in a fourth set tiebreak. He won nine of the tournaments he entered achieving an 82–8 record. While he earned enough points to retain the ATP No. 1 ranking the entire year and was ranked number one by Rino Tommasi,[11] all other tennis authorities, including the ATP, named Arthur Ashe, who solidly defeated Connors at Wimbledon, as the Player of the Year. He once again did not participate in the Masters Cup or the WCT Finals.
In 1976, Connors captured the US Open once again (defeating Björn Borg) while losing in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. While winning 12 events, including the U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia, Palm Springs and Las Vegas, he achieved a record of 90–8 and defeated Borg all four times they played. He was ranked No. 1 by the ATP for the entire year and was ranked number one by World Tennis,[16] Tennis Magazine (U.S.),[17] Bud Collins,[18] Lance Tingay,[15] John Barrett,[19] and Tommasi.[11] The ATP named Björn Borg as its player of the year.
In 1977, an injured Connors lost in the Wimbledon finals to Borg 6–4 in the fifth set and in the US Open finals to Guillermo Vilas, but Connors captured both the Masters, beating Borg, and the WCT Finals. While holding onto the ATP No. 1 ranking, World Tennis Magazine and most tennis authorities ranked Borg or Vilas No. 1 with Connors rated as No. 3 behind Borg.
In 1978, Borg defeated Connors in the Wimbledon final, but Connors defeated Borg at the US Open (played on hard court for the inaugural time) with both of their victories being dominating. Connors also won the U.S. Pro Indoor. While he retained the ATP No. 1 ranking at the end of the year, the ATP and most tennis authorities rated Borg, who also won the French Open, as the player of the year.
Connors reached the ATP world No. 1 ranking on July 29, 1974, and held it for 160 consecutive weeks, a record until it was surpassed by Roger Federer on February 26, 2007. He was the ATP year-end no. 1 player from 1974 through 1978 and held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 268 weeks during his career. Connors relinquished his initial grip (160 weeks) on the No. 1 ranking for only one week, from August 23 to 30, 1977, before resuming as No 1 for another 84 weeks.[20]
In 1979 through 1981, Connors generally reached the semi-finals of the three top Grand Slam events and the Masters each year, but he did win the WCT Finals in 1980. He was generally ranked third in the world those years.
In 1982, Connors experienced a resurgence as he defeated John McEnroe in five close sets to win Wimbledon and Ivan Lendl to win the US Open after which he reclaimed the ATP No. 1 ranking. He also reached the semi-final of the Masters Cup and won five other tournaments. After trading the No. 1 ranking back and forth with McEnroe, he finished the year ranked No. 2 in points earned, but he was named Player of the Year by the ATP and was ITF World Champion due to his victories at Wimbledon and the US Open.
In 1983, Connors, McEnroe and Lendl traded the No. 1 ranking several times with Connors winning the US Open for a record fifth time (beating Lendl in the final) and finishing the year as the No. 3 ranked player.
Contemporaries and rivalries
Prominent contemporary players with Connors included
Björn Borg
During his best years of 1974 through 1978, Connors was challenged the most by Borg, with twelve matches on tour during that time frame. Borg won only four of those meetings, but two of those wins were in the Wimbledon finals of 1977 and 1978. Connors lost his stranglehold on the top ranking to Borg in early 1979 and wound up with an official tour record of 8–15 against Borg as Borg is four years younger and won the last ten times they met. Head to head in major championship finals, they split their four meetings, Borg winning two Wimbledons (1977 & 1978) and Connors winning two US Opens (1976 & 1978).
Ilie Năstase
Nastase was another rival in Connors's prime. Though six years older than Connors, Nastase won ten of their first eleven meetings. However, Connors won 11 of their final 14 meetings. The two would team up to win the doubles championships at the 1973 Wimbledon and the 1975 US Open.
Manuel Orantes and Guillermo Vilas
Orantes upset Connors in the final of the 1975 US Open, but Connors was 11–3 overall against Orantes in tour events. On the other hand, Vilas wore down Connors in the final of the 1977 US Open and was much more competitive in all of their meetings. Connors was able to manage only a 5–4 record against Vilas in tour events.
Rod Laver and John Newcombe
In 1975, Connors won two highly touted "Challenge Matches", both arranged by the Riordan company and televised nationally by
Connors played Newcombe in four tour events, with Newcombe winning the first two meetings on grass (1973 US Open quarterfinal and 1975 Australian Open final) and Connors winning the last two on hard courts (1978 Sydney Indoor quarterfinal and 1979 Hong Kong round of 16). Connors won all three meetings with Rod Laver in tour events.
Later years
In 1984 Connors had made both the finals of Wimbledon and the WCT finals with semifinal appearances at the French Open, the US Open, and the Masters Cup. He finished the year as the No. 2 ranked player after McEnroe. In 1985 he made the semi-finals of the big 4 four events and finished number No. 4 for the year, a ranking he would again obtain in 1987 at the age of 35.
Connors had shining moments against John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl, both of whom rose to prominence after Connors peaked in the mid-1970s. He would continue to compete against much younger players and had one of the most remarkable comebacks for any athlete when he reached the semifinals of the 1991 US Open at the age of 39.
John McEnroe
In the 1980 WCT Finals, Connors defeated the defending champion, John McEnroe. In 1982, at age 29, Connors was back in the Wimbledon singles final, where he faced 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 (at 3–4) to win the match, 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, and claimed his second Wimbledon title, eight years after his first.
Although Connors's tour record against McEnroe was 14–20, McEnroe is 6½ years younger than Connors and had a losing record against Connors until he won 12 out of their last 14 meetings. Head to head in major championship finals, they split their two meetings, Connors winning the 1982 Wimbledon in five sets, and McEnroe winning the 1984 Wimbledon in straight sets. McEnroe won six of their nine meetings in Grand Slam events.
Ivan Lendl
Connors defeated another of the next generation of tennis stars, Ivan Lendl, in the 1982 US Open final and soon regained the No. 1 ranking. Connors had a tour record of 13–22 against Lendl, but Lendl is eight years younger than Connors and had a losing record against Connors until he won their last 17 matches from 1984 through 1992, after Connors's prime. Head to head in major championship finals, Connors defeated Lendl in both meetings, winning the 1982 and 1983 US Open.
Other matches
Connors continued to compete against younger men 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 lost 11 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.
His career 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. However, 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. Connors walked off the court after hitting a service-return winner against Chang on the first point of the fifth set, having just levelled the match by winning the fourth.
Connors recuperated and made an improbable run to the 1991 US Open semifinals which he later said were "the best 11 days of my tennis career".[21] On his 39th birthday he defeated 24-year-old Aaron Krickstein, 3–6, 7–6, 1–6, 6–3, 7–6, in 4 hours and 41 minutes, coming back from a 2–5 deficit in the final set. Connors then defeated Paul Haarhuis in the quarterfinals before losing to Jim Courier. 22 years later ESPN aired a documentary commemorating Connors's run.[22]
Connors participated in his last major tournament, in the 1992 US Open, where he beat Jaime Oncins, 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 in the first round, before losing to Lendl (then ranked No. 7), 6–3, 3–6, 2–6, 0–6 in the second round.
In September 1992, Connors played
However, this would not be the end of his playing career. As late as June 1995, three months shy of his 43rd birthday Connors beat Sébastien Lareau, 6–4, 7–6, and Martin Sinner, 7–6, 6–0, to progress to the quarterfinals of the Halle event in Germany. Connors lost this quarterfinal, 6–7, 3–6 to Marc Rosset. Connors's last match on the main ATP tour came in April 1996, when he lost, 2–6, 6–3, 1–6, to Richey Reneberg in Atlanta.[23]
Maverick
In 1974, Connors and Riordan began filing lawsuits, amounting to $10 million, against the ATP and its president,
At Wimbledon in 1977, he declined to participate in a parade of former champions to celebrate the tournament's centenary, choosing instead to practice in the grounds with Ilie Nastase while the parade took place. In 2000, he also declined to join a gathering of 58 former champions held to mark the millennium. In his 2013 autobiography, Connors blamed his missing the 1977 parade on the All England Club for not letting his doctor onto the grounds so that Connors could try on a customized splint for a thumb injury. Connors explained that this necessitated his rushing to meet the doctor at the entrance to the grounds, and then convincing Nastase to help him try out the splint on a practice court. By Connors's account, he then rushed to Centre Court for the parade, but was too late. Reaching the 1977 final, he lost in five sets to Björn Borg, who a month later was able briefly to interrupt Connors's long hold on the world No. 1 ranking.[citation needed]
Connors also irritated sponsors and tennis officials by shunning the end-of-year
Distinctions and honors
Connors is often considered among the greatest tennis players in the history of the sport.[24] Connors won a male record 109 singles titles.[25] He also won 16 doubles titles (including the men's doubles titles at Wimbledon in 1973 and the US Open in 1975). Connors has won more matches (1,274) than any other male professional tennis player in the open era. His career win–loss record was 1,274–282 for a winning percentage of 82.4.[26] He played 401 tournaments, a record until Fabrice Santoro overtook it in 2008.[27]
In Grand Slam Singles events, Connors reached the semifinals or better a total of 31 times and the quarterfinals or better a total of 41 times, despite entering the Australian Open Men's Singles only twice and not entering the French Open Men's Singles for five of his peak career years. The 31 semifinals stood as a record until surpassed by Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2012. The 41 quarterfinals remained a record until Roger Federer surpassed it at Wimbledon 2014. Connors was the only player to win the
Connors was inducted into the
Playing style
In the modern era of power tennis, Connors's style of play has often been cited as highly influential, especially in the development of the flat backhand. 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."[30] 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."[2]
His on-court antics, designed to get the crowd involved, both helped and hurt his play. Schwartz said, "While tennis fans enjoyed Connors's 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,
Connors was taught to hit the ball on the rise by his teaching-pro mother, Gloria Connors, a technique he used to defeat the opposition in the early years of his career. Gloria sent her son to Southern California to work with
In an era when the
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 Năstase, reached a final with Chris Evert, and accumulated 16 doubles titles during his career.
Racket evolution
At a time when most other tennis pros played with wooden rackets, Connors used the "Wilson T2000" steel racket, which utilized a method for stringing that had been devised and patented by Lacoste in 1953.[34][35] He played with this chrome tubular steel racket until 1984, when most other pros had shifted to new racket technologies, materials, and designs.[35]
At the
Connors used lead tape which he would wind around the racket head to provide the proper "feel" for his style of game.
Commentating
Connors did commentary with
Coaching
On July 24, 2006, at the start of the
In July 2013 former women's world No. 1 Maria Sharapova announced on her website that Connors was her new coach. On August 15, 2013, Sharapova confirmed that she had ended the partnership with Connors after just one match together.
Author
In 2013, Connors published his autobiography The Outsider. It won the British Sports Book Awards in the "Best Autobiography/Biography" category.[38]
Personal life
Connors was engaged to fellow tennis pro
Former Miss World Marjorie Wallace was engaged to Connors from 1976 to 1977, but in 1979 Connors married Playboy model Patti McGuire. They have two children, son Brett and daughter Aubree, and live in the Santa Barbara, California, area.[42][43]
In the fall of 1988, Connors auditioned to host the NBC daytime version of
In the 1990s, he joined his brother John as an investor in the
In October 2005, Connors had successful hip-replacement surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.[49]
On January 8, 2007, Connors' mother Gloria died at age 82.[50]
On November 21, 2008, Connors was arrested outside an NCAA basketball game between the
On July 24, 2018, LiveWire Ergogenics, Inc. announced that Connors joined the firm as a spokesman and advisor. The company focuses on special purpose real estate acquisitions and the licensing and management of fully compliant turnkey production facilities for cannabis-based products and services.[54]
In December 2019, Connors appeared as himself on season 18 episode 9 of Family Guy titled Christmas is Coming.[55]
Career statistics
Singles performance timeline
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Tournament | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | SR | W–L | Win % | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | W | F | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1 / 2 | 11–1[56] | 91.67 | ||||
French Open | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | SF | SF | QF | QF | QF | SF | SF | A | QF | A | 2R | A | 3R | 1R | 0 / 13 | 40–13 | 75.47 | ||||
Wimbledon
|
A | A | A | QF | QF | W | F | QF | F | F | SF | SF | SF | W | 4R | F | SF | 1R | SF | 4R | 2R | A | 3R | 1R | 2 / 20 | 84–18 | 82.35 | ||||
US Open | LQ | 1R | 2R | 1R | QF | W | F | W | F | W | SF | SF | SF | W | W | SF | SF | 3R | SF | QF | QF | A | SF | 2R | 5 / 22 | 98–17 | 85.22 | ||||
W–L | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 5–3 | 8–3 | 20–0 | 17–3 | 11–1 | 12–2 | 13–1 | 15–3 | 15–3 | 14–3 | 18–1 | 14–2 | 16–3 | 15–3 | 2–2 | 14–3 | 7–2 | 6–3 | 0–0 | 9–3 | 1–3 | 8 / 57 | 233–49 | 82.62 | ||||
Year-end championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Masters Cup
|
SF | SF | W | RR | SF | SF | RR | SF | SF | SF | RR | 1 / 11 | 18–17 | 51.43 | |||||||||||||||||
WCT Finals | W | RR | W | F | SF | 2 / 5 | 10–3 | 76.92 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
W–L | 2–2 | 2–2 | 7–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 6–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 3 / 16 | 28–20 | 58.33 | ||||||||||||||||
Ranking | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 936 | 49 | 84 | $ 8,641,040 |
- Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December. Connors did not play these tournaments.
Records
- These records were attained in Open Eraof tennis.
- Combined tours included Association of Tennis Professionals, Grand Prix Circuit, World Championship Tennis.
- Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
Time span | Selected Grand Slam tournament records | Players matched |
---|---|---|
1974 | 100% (20–0) match winning percentage in 1 season | Rod Laver |
1972 Wimbledon — 1991 Wimbledon |
107 grass court match wins | Stands alone |
1974–1985 | 12 consecutive years with match winning percentage of 80%+ | Stands alone |
1974 US Open | Shortest final (by duration and number of games) vs. Ken Rosewall[b][57] | Stands alone |
Grand Slam tournaments | Time span | Records at each Grand Slam tournament | Players matched | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | 1974 | Won title on the first attempt | Roscoe Tanner Vitas Gerulaitis Johan Kriek Andre Agassi |
|
US Open | 1974–1983 | 5 titles overall | Pete Sampras Roger Federer |
[58] |
1974 (grass) 1976 (clay) 1978 (hard) |
3 titles on 3 different surfaces | Stands alone | [59] | |
1974–1985 | 12 consecutive semifinals | Stands alone | [60] | |
1974–1991 | 14 semifinals | Stands alone | ||
1973–1985 | 13 consecutive quarterfinals | Stands alone | ||
1973–1991 | 17 quarterfinals | Stands alone | ||
1971–1992 | 98 match wins | Stands alone | [60] | |
1970–1992 | 115 matches played | Stands alone | [60] | |
1970–1992 | 22 tournaments played | Stands alone | [60] |
Time span | Other selected records | Players matched |
---|---|---|
1972–1989 | 109 career titles[59] | Stands alone |
1972–1989 | 48 WCT titles | Stands alone |
1971–1989 | 164 career finals | Stands alone |
1970–1995 | 1274 career matches won[61] | Stands alone |
1970–1996 | 1557 career matches played | Stands alone |
1973 | 9 hard court titles in 1 season | Roger Federer |
1974 | 4 grass court titles in 1 season | Stands alone |
1972–1989 | 53 career indoor titles | Stands alone |
1972–1989 | 79 career indoor finals | Stands alone [62] |
1972–1984 | 45 carpet court titles | Stands alone |
1970–1993 | 486 indoor match wins | Stands alone |
1970–1991 | 392 carpet court match wins | Stands alone |
1973–1984 | 12 consecutive years with match winning percentage of 80%+ | Stands alone |
1972–1980 | 9 consecutive years winning 5+ titles | Stands alone |
1972–1984 | 13 consecutive years winning 4+ titles | Stands alone |
1973–1978 | 4 years winning 10+ titles | Ivan Lendl |
1974–1975 | 2 winning streaks of 35+ matches | Björn Borg Roger Federer |
1974 | 44 consecutive sets won | Stands alone |
1975–1978 | 3 calendar years as wire-to-wire No. 1 | Roger Federer |
1973–1984 | Ended 12 consecutive years ranked inside the top 3 | Stands alone |
1973–1986 | 651 consecutive weeks ranked inside the top 4 | Stands alone |
1973–1986 | 659 consecutive weeks ranked inside the top 5 | Stands alone |
1976–1980 | 4 U.S. Pro Indoor singles titles | Rod Laver John McEnroe Pete Sampras |
1973–1984 | 4 Los Angeles Open singles titles | Andre Agassi Roy Emerson Frank Parker |
Professional awards
- ITF World Champion: 1982
- ATP Player of the Year: 1974, 1982
- ATP Comeback Player of the Year: 1991
See also
- ATP World Tour records
- Connors–McEnroe rivalry
- List of open era tennis records
- List of Grand Slam related tennis records
- Tennis male players statistics
- Tennis records of All Time – Men's singles
- Tennis records of the Open Era – Men's singles
- World number one male tennis player rankings
Notes
References
- ^ "Jimmy Connors". atpworldtour.com. ATP Tour. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ a b "Holding Court". Vogue. August 1, 2007. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
- ^ a b Frank Deford (August 28, 1978). "Raised by women to conquer men". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
- ^ Caroline Seebohm: Little Pancho (2009)
- ISBN 978-0-362-00217-1.
- ^ "Connors, Goolagong 'Can't Play'". The Palm Beach Post. May 22, 1974.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Singles ranking 1974.12.20". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ "Statesman Journal (Salem), 25 February 1975". newspapers.com. February 25, 1975. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ The Times (London), January 3, 1975, p. 6
- ^ "Hartford Courant, 16 December 1974". newspapers.com. December 16, 1974. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c Almanacco illustrato del tennis 1989, Edizioni Panini, p.694
- Fort Lauderdale News. December 18, 1975. p. 73. Archivedfrom the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ Collins & Hollander (1997), p. 651
- ISBN 9782092864388.
- ^ ISBN 9780002183550.
- ^ "Jimmy Back on Top". The Tampa Times. December 15, 1976. p. 22. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ "The Vancouver Sun, 17 December 1976". newspapers.com. December 17, 1976. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Collins & Hollander (1997), p. 652
- ^ The Financial Times
- ^ "ATP Singles Rankings". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ^ "Jimmy Connors faces Aaron Krickstein in reunion match". USA Today. February 10, 2015. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ a b ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary This is What They Want Archived July 15, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ATP World Tour, Official Website. Player Information Jimmy Connors. Main Website http://www.atpworldtour.com/ Archived August 24, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Tennis magazine ranked Connors the third best male player of the period 1965–2005.
- ^ James Scott Connors- International Hall of Fame Archived November 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Fighter's mentality made him the best". Los Angeles Times. September 26, 1993. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ James Scott Connors Archived November 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees". St. Louis Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ^ "The Miami Herald, 25 April 1983". newspapers.com. April 25, 1983. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ a b "ESPN: Connors conquered with intensity". go.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
- ^ Bud Collins Joins ESPN Archived March 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Oddo, Chris. "Connors has no apologies, for his career or book". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ "Excerpts from How to Play Tougher Tennis by Jimmy Connors: QuickSports Tennis". quickfound.net. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
- ^ "Racket history". itftennis.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Jimmy Connors (USA) 80s-tennis.com". 80s-tennis.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
- ISBN 0-00-218122-3.
- ^ Ex-Tennis Great Jimmy Connors to Work for Tennis Channel Archived January 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine SI.com, January 28, 2009
- ^ "British Sports Book Awards 2014". British Sports Book Awards. May 21, 2014. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-593-06927-1.
- ^ Jimmy, Connors (May 10, 2013). "Today Show Interview". NBC News Today Show. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ^ Chase, Chris (May 2, 2013). "Jimmy Connors implies Chris Evert was pregnant with his child". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ^ "Connors still swaggering after all these years". The Guardian. June 21, 2006. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ "'Lovebird Double' who ruled Wimbledon", The Independent (London), June 19, 2004. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ E! True Hollywood Story: Wheel of Fortune. (television program) E! Network, 2005.
- ^ Griffin, Merv. Merv: Making the Good Life Last. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003, page 103.
- ^ "History of Argosy Gaming Company – International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 21. St. James Press, 1998". fundinguniverse.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ^ "Alystra to rise again? – Las Vegas Business Press – January 29, 2007". Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
- ^ Mike Trask (May 17, 2008). "Fire settles casino's fate for good". LasVegasSun.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
- ^ "Wright Medical Group, Inc. Teams Up With Jimmy Connors for Dynamic Patient Education Outreach Program". Business Wire. August 14, 2006. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ "Gloria Connors, 82; son inherited passion for tennis". Boston Globe. Associated Press. January 14, 2007. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Tennis great Jimmy Connors arrested". CNN. November 22, 2008. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ Jimmy Connors Cleared! Archived February 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine TMZ.com, February 10, 2009
- ^ "Charges dropped against tennis great Connors". February 12, 2009. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
- ^ "LiveWire Ergogenics Welcomes Legendary Tennis Champion Jimmy Connors as Spokesman and Advisor". Globenewswire.com (Press release). July 24, 2018. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ "'I Had to Be in a Cartoon?'- American Tennis Legend 'Jimbo' Reveals Intricate Details About His 'Orgasmic' Christmas Special in 'Family Guy'". EssentiallySports. December 25, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ "Australian Open Draws". Archived from the original on January 29, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
- ^ a b "Year by Year – History – 1974". US Open. Archived from the original on June 2, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
- ^ "US Open Most Championship Titles Record Book" (PDF). US Open. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 13, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ a b Wancke, Henry. "Wimbledon Legends – Jimmy Connors". Wimbledon.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "US Open Singles Record Book" (PDF). US Open. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ "Tribute: Federer Records 1200th Match Win In Madrid". ATP Tour. May 9, 2019. Archived from the original on July 26, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- ^ Garcia, Gabriel. "Record: Most Finals Indoor Open Era". app.thetennisbase.com. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-1578590001.
- Sabin, Francene (1978). Jimmy Connors, King of the Courts. New York: Putnam. ISBN 0-399-61115-0.
- Henderson Jr., Douglas (2010). Endeavor to Persevere: A Memoir on Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe, Tennis and Life. Untreed Reads. ISBN 978-1-61187-039-8.
- Seebohm, Caroline, (2009), Little Pancho
Video
- Charlie Rose with Jimmy Connors (August 7, 1995) Studio: Charlie Rose, DVD Release Date: October 5, 2006, ASIN: B000JCF3S8
- Biography: Jimmy Connors DVD A&E[permanent dead link] 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.