Jimmy Connors
 | |
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | East St. Louis, Illinois |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) |
| Turned pro | 1972, international debut in 1970 |
| Retired | 1996 |
| Plays | Left-handed; two-handed backhand |
| Prize money | US$8,641,040 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1225–272 (81.8%) |
| Career titles | 139 including 109 listed by the ATP Players' Guide |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (July 29, 1974) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1974) |
| French Open | SF (1979–80, 1984–85) |
| Wimbledon | W (1974, 1982) |
| US Open | W (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982–1983) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 173–78 (68.9%) |
| Career titles | 15 |
| Highest ranking | No. 370 (March 1, 1993) |
| Last updated on: August 28, 2007. | |
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors (born September 2, 1952, in East St. Louis, Illinois, also known as "Jimbo"[1]) 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 U.S. Open. He is considered to be one of the top male tennis players of all time.[2] He is a former coach of Andy Roddick, the winner of the 2003 U.S. Open.
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 also won his first international tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, as an amateur. He turned professional in 1972 and won the Jacksonville tournament again.
Maverick
Connors acquired 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. 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 U.S. 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 26 February 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. Open final and soon regained the World No. 1 ranking. He beat Lendl again in the 1983 U.S. 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."[citation needed]
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-weeks 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.[citation needed] He subsequently lost in the first round at Wimbledon and the third round at the U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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.[citation needed] He also won 15 doubles titles (including the men's doubles titles at Wimbledon in 1973 and the U.S. Open in 1975).
Career assessment 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.[3]
Connors played more tournaments (401) and won more matches (1,337) than any other male professional tennis player. His career win-loss record was 1,337-285 for a winning percentage of 82.4.[4]
Connors was the only player to win the U.S. 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.
Style 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."[5] He refused to accept that he was beaten and gave everything on every point of every game, no matter how apparently hopeless the cause.[citation needed] 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."[6]
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."[citation needed] 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 -- 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."[7] 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.[8] 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.[citation needed] Ashe took the pace off the ball, giving Connors only soft junk shots (dinks, drop shots, and lobs) to hit.
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.[9] "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."[10]
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."[11]
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.[12].
Commentating
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.[13]
On January 8, 2007, the mother and long-time coach of Connors died at the age of 82.[14]
Grand Slam singles finals
Wins (8)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1974 | Australian Open |  Phil Dent |
7–6, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 1974 | Wimbledon | Ken Rosewall |
6–1, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 1974 | U.S. Open | Ken Rosewall |
6–1, 6–0, 6–1 |
| 1976 | U.S. Open (2) |  Björn Borg |
6–4, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 |
| 1978 | U.S. Open (3) | Björn Borg |
6–4, 6–2, 6–2 |
| 1982 | Wimbledon (2) |  John McEnroe |
3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 |
| 1982 | U.S. Open (4) |  Ivan Lendl |
6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4 |
| 1983 | U.S. Open (5) | Ivan Lendl |
6–3, 6–7, 7–5, 6–0 |
Runner-ups (7)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1975 | Australian Open | John Newcombe |
7–5, 3–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
| 1975 | Wimbledon | Arthur Ashe |
6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4 |
| 1975 | U.S. Open |  Manuel Orantes |
6–4, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 1977 | Wimbledon (2) | Björn Borg |
3–6, 6–2, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4 |
| 1977 | U.S. Open (2) |  Guillermo Vilas |
2–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–0 |
| 1978 | Wimbledon (3) | Björn Borg |
6–2, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 1984 | Wimbledon (4) | John McEnroe |
6–1, 6–1, 6–2 |
Grand Slam men's doubles finals (3)
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1973 | Wimbledon |  Ilie Năstase |
John Cooper Neale Fraser |
3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 8–9 (3), 6–1 |
| 1975 | U.S. Open | Ilie Năstase |
 Tom Okker Marty Riessen |
6–4, 7–6 |
Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1973 | French Open | Ilie Năstase |
John Newcombe Tom Okker |
6–1, 3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 |
Grand Slam mixed doubles final (1)
Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1974 | U.S. Open | Chris Evert |
Pam Teeguarden Geoff Masters |
6–1, 7–6 |
Grand Slam results
Singles record
- 1222-269 (record of ATP events Singles wins) #1 most all-time in ATP Wins (= 81,96%, highest winning percentage of all players more than 1000 games played).[citation needed]
Career singles titles (139) and runner-ups (54)
105 titles are registered in the ATP Web site, 4 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), 105 in the Web site and 4 others in the Players' Guide
- * ATP Web site non-listed tournaments
Singles runner-ups (54), only 49 are listed by the Association of Tennis Professionals
- * - ATP non-listed tournaments
- ** - Four-men invitational tournament not bringing ATP-ranking points, usually considered exhibition, and not counted as official by the ATP but so-called "Pepsi Grand Slam" is in ATP statistic included in the titles and runner-up listings (it was an ITF tournament)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 1971 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | Tom Gorman
|
6–7, 7–6, 4–6, 7–6, 6–3 |
| 2. | 1971 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Richard Pancho Gonzales
|
3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 3. | 1972 | Baltimore, U.S. | Hard | Ilie Năstase
|
1–6, 6–4, 7–6 |
| 4. | 1972 | Washington D.C., U.S. | Carpet | Stan Smith
|
4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 4–6, 6–1 |
| 5. | 1972 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Clay |  Bob Hewitt
|
7–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
| 6. | 1973 | Omaha, U.S. | Hard (i) | Ilie Năstase
|
5–0, ret. |
| 7. | 1973 | Bretton Woods, U.S. | Clay |  Vijay Amritraj
|
7–5, 2–6, 7–5 |
| 8. | 1974 | Omaha, U.S. | Other |  Karl Meiler
|
6–3, 1–6, 6–3 |
| 9. | 1974 | South Orange, U.S. | Hard |  Alex Metreveli
|
DEF |
| 10. | 1975 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Grass | John Newcombe
|
7–5, 3–6, 6–4, 7–6 |
| 11. | 1975 | New York, U.S. | Indoor | Vitas Gerulaitis
|
DEF |
| 12. | 1975 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Arthur Ashe
|
6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4 |
| 13. | 1975 | U.S. Open, New York | Clay | Manuel Orantes
|
6–4, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 14. | 1975 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) |  Adriano Panatta
|
6–4, 6–3 |
| 15. | 1975 | London, England | Carpet | Eddie Dibbs
|
1–6, 6–1, 7–5 |
| 16. | 1976 | Salisbury, U.S. | Carpet | Ilie Năstase
|
6–2, 6–3, 7–6 |
| 17. | 1976 | La Costa, U.S. | Hard | Ilie Năstase
|
4–6, 6–0, 6–1 |
| 18. | 1976 | *Nottingham, England | Grass | Ilie Năstase
|
div'd (weather) |
| 19. | 1977 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Dick Stockton
|
3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
| 20. | 1977 | Toronto Indoor WCT, Canada | Carpet | Dick Stockton
|
5–6, ret. |
| 21. | 1977 | *Las Vegas, U.S. - WCT Challenge Cup | Carpet | Ilie Năstase
|
3–6, 7–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
| 22. | 1977 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Björn Borg
|
3–6, 6–2, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4 |
| 23. | 1977 | **Boca Raton, U.S. - Pepsi Grand Slam | Clay | Björn Borg
|
6–4, 5–7, 6–3 |
| 24. | 1977 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Clay |  Manuel Orantes
|
6–1, 6–3 |
| 25. | 1977 | U.S. Open, New York | Clay | Guillermo Vilas
|
2–6, 6–3, 7–6, 6–0 |
| 26. | 1978 | **Boca Raton, U.S. - Pepsi Grand Slam | Clay | Björn Borg
|
7–6, 3–6, 6–1 |
| 27. | 1978 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Björn Borg
|
6–2, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 28. | 1979 | **Boca Raton, U.S. - Pepsi Grand Slam | Hard | Björn Borg
|
6–2, 6–3 |
| 29. | 1979 | Las Vegas, U.S. | Hard | Björn Borg
|
6–3, 6–2 |
| 30. | 1979 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet | Björn Borg
|
6–2, 6–2 |
| 31. | 1979 | *Montreal, Canada - WCT Challenge Cup | Carpet | Björn Borg
|
6–4, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 |
| 32. | 1980 | Memphis, U.S. | Carpet | John McEnroe
|
7–6, 7–6 |
| 33. | 1980 | San José, Costa Rica | Hard | José Luis Clerc
|
4–6, 2–6, ret. |
| 34. | 1981 | *Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Guillermo Vilas
|
div'd (weather) |
| 35. | 1981 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Peter McNamara
|
7–6, 6–1, 4–6, 6–4 |
| 36. | 1982 | Philadelphia, U.S. | Carpet | John McEnroe
|
6–3, 6–3, 6–1 |
| 37. | 1982 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Guillermo Vilas
|
0–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 38. | 1982 | Milan, Italy | Carpet | Guillermo Vilas
|
6–3, 6–3 |
| 39. | 1982 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | John McEnroe
|
6–1, 6–3 |
| 40. | 1983 | Wembley, England | Carpet | John McEnroe
|
7–5, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 41. | 1984 | *Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Ivan Lendl
|
6–0, 1–0 div'd - match cancelled (bomb threat) |
| 42. | 1984 | Dallas WCT, U.S. | Carpet | John McEnroe
|
6–1, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 43. | 1984 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | John McEnroe
|
6–1, 6–1, 6–2 |
| 44. | 1985 | Ft. Myers, U.S. | Hard | Ivan Lendl
|
6–3, 6–2 |
| 45. | 1985 | Chicago, U.S. | Carpet | John McEnroe
|
walkover |
| 46. | 1986 | Ft. Myers, U.S. | Hard | Ivan Lendl
|
6–2, 6–0 |
| 47. | 1986 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Tim Mayotte
|
6–4, 2–1, ret. |
| 48. | 1986 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | Mats Wilander
|
6–4, 6–1 |
| 49. | 1986 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | John McEnroe
|
7–6, 6–3 |
| 50. | 1987 | Memphis, U.S. | Hard (i) | Stefan Edberg
|
6–3, 2–1, ret. |
| 51. | 1987 | Orlando, U.S. | Hard | Christo Van Rensburg
|
6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
| 52. | 1987 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | Boris Becker
|
6–7, 6–3, 6–4 |
| 53. | 1988 | Milan, Italy | Carpet |  Yannick Noah
|
4–4, ret. |
| 54. | 1988 | Key Biscayne, U.S. | Hard | Mats Wilander
|
6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
Other (non-ATP, exhibition/invitational and special events) singles titles - draw at least eight players (18)
Here are Connors's tournament titles that are not included in the statistics on the Association of Tennis Professionals Web site. These mainly are special events like invitational tournaments and exhibitions.
| Year | Date | Tournament | Surface | Prize Money | Final Opponent | Final Result | Winners Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Jacksonville | Carpet | Clark Graebner | ||||
| 1972 | August 14–20 | Ocean City | Herb Fitzgibbon | 6–3 6–2 | |||
| 1978 | June 5–10 | Beckenham - Kentish Times Tennis Week | Grass | Stan Smith | 9–8 6–3 | ||
| 1978 | November 21–26 | Tokyo - Gunze Invitational | Carpet | Ilie Nastase | 6–2 6–4 | ||
| 1979 | September 28–30 | Asuncion - Boqueron International | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 7–5 6–3 | ||
| 1979 | October 1–5 | Buenos Aires | Clay | Victor Pecci | 6–2 1–6 6–2 | ||
| 1980 | August 4–10 | Frejus - 8-men Round Robin | Hard | Roscoe Tanner | 6–0 6–7 6–4 | ||
| 1980 | October 8–12 | Melbourne - Mazda Challenge | Carpet | Gene Mayer | 1–6 6–2 6–0 7–5 | ||
| 1982 | January 6–11 | Rosemont - Michelob Light Challenge of Champions | Carpet | $310,000 | John McEnroe | 6–7 7–5 6–7 7–5 6–4 | |
| 1982 | September 29-October 3 | Montreal - Molson Light Challenge Cup | Hard | $250,000 | Bjorn Borg | 6–4 6–3 | $80,000 |
| 1982 | December 17–19 | North Miami Beach - Nastase-Hamptons Invitational | Hard | $305,000 | Brian Teacher | 6–2 6–2 | $80,000 |
| 1983 | February 8–13 | Toronto - Molson Challenge | Carpet | Jose Higueras | 6–2 6–0 5–7 6–0 | ||
| 1983 | July 28–31 | Beaver Creek - Vail Beaver Creek Classic | Hard | Mats Wilander | 7–6 6–2 | ||
| 1983 | August 3–7 | Newport Beach - High Stakes | Hard | $300,000 | Tim Mayotte | 6–3 6–4 6–2 | |
| 1983 | December 14–20 | North Miami Beach - Nastase-Hamptons Invitational | Hard | $305,000 | Ivan Lendl | 6–3 7–6 6–1 | $90,000 |
| 1984 | January 3–8 | Rosemont - Lite Challenge of Champions | Carpet | $250,000 | Andres Gomez | 6–3 6–2 6–1 | |
| 1985 | July 30-August 4 | Stowe | Hard | Gene Mayer | 2–6 6–3 6–4 | ||
| 1988 | April 21–24 | Tulsa | Hard | Mel Purcell | 6–3 6–3 |
Other (non-ATP, exhibition/invitational and special events) singles titles - draw less than eight players (12)
| Year | Date | Tournament | Surface | Final Opponent | Final Result | Winners Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Nottingham - 4-men invitational | |||||
| 1978 | September 22–24 | Buenos Aires - 4-men invitational | Bjorn Borg | 5–7 6–3 6–3 | ||
| 1979 | July 27–28 | Montpellier Invitational Tennis Tournament - 4-men invitational | John McEnroe | 7–6 2–6 7–5 | ||
| 1979 | September 15–16 | Rio de Janeiro - 4-men invitational | Guillermo Vilas | 6–3 6–4 6–3 | ||
| 1980 | March 6–7 | Munich - 4-men invitational | Carpet | Vitas Gerulaitis | 6–1 6–7 6–4 | |
| 1980 | April 7–8 | Tokyo - Suntory Cup | Carpet | John McEnroe | 7–5 6–3 | |
| 1981 | April 11–12 | Tokyo - Suntory Cup | Carpet | John McEnroe | 6–4 7–6 | |
| 1982 | July 22–24 | Industry Hills - $100,000 4-men invitational | Hard | Bjorn Borg | 5–7 6–2 6–2 6–7 6–2 | $50,000 |
| 1983 | April 10–11 | Tokyo - Suntory Cup | Carpet | Bjorn Borg | 6–3 6–4 | |
| 1983 | July 8–10 | Sun City - Round Robin Bophuthatswana | Hard | Ivan Lendl | 7–5 7–6 | $400,000 |
| 1986 | April 19–20 | Tokyo - Suntory Cup | Carpet | Mats Wilander | 6–4 6–0 | |
| 1989 | May 5–7 | Nîmes | Anders Jarryd | 6–2 6–3 |
Singles performance time line
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | W | F | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1 / 2 |
| French Open | 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 |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | QF | QF | W | F | QF | F | F | SF | SF | SF | W | 4R | F | SF | 1R | SF | 4R | 2R | A | 3R | 1R | 2 / 21 |
| U.S. Open | 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 |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 3 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 2 / 3 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 8 / 58 |
| The Masters | A | A | SF | SF | A | A | A | A | W | RR | SF | SF | RR | SF | SF | SF | A | RR | A | A | A | A | A | 1 / 11 |
won 236/lost 50
Sources
The following are the sources for the information that is not on the Association of Tennis Professionals Web site:
- Michel Sutter, Vainqueurs Winners 1946-2003, Paris 2003. Sutter has attempted to list all tournaments meeting his criteria for selection beginning with 1946 and ending in the fall of 1991. For each tournament, he has indicated the city, the date of the final, the winner, the runner-up, and the score of the final. A tournament is included in his list if: (1), the draw for the tournament included at least eight players (with a few exceptions, such as the Pepsi Grand Slam tournaments in the second half of the 1970s); and (2), the level of the tournaments was at least equal to the present-day challenger tournaments. Sutter's book probably is the most exhaustive source of tennis tournament information since World War II, even though some professional tournaments held before the start of the open era are missing. Later, Sutter issued a second edition of his book, with only the players, their wins, and years for the period of 1946 through April 27, 2003.
Doubles titles (15)
Runner-ups (11)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 1971 | New York, U.S. | Indoor |  Haroon Rahim
|
Juan Gisbert Manuel Orantes
|
7–6, 6–2 |
| 2. | 1971 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | Roscoe Tanner
|
Jim McManus Jim Osborne
|
6–7, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 3. | 1973 | Omaha, U.S. | Hard (i) | Juan Gisbert
|
William Brown Mike Estep
|
DEF |
| 4. | 1973 | Hampton, U.S. | Hard (i) | Ion Ţiriac
|
Clark Graebner Ilie Năstase
|
6–2, 6–1 |
| 5. | 1973 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Ilie Năstase
|
John Newcombe Tom Okker
|
6–1, 3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 |
| 6. | 1973 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Ilie Năstase
|
Jan Kodeš Vladimir Zednik
|
6–2, 6–4 |
| 7. | 1973 | Quebec, Canada | Other | Marty Riessen
|
Bob Carmichael Frew McMillan
|
6–2, 7–6 |
| 8. | 1975 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Ilie Năstase
|
Brian Gottfried  Raúl Ramírez
|
6–4, 7–6, 2–6, 6–1 |
| 9. | 1975 | London, England | Carpet | Ilie Năstase
|
 Wojtek Fibak Karl Meiler
|
6–1, 7–5 |
| 10. | 1976 | Denver WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Billy Martin
|
John Alexander Phil Dent
|
6–7, 6–2, 7–5 |
| 11. | 1976 | Washington D.C., U.S. | Clay | Arthur Ashe
|
Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez
|
6–3, 6–3 |
References
- ^ Holding Court
- ^ 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&...
- ^ 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.
- ^ James Scott Connors
- ^ ESPN
- ^ Holding Court
- ^ ESPN
- ^ Bud Collins Joins ESPN
- ^ Racket history
- ^ Jimmy Connors racquets
- ^ Jimmy Connors racquets
- ^ Jimmy Connors racquets
- ^ http://www.jimmysnewhip.com/JimmyConnors/JimmysHip.asp
- ^ http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/01/14/ap/sports/tennis/d8mi6nv01.txt
See also
External links
- Jimmy Connors at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- International Tennis Hall of Fame profile
- Official Wimbledon website profile
- BBC profile
- 1952 births
- Living people
- Irish-Americans
- American tennis players
- Tennis Hall of Fame members
- Australian Open champions
- Wimbledon champions
- US Open champions
- American tennis coaches
- UCLA Bruins athletics
- Sports in St. Louis
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni
- People from Belleville, Illinois
- People from St. Clair County, Illinois
- Irish-American sportspeople