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Jimmy Connors
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James Scott "Jimmy" Connors (born September 2, 1952, in East St. Louis, Illinois, also known as "Jimbo") 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 Nastase and was the mixed doubles runner-up with Chris Evert at the 1974 US Open.
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Encyclopedia
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors (born September 2, 1952, in East St. Louis, Illinois, also known as "Jimbo") 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 Nastase 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. 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 four men (Mats Wilander, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal 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 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 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."
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. 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. 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.
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.
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.
Playing style
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." He refused to accept that he was beaten and gave everything on every point of every game, no matter how apparently hopeless the cause. 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." 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. 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. 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, Björn 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. "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."
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.
Commentating
Connors commentates for BBC-TV during the Wimbledon tournament. This often coincides with John McEnroe's own duties as an analyst and commentator, often leading to much discussion between the two former arch-rivals. He will also serve as an analyst for the Tennis Channel at the 2009 US Open.
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 1990s he joined his brother John Connors as investors in the Argosy Gaming Company which owned riverboat casinos on the Mississippi River. The two owned 19 percent of the company which was headquartered in the St. Louis suburb of East Alton, Illinois. Argosy narrowly averted bankruptcy in the late 1990s and Jimmy's brother John personally sought Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In the liquidation Jimmy through his company Smooth Swing acquired the Alystra Casino in Henderson, Nevada from Union Planters Bank]] for $1.9 million in 2000 which had foreclosed on John. John had opened the casino in 1995 with announced plans to include a Jimmy Connors theme area. It was shuttered in 1998 and became a magnant for [[homeless]] and thieves who stripped its copper piping. The casino never reopened under Jimmy's ownership and it was destroyed in a May 2008 fire.
In the spring of 2006, Connors had successful hip-replacement surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
On January 8, 2007, Connors's mother and long-time coach, Gloria, died at the age of 82.
On November 21, 2008, Connors was arrested outside an NCAA game between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of California at Santa Barbara after refusing to comply with an order to leave an area near the entrance to the stadium. The charges were dismissed by a judge on February 10, 2009.
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 | US Open | | 6–1, 6–0, 6–1 | 1976 | US Open (2) | Björn Borg | 6–4, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 | 1978 | US Open (3) | | 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 | 1982 | Wimbledon (2) | John McEnroe | 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 | 1982 | US Open (4) | Ivan Lendl | 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4 | 1983 | US Open (5) | | 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 | US 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 | US Open (2) | Guillermo Vilas | 2–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–0 | 1978 | Wimbledon (3) | | 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)
Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Partnering | Opponents in Final | Score in Final | 1973 | French Open | Ilie Nastase | 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 | US Open | Chris Evert | Pam Teeguarden
Geoff Masters | 6–1, 7–6 |
Grand Slam results
- French Open
- Men's Doubles runner-up: 1973 (with Nastase)
- Wimbledon
- Singles champion: 1974, 1982
- Singles runner-up: 1975, 1977, 1978, 1984
- Men's Doubles champion: 1973 (with Nastase)
- US Open
- Singles champion: 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983
- Singles runner-up: 1975, 1977
- Men's Doubles champion: 1975 (with Nastase)
- Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1974 (with Evert)
Singles record
- 1241-277 (record of ATP events Singles wins) #1 most all-time in ATP Wins (= 81.752%, second highest winning percentage of all players more than 1000 games played).
Singles performance timeline
| 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 | | US 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 | | Year End Ranking | None | None | None | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 936 | 48 | 84 |
NH = 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
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score | | 1. | 1972 | Jacksonville, U.S. | Hard (i) | Clark Graebner | 7–5, 6–4 | | 2. | 1972 | * Roanoke, U.S. (1) | Hard (i) | | 6–4, 7–6 | | 3. | 1972 | London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom (1) | Grass | | 6–2, 6–3 | | 4. | 1972 | Columbus, U.S. (1) | Hard | Andrew Pattison | 7–5, 6–3, 7–5 | | 5. | 1972 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 6–3, 6–3 | | 6. | 1972 | Albany, U.S. | Carpet | Roscoe Tanner | 6–2, 7–6 | | 7. | 1973 | Baltimore, U.S. | Hard (i) | | 6–4, 7–5 | | 8. | 1973 | Roanoke, U.S.(2) | Hard (i) | | 6–2, 6–3 | | 9. | 1973 | Salt Lake City, U.S. (1) | Hard (i) | | 6–1, 6–2 | | 10. | 1973 | Salisbury, U.S. (1) | Hard (i) | Karl Meiler | 7–6, 7–6, 6–3 | | 11. | 1973 | Hampton, U.S. (1) | Hard (i) | Ilie Nastase | 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–3 | | 12. | 1973 | Paramus, U.S. | Hard (i) | Clark Graebner | 6–1, 6–2 | | 13. | 1973 | Boston, U.S. | Hard | Arthur Ashe | 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 | | 14. | 1973 | Columbus, U.S. (2) | Hard | Charlie Pasarell | 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 | | 15. | 1973 | Los Angeles, U.S. (1) | Hard | Tom Okker | 7–5, 7–6 | | 16. | 1973 | Quebec, Canada | Carpet | Marty Riessen | 6–1, 6–4, 6–7, 6–0 | | 17. | 1973 | Johannesburg, South Africa (1) | Hard | Arthur Ashe | 6–4, 7–6, 6–3 | | 18. | 1974 | Australian Open | Grass | Phil Dent | 7–6, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3 | | 19. | 1974 | Roanoke, U.S. (3) | Hard (i) | Karl Meiler | 6–4, 6–3 | | 20. | 1974 | Little Rock, U.S. | Carpet | Karl Meiler | 6–2, 6–1 | | 21. | 1974 | Birmingham, U.S. (1) | Carpet | | 7–5, 6–3 | | 22. | 1974 | Salisbury, U.S. (2) | Carpet | Frew McMillan | 6–4, 7–5, 6–3 | | 23. | 1974 | Hampton, U.S. (2) | Carpet | Ilie Nastase | 6–4, 6–4 | | 24. | 1974 | Salt Lake City, U.S. (2) | Carpet | Vitas Gerulaitis | 4–6, 7–6, 6–3 | | 25. | 1974 | Tempe, U.S. | Hard | Vijay Amritraj | 6–2, 6–3 | | 26. | 1974 | Manchester, United Kingdom | Grass | | 13–11, 6–2 | | 27. | 1974 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | Ken Rosewall | 6–1, 6–1, 6–4 | | 28. | 1974 | Indianapolis, U.S. (1) | Clay | Björn Borg | 5–7, 6–3, 6–4 | | 29. | 1974 | US Open (1) | Grass | Ken Rosewall | 6–1, 6–0, 6–1 | | 30. | 1974 | Los Angeles, U.S. (2) | Hard | Harold Solomon | 6–3, 6–1 | | 31. | 1974 | London - Dewar Cup, United Kingdom | Carpet | Brian Gottfried | 6–2, 7–6 | | 32. | 1974 | Johannesburg, South Africa (2) | Hard | Arthur Ashe | 7–6, 6–3, 6–1 | | 33. | 1975 | Nassau, Bahamas | Hard | Karl Meiler | 6–0, 6–2 | | 34. | 1975 | Birmingham, U.S. (2) | Carpet | | 6–4, 6–3 | | 35. | 1975 | Salisbury, U.S. (3) | Carpet | Vitas Gerulaitis | 5–7, 7–5, 6–1, 3–6, 6–0 | | 36. | 1975 | Boca Raton, U.S. | Hard | Jürgen Fassbender | 6–4, 6–2 | | 37. | 1975 | Hampton, U.S. (3) | Carpet | Jan Kodeš | 3–6, 6–3, 6–0 | | 38. | 1975 | Denver WCT, U.S. (1) | Carpet | Brian Gottfried | 6–3, 6–4 | | 39. | 1975 | North Conway, U.S. (1) | Clay | Ken Rosewall | 6–2, 6–2 | | 40. | 1975 | Hamilton, Bermuda | Clay | Vitas Gerulaitis | 6–1, 6–4 | | 41. | 1975 | Maui, U.S. (1) | Hard | | 6–1, 6–0 | | 42. | 1976 | Birmingham, U.S. (3) | Carpet | Roscoe Tanner | 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 | | 43. | 1976 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. (1) | Carpet | Björn Borg | 7–6, 6–4, 6–0 | | 44. | 1976 | Hampton, U.S. (4) | Carpet | Ilie Nastase | 6–2, 6–2, 6–2 | | 45. | 1976 | Palm Springs, U.S. (1) | Hard | Roscoe Tanner | 6–4, 6–4 | | 46. | 1976 | Denver WCT, U.S. (2) | Carpet | Ross Case | 7–6, 6–2 | | 47. | 1976 | Las Vegas, U.S. (1) | Hard | Ken Rosewall | 6–1, 6–3 | | 48. | 1976 | Washington, D.C., U.S. (1) | Clay | Raúl Ramírez | 6–2, 6–4 | | 49. | 1976 | North Conway, U.S. (2) | Clay | Raúl Ramírez | 7–6, 4–6, 6–3 | | 50. | 1976 | Indianapolis, U.S. (2) | Clay | | 6–2, 6–4 | | 51. | 1976 | US Open (2) | Clay | Björn Borg | 6–4, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 | | 52. | 1976 | Cologne, West Germany | Carpet | Frew McMillan | 6–2, 6–3 | | 53. | 1976 | Wembley, United Kingdom (1) | Carpet | Roscoe Tanner | 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 | | 54. | 1977 | Birmingham WCT, U.S. (4) | Carpet | Bill Scanlon | 6–3, 6–3 | | 55. | 1977 | St. Louis WCT, U.S. | Carpet | | 7–6, 6–2 | | 56. | 1977 | Las Vegas, U.S. (2) | Hard | Raúl Ramírez | 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 | | 57. | 1977 | Dallas WCT Finals, U.S. (1) | Carpet | Dick Stockton | 6–7, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3 | | 58. | 1977 | Maui, U.S. (2) | Hard | Brian Gottfried | 6–2, 6–0 | | 59. | 1977 | Sydney Indoor, Australia (1) | Hard (i) | Ken Rosewall | 7–5, 6–4, 6–2 | | 60. | 1977 | Las Vegas - WCT Challenge Cup, U.S. | Carpet | Roscoe Tanner | 6–2, 5–6, 3–6, 6–2, 6–5 | | 61. | 1977 | Colgate Masters, New York City | Carpet | Björn Borg | 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 | | 62. | 1978 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. (2) | Carpet | Roscoe Tanner | 6–2, 6–4, 6–3 | | 63. | 1978 | Denver, U.S. (3) | Carpet | Stan Smith | 6–2, 7–6 | | 64. | 1978 | Memphis, U.S. (1) | Carpet | Tim Gullikson | 7–6, 6–3 | | 65. | 1978 | Rotterdam WCT, Netherlands (1) | Carpet | Raúl Ramírez | 7–5, 7–5 | | 66. | 1978 | Birmingham, United Kingdom | Grass | Raúl Ramírez | 6–3, 6–1, 6–2 | | 67. | 1978 | Washington, D.C., U.S. (2) | Clay | Eddie Dibbs | 7–5, 7–5 | | 68. | 1978 | Indianapolis, U.S. (3) | Clay | José Higueras | 7–5, 6–1 | | 69. | 1978 | Stowe, U.S. (1) | Hard | Tim Gullikson | 6–2, 6–3 | | 70. | 1978 | US Open (3) | Hard | Björn Borg | 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 | | 71. | 1978 | Sydney Indoor, Australia (2) | Hard (i) | Geoff Masters | 6–0, 6–0, 6–4 | | 72. | 1979 | Birmingham, U.S. (5) | Carpet | Eddie Dibbs | 6–2, 3–6, 7–5 | | 73. | 1979 | Philadelphia, U.S. (3) | Carpet | Arthur Ashe | 6–3, 6–4, 6–1 | | 74. | 1979 | * Dorado Beach – WCT Tournament of Champions,
Puerto Rico | Hard | Vitas Gerulaitis | 6–5, 6–0, 6–4 | | 75. | 1979 | Memphis, U.S. (2) | Carpet | Arthur Ashe | 6–4, 5–7, 6–3 | | 76. | 1979 | Tulsa, U.S. | Hard (i) | Eddie Dibbs | 6–7, 7–5, 6–1 | | 77. | 1979 | Indianapolis, U.S. (4) | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 6–1, 2–6, 6–4 | | 78. | 1979 | Stowe, U.S. (2) | Hard | | 6–0, 6–1 | | 79. | 1979 | Hong Kong | Hard | | 7–5, 6–3, 6–1 | | 80. | 1980 | Birmingham, U.S. (6) | Carpet | Eliot Teltscher | 6–3, 6–2 | | 81. | 1980 | Philadelphia, U.S. (4) | Carpet | John McEnroe | 6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 | | 82. | 1980 | Dallas WCT Finals, U.S. (2) | Carpet | John McEnroe | 2–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–2 | | 83. | 1980 | North Conway, U.S. (3) | Clay | Eddie Dibbs | 6–3, 5–7, 6–1 | | 84. | 1980 | Republic of China | Carpet | Eliot Teltscher | 6–2, 6–4 | | 85. | 1980 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan (1) | Carpet | Tom Gullikson | 6–1, 6–2 | | 86. | 1981 | La Quinta, U.S. (2) | Hard | Ivan Lendl | 6–3, 7–6 | | 87. | 1981 | Brussels, Belgium | Carpet | Brian Gottfried | 6–2, 6–4, 6–3 | | 88. | 1981 | Rotterdam, Netherlands (2) | Carpet | | 6–1, 2–6, 6–2 | | 89. | 1981 | Wembley, United Kingdom (2) | Carpet | John McEnroe | 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 | | 90. | 1982 | Monterrey, Mexico | Carpet | Johan Kriek | 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 | | 91. | 1982 | Los Angeles, U.S. (3) | Hard | Mel Purcell | 6–2, 6–1 | | 92. | 1982 | Las Vegas, U.S. (3) | Hard | | 5–2, ret. | | 93. | 1982 | London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom (2) | Grass | John McEnroe | 7–5, 6–3 | | 94. | 1982 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | John McEnroe | 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 | | 95. | 1982 | Columbus, U.S. (3) | Hard | Brian Gottfried | 7–5, 6–0 | | 96. | 1982 | US Open (4) | Hard | Ivan Lendl | 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4 | | 97. | 1983 | Memphis, U.S. (3) | Carpet | | 7–5, 6–0 | | 98. | 1983 | Las Vegas, U.S. (4) | Hard | Mark Edmondson | 7–6, 6–1 | | 99. | 1983 | London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom (3) | Grass | John McEnroe | 6–3, 6–3 | | 100. | 1983 | US Open (5) | Hard | Ivan Lendl | 6–3, 6–7, 7–5, 6–0 | | 101. | 1984 | Memphis, U.S. (4) | Carpet | Henri Leconte | 6–3, 4–6, 7–5 | | 102. | 1984 | La Quinta, U.S. (3) | Hard | Yannick Noah | 6–2, 6–7, 6–3 | | 103. | 1984 | Boca West, U.S. | Hard | Johan Kriek | 7–5, 6–4 | | 104. | 1984 | Los Angeles, U.S. (4) | Hard | Eliot Teltscher | 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 | | 105. | 1984 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan (2) | Carpet | Ivan Lendl | 6–4, 3–6, 6–0 | | 106. | 1988 | Washington, D.C., U.S. (3) | Hard | Andrés Gómez | 6–1, 6–4 | | 107. | 1988 | Toulouse, France (1) | Carpet | Andrei Chesnokov | 6–2, 6–0 | | 108. | 1989 | Toulouse, France (2) | Carpet | John McEnroe | 6–3, 6–3 | | 109. | 1989 | Tel Aviv, Israel | Hard | Gilad Bloom | 2–6, 6–2, 6–1 |
Singles runner-ups (54), only 51 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 | | 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 | | 3. | 1972 | Baltimore, U.S. | Hard | Ilie Nastase | 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 Nastase | 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 City, U.S. | Indoor | Vitas Gerulaitis | DEF | | 12. | 1975 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Arthur Ashe | 6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4 | | 13. | 1975 | US Open, New York City | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 | | 14. | 1975 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | Adriano Panatta | 6–4, 6–3 | | 15. | 1975 | London, United Kingdom | Carpet | Eddie Dibbs | 1–6, 6–1, 7–5 | | 16. | 1976 | Salisbury, U.S. | Carpet | Ilie Nastase | 6–2, 6–3, 7–6 | | 17. | 1976 | La Costa, U.S. | Hard | Ilie Nastase | 4–6, 6–0, 6–1 | | 18. | 1976 | *Nottingham, United Kingdom | Grass | Ilie Nastase | div'd (weather) | | 19. | 1976 | Las Vegas, U.S. - WCT Challenge Cup | Carpet | Ilie Nastase | 3–6, 7–6, 6–4, 7–5 | | 20. | 1977 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Dick Stockton | 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 6–2 | | 21. | 1977 | Toronto Indoor WCT, Canada | Carpet | Dick Stockton | 5–6, ret. | | 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 | US Open, New York City | 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, United Kingdom | 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, United Kingdom | Grass | | 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, United Kingdom | Grass | Boris Becker | 6–7, 6–3, 6–4 | | 53. | 1988 | Milan, Italy | Carpet | Yannick Noah | 4–4, ret. | | 54. | 1988 | Miami, 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 (24)
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.
Other (non-ATP, exhibition/invitational and special events) singles titles - draw less than eight players (14)
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.
- John Barrett, editor, World of Tennis Yearbooks, London from 1976 through 1983.
Doubles titles (15)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score | |
| 1. | 1972 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | Pancho Gonzales | Dick Stockton | 6–3, 7–5 | | 2. | 1972 | Los Angeles WCT, U.S. | Hard | | Ismail El Shafei
Brian Fairlie | 6–3, 4–6, 7–6 | | 3. | 1973 | Baltimore, U.S. | Hard (i) | Clark Graebner | Sandy Mayer | 3–6, 6–2, 6–3 | | 4. | 1973 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Ilie Nastase | Neale Fraser | 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 8–9, 6–1 | | 5. | 1973 | South Orange, U.S. | Hard | | Tom Gorman | 6–7, 6–3, 6–2 | | 6. | 1973 | Stockholm, Sweden | Hard (i) | | Bob Carmichael
Frew McMillan | 6–3, 6–7, 6–2 | | 7. | 1974 | Salisbury, U.S. | Carpet | Frew McMillan | Andrew Pattison | 3–6, 6–2, 6–1 | | 8. | 1974 | Salt Lake City, U.S. | Hard (i) | Vitas Gerulaitis | Iván Molina
Jairo Velasco | 2–6, 7–6, 7–5 | | 9. | 1974 | Indianapolis, U.S. | Clay | | Jürgen Fassbender
Hans-Jürgen Pohmann | 6–7, 6–3, 6–4 | | 10. | 1974 | London, United Kingdom | Carpet | | Brian Gottfried
Raúl Ramírez | 3–6, 7–6, 6–3 | | 11. | 1975 | Salisbury, U.S. | Carpet | | Jan Kodeš
Roger Taylor | 7–6, 6–2 | | 12. | 1975 | South Orange, U.S. | Clay | | Dick Crealy
John Lloyd | 6–2, 6–3 | | 13. | 1975 | US Open, New York City | Clay | | Tom Okker
Marty Riessen | 6–4, 7–6 | | 14. | 1976 | Birmingham, U.S. | Carpet | Erik Van Dillen | Hank Pfister
Dennis Ralston | 7–6, 6–4 | | 15. | 1980 | North Conway, U.S. | Clay | Brian Gottfried | Kevin Curren
Steve Denton | 7–6, 6–2 |
Runner-ups (11)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score | |
| 1. | 1971 | New York City, U.S. | Indoor | Haroon Rahim | Juan Gisbert
Manuel Orantes | 7–6, 6–2 | | 2. | 1971 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | Roscoe Tanner | Jim Osborne | 6–7, 6–4, 6–2 | | 3. | 1973 | Omaha, U.S. | Hard (i) | Juan Gisbert | Mike Estep | DEF | | 4. | 1973 | Hampton, U.S. | Hard (i) | Ion Tiriac | Clark Graebner
Ilie Nastase | 6–2, 6–1 | | 5. | 1973 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Ilie Nastase | John Newcombe
Tom Okker | 6–1, 3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 | | 6. | 1973 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | | 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 | | Brian Gottfried
Raúl Ramírez | 6–4, 7–6, 2–6, 6–1 | | 9. | 1975 | London, United Kingdom | Carpet | | Karl Meiler | 6–1, 7–5 | | 10. | 1976 | Denver WCT, U.S. | Carpet | | 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 |
See also
Further reading
Video
- Charlie Rose with Jimmy Connors (August 7, 1995) Studio: Charlie Rose, DVD Release Date: October 5, 2006, ASIN: B000JCF3S8
- BIOGRAPHY: Jimmy Connors DVD 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
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