Jimmy Connors facts for kids
Connors in 1994
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| Full name | James Scott Connors |
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| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Residence | Santa Barbara, California, US |
| Born | September 2, 1952 Belleville, Illinois, US |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Turned pro | 1972 |
| Retired | 1996 |
| Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Gloria Connors Pancho Segura |
| Prize money | US$8,641,040 |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1998 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1274–283 (81.8%) |
| Career titles | 109 (1st in the Open Era) |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (July 29, 1974) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1974) |
| French Open | SF (1979, 1980, 1984, 1985) |
| Wimbledon | W (1974, 1982) |
| US Open | W (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (1977) |
| Grand Slam Cup | 1R (1991) |
| WCT Finals | W (1977, 1980) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 174–78 (68.9%) |
| 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) | |
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James Scott Connors (born September 2, 1952) is an American former professional tennis player. He also worked as an author, a tennis commentator, and a coach. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles for 268 weeks. This is the fifth-longest time for any male player. He also finished as the year-end No. 1 five times.
Connors was known for his strong competitive spirit. He holds three important Open Era men's singles records. These are 109 titles, 1,557 matches played, and 1,274 match wins. His major wins include eight singles major titles. He won five US Opens, two Wimbledons, and one Australian Open. In 1974, he became the second man in the Open Era to win three major titles in one year. He was not allowed to play in the fourth major, the French Open, that year. His playing career ended in 1996.
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Early Life and Training
James Connors was born on September 2, 1952. He grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois, near St. Louis, Missouri. His mother and grandmother coached him when he was a child. He played in his first U.S. Championship at nine years old in 1961.
In 1968, his mother, Gloria, took him to Southern California. There, he was coached by Pancho Segura. However, Gloria remained his main coach and manager. Connors won the Junior Orange Bowl championship twice. He is one of only nine players to do so in the tournament's 70-year history.
Tennis Career Highlights
Starting Out (1970–1973)
In August 1970, Connors won his first professional match. He beat Jean-Baptiste Chanfreau at the Haverford tournament. In his first US Open, he lost in the first round. In 1971, Connors won the NCAA singles title as a freshman at UCLA. He also reached his first ATP Tour finals that year.
Connors became a professional player in 1972. He quickly won his first tournament, the Jacksonville Open. He won five more tournaments that year. Connors chose not to join the new Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Instead, he played in smaller tournaments organized by his manager, Bill Riordan. In 1973, Connors won the U.S. Pro Singles title. This was one of 11 tournaments he won that year.
Becoming a Champion (1974–1983)
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In 1974, Connors had an amazing year, winning 15 tournaments. He won three of the four Grand Slam singles titles. He won the Australian Open by defeating Phil Dent. He then beat Ken Rosewall easily in the Wimbledon final. He also won the US Open final against Rosewall. This was one of the most one-sided finals in the tournament's history. Connors was the second man in the Open Era to win three Grand Slams in a single year. He did not play in the French Open during these years. This was because of a ban in 1974 and his choice not to play in other years. He finished 1974 as the world No. 1 player.
In 1975, Connors reached the finals of Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. He won nine tournaments that year. He kept his ATP No. 1 ranking for the entire year. In 1976, Connors won the US Open again, beating Björn Borg. He won 12 events that year and was ranked No. 1 by the ATP.
In 1977, Connors lost to Borg in the Wimbledon final. He also lost the US Open final to Guillermo Vilas. However, Connors won both the Masters and the WCT Finals. He won eight tournaments that year. In 1978, Connors lost to Borg in the Wimbledon final. But he defeated Borg in the US Open final, which was played on a hard court for the first time. Connors won the US Open on three different surfaces: grass (1974), clay (1976), and hard (1978). He won ten tournaments in 1978.
Connors became the ATP world No. 1 on July 29, 1974. He held this spot for 160 weeks in a row. This was a record until Roger Federer broke it in 2007. Connors was the year-end No. 1 player from 1974 to 1978. He held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 268 weeks in his career.
From 1979 to 1981, Connors often reached the semifinals of major events. He won the WCT Finals in 1980, beating John McEnroe. He won eight tournaments in 1979, six in 1980, and four in 1981.
In 1982, Connors had a great comeback. He defeated John McEnroe in a five-set match to win the Wimbledon final. He then beat Ivan Lendl in the US Open final. After the US Open, Connors became the ATP No. 1 again. He won seven tournaments that year. The ATP named him Player of the Year.
In 1983, Connors won the US Open for a record fifth time. He beat Lendl in the final. This was his 100th tournament victory. He finished the year as the No. 3 ranked player.
Later Career (1984–1996)
In 1984, Connors reached the finals of the WCT Finals and Wimbledon, losing to McEnroe in both. He also made it to the semifinals of the French Open, US Open, and Masters. He won five tournaments and finished the year as the No. 2 player. In 1985, he reached the semifinals of the three major tournaments he played. He finished the year ranked No. 4. He achieved this ranking again in 1987, when he was 35 years old.
In July 1988, Connors won the Sovran Bank Tennis Classic. This ended a four-year period without a title. It was his 106th career title. He also won a title in Toulouse.
In 1989, Connors won the last tournaments of his career in Toulouse and Tel Aviv. He still holds the Open Era record with 109 men's singles titles. At the 1989 US Open, Connors defeated the third seed, Stefan Edberg. He pushed Andre Agassi to five sets in the quarterfinals before losing. He ended 1989 ranked 14th in the world.
Connors' career seemed to be ending in 1990. He played only three matches and lost them all. His ranking dropped to No. 936. However, after wrist surgery, he returned in 1991. He made an amazing run to the 1991 US Open semifinals. He called this "the best 11 days of my tennis career." On his 39th birthday, he won a five-set match against Aaron Krickstein. He lost to Jim Courier in the semifinals.
In 1992, Connors beat world No. 3, Michael Stich, at Memphis. He also beat world No. 12, Wayne Ferreira, to reach the quarterfinals at Indianapolis. Connors played his last major tournament at the 1992 US Open. On his 40th birthday, he won his first-round match. He then lost to Lendl in the second round.
In September 1992, Connors played Martina Navratilova in a special "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match. Connors won the match.
His playing career continued until April 1996. His last match on the ATP Tour was in Atlanta, where he lost to Richey Reneberg.
Famous Rivalries
Battles with Björn Borg
During his best years (1974–1978), Connors often played against Björn Borg. Borg won two Wimbledon finals against Connors in 1977 and 1978. Connors won two US Open finals against Borg in 1976 and 1978. Connors described their rivalry as "fire and ice" because they were very different.
Matches with John McEnroe
In 1980, Connors defeated John McEnroe in the WCT Finals. In 1982, Connors faced McEnroe in the Wimbledon final. McEnroe was the world's top player then. Connors won the match in five sets, claiming his second Wimbledon title. McEnroe was 6.5 years younger than Connors. McEnroe won more of their later matches. Connors said about their rivalry, "We went at it on and off the court. That was because we were fire and fire, we were so similar."
Contests with Ivan Lendl
Connors defeated Ivan Lendl in the 1982 US Open final. He soon became the No. 1 player again. Lendl was eight years younger than Connors. Lendl won most of their matches later in Connors' career. Connors beat Lendl in both of their Grand Slam finals, winning the 1982 and 1983 US Opens.
Playing Style
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Connors' playing style was very important in tennis history. He was known for his two-handed backhand and excellent service return. He made up for his smaller size with great determination. Connors was taught to hit the ball early, right after it bounced. This helped him use his opponents' power against them.
Unlike many players who used a "serve and volley" style, Connors usually hit the ball flat and low from the back of the court. His forehand was hit with a semi-Western grip. His serve was accurate but not as powerful as some other players.
Connors often used his on-court actions to get the crowd involved. This sometimes helped his game and sometimes caused problems. He was known for his strong personality and sometimes argued with officials. This earned him a reputation as a "brat" in the tennis world. However, Connors used the crowd's energy to his advantage in many of his best matches.
Racket Choices
When most tennis players used wooden rackets, Connors used a special steel racket called the "Wilson T2000." He used this racket until 1984. Then, he switched to a new graphite racket, the Wilson ProStaff. In 1987, he started using a Slazenger graphite racket. Later, in 1990, he signed with Estusa.
Life After Playing Tennis
Connors has worked as a tennis commentator for NBC-TV, the BBC, and the Tennis Channel. He provided commentary for the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
In July 2006, American tennis player Andy Roddick announced that Connors was his new coach. Roddick reached the U.S. Open final in September 2006. Connors stopped coaching Roddick in March 2008. In July 2013, Maria Sharapova also announced Connors as her coach, but their partnership ended after just one match.
In 2013, Connors published his autobiography, The Outsider. It won an award for "Best Autobiography/Biography."
Achievements and Recognition
Connors is considered one of the greatest tennis players ever. He holds the record for the most singles titles in the Open Era, with 109 wins. He also won 16 doubles titles, including Wimbledon in 1973 and the US Open in 1975. Connors played and won more matches than any other male professional tennis player in the Open Era. His career record was 1,274 wins and 283 losses. He played in 398 tournaments, which was a record until 2008.
In Grand Slam singles events, Connors reached the semifinals or better 31 times. He reached the quarterfinals or better 41 times. He was the only player to win the US Open on three different surfaces: grass, clay, and hard. He was also the first male player to win Grand Slam singles titles on three different surfaces.
Connors was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998. He also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
Personal Life
Connors was engaged to fellow tennis player Chris Evert from 1974 to 1975. They both won singles titles at the 1974 Wimbledon Championships. The media called this "The Lovebird Double." Their engagement ended before the 1975 Wimbledon championship.
In 1979, Connors married Patti McGuire. They have two children and live in the Santa Barbara, California, area.
In October 2005, Connors had hip-replacement surgery. His mother, Gloria, passed away in January 2007.
Images for kids
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Connors in 1994
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Jimmy Connors (1978)
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Jimmy Connors (2007)
See also
In Spanish: Jimmy Connors para niños
