Anyone who is a fan of Tennis probably knows this name. Although there are many different Tennis Champions from all corners of the world. Today’s Tennis world says that well enough. However, there is plenty of glory in the sport, especially in the legends of the past.
Whether you just fancy yourself good tennis betting odds, or if you’re a hardcore fan who simply cannot get enough of the sport, it is well worth noting the name Jimmy Connors in your book of legends who made the game.
Jimmy Connors was not just a good player, he had a history behind him, and in the sport he set many bars high for his successors who we see playing the courts today.
So, who was this legend of a sportsman?
Who Was Jimmy Connors?
Jimmy Connors was an American professional tennis player. He turned pro in 1972, but he had been playing long before then. He retired from the sport in 1996, but he still retained much fame in the sport.
He still does today.
He holds many career records and titles in the Singles, Grand Slam, and many other tournaments.
He was a sport in Illinois, but lives in Santa Barbara. In total Connors earned over $8,000,000 in prize money over the span of his career.
From 1974 to 1977 he ranked for 160 consecutive weeks and a career total of 268 weeks.
He still holds 3 very potent Open Era singles records, they are 109 titles, 1,557 matches played, and wins of 1,274!
He was quite the player, and his fame on the court stands today, with many of the best players trying every year to beat one of his records and dance sky-high above the legendary player.
“Raised By Women To Conquer Men”
Many note Jimmy Connors as being a man raised by women to conquer men. He was cosseted by his grandmother, and coached by his mother, he became a legend in tennis this way.
He was his grandmother’s favorite, and who can blame her, but you could see that her favoritism of him fed and fuelled his fame on the courts. There is no doubt and no pain from defeat with Nanna still loves you like the champ you are.
These two women in his life promised him the whole universe, and when he joined the sport professionally in 1974 he certainly got that. He was only a young 21-year-old man, but he was already a champion.
He easily took the Wimbledon finals, only having lost 6 games. He was a conqueror, cheered on by the women in his life.
He never just ‘won’, he absolutely decimated his opposition, laying them to waste like the Romans conquered Europe.
Players often feared going up against Connors, and there is no surprise there, would you want to go up against this Tennis playing tank of a man?
What made him even more feared was that the better his opposition was, the better he became, he was like a sponge, soaking up the competition and with every loss he became stronger. He was a Tennis Tank!
After 1972
1974 was when he really shone, he won 3 Grand Slam tournaments including; the Australian Open, the U.S. Open, and Wimbledon. However, he was barred from the French Open. He sued the Association of Tennis Professionals.
He concluded that they had excluded him from the event, however, he dropped this after he lost to Ashe in the 1975 Championship at Wimbledon.
However, later on in 1976 and 1978, he won in the U.S. Singles against Bjorn Borg, and defeated Ivan Lendl in ‘82 and ‘83.
He won the indoor championship 5 times over in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979.
He kept on winning, these are only some of his most epic wins. Let us not forget that he was a member of the U.S. Davis Cup team in 1976, 1981, and also in ‘84.
For a full decade he was a force to be reckoned with in Tennis, and there was absolutely no doubting his skill and those who helped to carry him there. However, nothing lasts forever.
Success Is Not Forever
Even Connors seemingly endless success was not immortal, and even though he did exceedingly well throughout the 70s and much of the 80s, he did eventually start to falter.
He failed to win a major single championship after the 1983 U.S. Open.
However, in spite of this he carried on playing into the 90s.
His left wrist (his racket hand), was ailed, and this made it all a lot harder for him. Any injury is bad, but when it is in your racket arm, you have problems, and Connors did.
He dropped below 900 in the rankings, but after he had surgery, he returned to the U.S. Open semifinals in ‘91, and won a dramatic match against Krickstein.
Later he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998, but he left the game in ‘96.
In spite of this he kept active, becoming a commentator of the sport. As all legends should.
