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Adriano Panatta

Country	Italy
Residence	Rome, Italy
Born	(1950-07-09) 9 July 1950 (age 61) Rome, Italy
Height	1.83 m (6ft)
Weight	81 kg
Turned pro	1969, international debut in 1970
Retired	1983
Plays	Right-handed
Career prize money	US$ 776,187
Singles
Career record	364–223
Career titles	9
Highest ranking	No. 4 (1976)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	1R (1969)
French Open	W (1976)
Wimbledon	QF (1979)
US Open	4R (1978)
Doubles
Career record	233–152
Career titles	17
Highest ranking	No. 93 (1983)

Adriano Panatta (born 9 July 1950) is a former professional tennis player from Italy. He is best remembered for winning the French Open in 1976, and for being the only player to ever defeat Björn Borg at Roland Garros, which he did on two occasions.

Career[link]

Panatta was born in Rome. His father was the caretaker of the Tennis Club Parioli, and as a youngster he learned to play the game on the club's clay courts. He became a successful European junior player before turning professional.

In his early career, Panatta won top-level professional titles at Bournemouth in 1973, Florence in 1974, and at Kitzbühel and Stockholm in 1975.

The pinnacle of his career arrived in but 1976, when he won the French Open defeating Harold Solomon in the final 6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6 (in the first round he had saved a match point against the Czechoslovakian Pavel Hutka). In the same year he also won the Italian Open (having saved 11 match points in his first round match against the Australian Kim Warwick) beating Guillermo Vilas in the final (2–6, 7–6, 6–2, 7–6). He finished off 1976 by helping Italy capture its first-ever Davis Cup title, winning two singles and a doubles rubber in the final against Chile. He reached his career-high singles ranking of World No. 4 that year.

Panatta is the only player to have defeated Björn Borg at the French Open. He achieved this feat twice – in the fourth round in 1973 (7–6, 2–6, 7–5, 7–6), and in quarter-finals in 1976 (6–3, 6–3, 2–6, 7–6). He also faced Borg at the semi-final stage of the 1975 tournament; Borg won on this occasion in four sets.

In 1977, Panatta won the WCT tournament in Houston, where he managed to defeat Jimmy Connors and Vitas Gerulaitis. He followed this up with another title in Tokyo in 1978.

Panatta was less successful on fast surfaces. On grass courts, his most notable performance came in reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 1979. He was beaten at that stage by Pat Dupre in 5 sets (3–6, 6–4, 6–7, 6–4, 6–3).

After the 1976 Davis Cup triumph, Panatta helped Italy reach the Davis Cup final on three further occasions – in 1977, 1979 and 1980. The team lost to Australia in 1977, the United States in 1979, and to Czechoslovakia in 1980. Overall, Panatta compiled a 64-36 Davis Cup record (55-17 on clay).

Panatta's final career singles title came in 1980 at Florence. He retired from the professional tour in 1983.

Since retiring as a player, Panatta has gone on to serve as Captain of Italy's Davis Cup team and as Tournament Director of the Rome Masters. He is also a professional powerboat racer.

Grand Slam finals[link]

Singles: 1 (1-0)[link]

Win (1)

Year	Championship	Opponent in final	Score in final
1976	French Open	Harold Solomon	6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6

Singles titles (9)[link]

Outcome	No.	Date	Championship	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	1.	1972	Hamburg, Germany	Clay	Manuel Orantes	3–6, 8–9, 0–6
Runner-up	2.	1972	Gstaad, Switzerland	Clay	Andrés Gimeno	5–7, 8–9, 4–6
Runner-up	3.	1973	Valencia, Spain	Clay	Manuel Orantes	4–6, 4–6, 3–6
Runner-up	4.	1973	Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Ilie Năstase	1–6, 6–3, 1–6, 2–6
Runner-up	5.	1973	Nice, France	Clay	Manuel Orantes	6–7, 7–5, 6–4, 6–7, 10–12
Runner-up	6.	1973	Madrid, Spain	Clay	Ilie Năstase	3–6, 6–7, 7–5, 1–6
Runner-up	7.	1973	Florence, Italy	Clay	Ilie Năstase	3–6, 6–3, 6–0, 6–7, 4–6
Winner	1.	1973	Bournemouth, England	Clay	Ilie Năstase	6–8, 7–5, 6–3
Winner	2.	1974	Florence, Italy	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	6–3, 6–1
Runner-up	8.	1974	Båstad, Sweden	Clay	Björn Borg	3–6, 0–6, 7–6, 3–6
Winner	3.	1975	Kitzbühel, Austria	Clay	Jan Kodeš	2–6, 6–2, 7–5, 6–4
Runner-up	9.	1975	Madrid, Spain	Clay	Jan Kodeš	2–6, 6–3, 6–7, 2–6
Runner-up	10.	1975	Barcelona, Spain	Clay	Björn Borg	6–1, 6–7, 3–6, 2–6
Winner	4.	1975	Stockholm, Sweden	Hard (i)	Jimmy Connors	6–4, 6–3
Runner-up	11.	1975	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Clay	Guillermo Vilas	6–2, 2–6, 6–4
Winner	5.	1976	Rome, Italy	Clay	Guillermo Vilas	2–6, 7–6, 6–2, 7–6
Winner	6.	1976	French Open, Paris	Clay	Harold Solomon	6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6
Runner-up	12.	1976	Gstaad, Switzerland	Clay	Raúl Ramírez	5–7, 7–6, 1–6, 3–6
Winner	7.	1977	Houston WCT, U.S.	Clay	Vitas Gerulaitis	7–6, 6–7, 6–1
Runner-up	13.	1978	Rome, Italy	Clay	Björn Borg	6–1, 3–6, 1–6, 6–4, 3–6
Winner	8.	1978	Tokyo Outdoor, Japan	Clay	Pat Du Pré	6–3, 6–3
Runner-up	14.	1978	Bologna, Italy	Clay	Peter Fleming	2–6, 6–7
Winner	9.	1980	Florence, Italy	Clay	Raúl Ramírez	6–2, 2–6, 6–4
Runner-up	15.	1980	Geneva, Switzerland	Clay	Balázs Taróczy	3–6, 2–6
Runner-up	16.	1980	Paris Indoor, France	Carpet	Brian Gottfried	6–4, 3–6, 1–6, 6–7

Doubles titles (17)[link]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents in the final	Score in the final
Winner	1.	1973	Florence, Italy	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Juan Gisbert Ilie Năstase	6–3, 6–4
Winner	2.	1974	Florence, Italy	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Róbert Machán Balázs Taróczy	6–3, 3–6, 6–4
Winner	3.	1974	Båstad, Sweden	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Ove Nils Bengtson Björn Borg	3–6, 6–2, 6–4
Runner-up	1.	1975	Richmond WCT, U.S.	Carpet	Paolo Bertolucci	Hans Kary Fred McNair	6–7, 7–5, 6–7
Winner	4.	1975	Bologna WCT, Italy	Carpet	Paolo Bertolucci	Arthur Ashe Tom Okker	6–3, 3–6, 6–3
Runner-up	2.	1975	Barcelona WCT, Spain	Carpet	Paolo Bertolucci	Arthur Ashe Tom Okker	5–7, 1–6
Winner	5.	1975	London WCT, England	Carpet	Paolo Bertolucci	Jürgen Fassbender Hans-Jürgen Pohmann	6–3, 6–4
Winner	6.	1975	Kitzbühel, Austria	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Patrice Dominguez François Jauffret	6–2, 6–2, 7–6
Winner	7.	1975	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Jürgen Fassbender Hans-Jürgen Pohmann	7–6, 6–7, 6–4
Runner-up	3.	1976	Stockholm WCT, Sweden	Carpet	Tom Okker	22x20px Alex Metreveli Ilie Năstase	4–6, 5–7
Runner-up	4.	1976	Gstaad, Switzerland	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Jürgen Fassbender Hans-Jürgen Pohmann	5–7, 3–6, 3–6
Runner-up	5.	1977	Mexico City WCT, Mexico	Hard	Ilie Năstase	Wojtek Fibak Tom Okker	2–6, 3–6
Winner	8.	1977	St. Louis WCT, U.S.	Carpet	Ilie Năstase	Vijay Amritraj Dick Stockton	6–4, 3–6, 7–6
Winner	9.	1977	London WCT, England	Hard (i)	Ilie Năstase	Mark Cox Eddie Dibbs	7–6, 6–7, 6–3
Winner	10.	1977	Houston WCT, U.S.	Hard	Ilie Năstase	John Alexander Phil Dent	6–3, 6–4
Runner-up	6.	1977	Charlotte WCT, U.S.	Carpet	Corrado Barazzutti	Tom Okker Ken Rosewall	1–6, 6–3, 6–7
Runner-up	7.	1977	Masters Doubles WCT, New York	Carpet	Vitas Gerulaitis	Vijay Amritraj Dick Stockton	6–7, 6–7, 6–4, 3–6
Winner	11.	1978	Florence, Italy	Clay	Corrado Barazzutti	Mark Edmondson John Marks	6–3, 6–7, 6–3
Runner-up	8.	1979	Las Vegas, U.S.	Hard	Raúl Ramírez	Marty Riessen Sherwood Stewart	6–4, 4–6, 6–7
Winner	12.	1979	Florence, Italy	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Ivan Lendl Pavel Složil	6–4, 6–3
Winner	13.	1979	Barcelona, Spain	Carpet	Paolo Bertolucci	Carlos Kirmayr Cassio Motta	6–4, 6–3
Winner	14.	1980	Monte Carlo, Monaco	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Vitas Gerulaitis John McEnroe	6–2, 5–7, 6–3
Runner-up	9.	1980	Florence, Italy	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Gene Mayer Raúl Ramírez	1–6, 4–6
Winner	15.	1980	Paris Indoor, France	Carpet	Paolo Bertolucci	Brian Gottfried Raymond Moore	6–4, 6–4
Winner	16.	1981	Nancy, France	Hard (i)	Ilie Năstase	John Feaver Jiří Hřebec	6–4, 2–6, 6–4
Runner-up	10.	1981	Florence, Italy	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Raúl Ramírez Pavel Složil	3–6, 6–3, 3–6
Winner	17.	1982	Florence, Italy	Clay	Paolo Bertolucci	Sammy Giammalva Jr. Tony Giammalva	7–6, 6–1
Runner-up	11.	1984	Palermo, Italy	Clay	Henrik Sundström	Tomáš Šmíd Blaine Willenborg	7–6, 3–6, 0–6

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Official ATP profile
• Davis Cup record

Jimmy Connors

Country	United States
Residence	Santa Barbara, California
Born	(1952-09-02) September 2, 1952 (age 59) East St. Louis, Illinois
Height	5 ft 9 1⁄2 in (1.77 m)
Weight	150 lb (68 kg; 11 st)
Turned pro	1972, international debut in 1970
Retired	1996
Plays	Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	US$8,641,040
Int. Tennis HOF	1998 (member page)
Singles
Career record	1241–277 (81.75% at ATP Tour, Grand Prix tour, WCT tour, and Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	148 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, 1980, 1984, 1985)
Wimbledon	W (1974, 1982)
US Open	W (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	W (1977) WCT Finals (1977,1980)
Doubles
Career record	173–78 (68.9% at ATP Tour, Grand Prix tour, WCT tour, and Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles	15
Highest ranking	No. 370 (March 1, 1993)
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open	F (1973)
Wimbledon	W (1973)
US Open	W (1975)
Last updated on: August 28, 2007.

James Scott "Jimmy" Connors (born September 2, 1952, in East St. Louis, Illinois)^[1] is a former world no. 1 tennis player from the United States. He is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.^[2][3]

Connors won eight Grand Slam singles titles and two Grand Slam doubles titles with Ilie Năstase. He was also a runner-up seven times in Grand Slam singles, a doubles runner-up with Năstase at the 1973 French Open, and a mixed doubles runner-up with Chris Evert at the 1974 US Open. He held the top ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from July 29, 1974 to August 22, 1977 and an additional eight times during his career for a total of 268 weeks

In 1974, Connors became the second male in the open era to win three or more Grand Slam singles titles in a calendar year (Rod Laver being the first in 1969 and having been joined since by Mats Wilander, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic). Connors is also the only man to win U.S. Open singles championships on grass, clay, and hard courts.

Connors' career win-loss record of 1241-277 (81.75%) is third after Björn Borg (82.7%) and Ivan Lendl (81.8%), and he holds the record for total number of wins for a male player.

Connors won three year-end championship titles, including two WCT Finals and one Masters Grand Prix. He also won 18 Championship Series titles (1973–1984). He was the first male player to rank no. 1 for more than 200 weeks in total and the first male player to be no. 1 for more than five years in total. He is the only male player to win more than 100 singles titles during his career. He also holds the records for the most Grand Slam semifinals (31) and most Grand Slam quarterfinals (41) reached.

Career[link]

Early years[link]

Connors grew up in Belleville, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. He played in his first U.S. Championship, the U.S. boys' 11-and-under of 1961, when he was only eight years old. Connors' mother, Gloria, took him to Southern California to be coached by Pancho Segura, starting at age 16, in 1968.^[4]

In 1970, Connors 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 and attaining All-American status. He turned professional in 1972 and won his first tournament at Jacksonville.

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 and a clever promoter. However, Connors played in other tournaments and made his first big splash by winning the 1973 U.S. Pro Singles, his first significant title, toppling Arthur Ashe in a five-set final, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6. 6-2.

Peak years[link]

Connors won eight Grand Slam singles championships: five U.S. Opens, two Wimbledons, one Australian Open. He did not participate in the French Open during his peak years (1974–78) only played in two Australian Opens in his entire career, winning it in 1974 and reaching the final in 1975.

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 in the French Open in his prime, he was still able to reach the semifinals four times in his later years.

In 1974, Connors was by far the most dominant player. He had a stunning 99-4 record that year and won 15 tournaments, including all the Grand Slam singles titles except the French Open. The French Open did not allow Connors to participate due to his association with World Team Tennis (WTT). However, he won the Australian Open, defeating Phil Dent in four sets. He also beat Ken Rosewall in straight sets in the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open. His exclusion from the French Open may have prevented him from becoming the first man player since Rod Laver to win all four Major singles titles in a calendar year.

In the open era, Connors is one of only six men to win three or more Grand Slam singles titles in a calendar year. Others include: Rod Laver who won the Grand Slam in 1969; Mats Wilander won the Australian, French and US Open in 1988; Roger Federer won the Australian, Wimbledon and US Open in 2004, 2006 and 2007; Rafael Nadal won the French, Wimbledon, and US Open in 2010; and Novak Djokovic won the Australian, Wimbledon, and US Open in 2011.

Connors reached the 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 considered the year-end no. 1 player from 1974 through 1978 and held the world no. 1 ranking for a total of 268 weeks during his career.

Contemporaries and rivalries[link]

Contemporaries included Eddie Dibbs, Brian Gottfried, Raúl Ramírez, Harold Solomon, Dick Stockton, Roscoe Tanner, and Guillermo Vilas. Older rivals included Arthur Ashe, Phil Dent, Rod Laver, Ilie Năstase, John Newcombe, Manuel Orantes, Ken Rosewall, and Stan Smith. Younger opponents included Björn Borg, Vitas Gerulaitis, Ivan Lendl, and John McEnroe.

Björn Borg[link]

During his best years of 1974 through 1978, Connors was challenged the most by Borg, with twelve matches on tour during that timeframe. 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 eventually ended up with a tour record of 8-15 against Borg. However, Borg is four years younger than Connors and had a losing record against Connors until Borg 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[link]

Nastase was another rival in Connors' prime, with Connors winning five of their eight meetings from 1974 through 1978. Interestingly, they only met once in 1974, which was Connors' best year. The two would team up to win the doubles championships at the 1973 Wimbledon and the 1975 US Open.

Manuel Orantes and Guillermo Vilas[link]

As the world no. 1, Connors went 7-2 against Orantes, but Orantes beat Connors in the final of the 1975 US Open. Connors was 2-2 against Vilas during those years, but Vilas won the 1977 US Open final against Connors.

Rod Laver and John Newcombe[link]

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. The first match, in February and billed as $100,000 ($431,911 today) winner-takes-all, was against Laver. Connors won that match, 6–4, 6–2, 3–6, 7–5. In April, Connors met Newcombe in a match billed as a $250,000 winner-takes-all. Connors won the match, 6–3, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4. Connors would end his business relationship with Riordan later in 1975.

Connors played Newcombe in only two tour events from 1974 to 1978, with Newcombe winning the 1975 Australian Open and Connors taking the 1978 Sydney Indoor. Connors won all three meetings with Rod Laver in tour events.

Maverick[link]

In 1974, Connors and Riordan began filing lawsuits, amounting to $10 million, against the ATP and its president, Arthur Ashe, for allegedly restricting his freedom in the game. The lawsuits stemmed from the French Open banning Connors in 1974 after he had signed a contract to play World Team Tennis (WTT) for the Baltimore Banners. Connors was seeking to enter the French Open, but the ATP and French officials opposed WTT because of scheduling conflicts, so the entries of WTT players were refused between 1974 and 1978. Connors dropped Riordan and the lawsuits shortly thereafter^[when?].

Despite this turnabout, 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 also irritated sponsors and tennis officials by shunning the end-of-year Masters championship from 1974 through 1976. However, he entered this round-robin competition in 1977 when it moved to New York City. Although Connors lost a celebrated late-night match to Vilas, 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, he took the title by defeating Borg in the final, 6–4, 1–6, 6–4.

Later years[link]

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[link]

Connors' best win during 1979-81 was the 1980 WCT Finals, when he defeated the defending champion, John McEnroe. McEnroe and Borg were battling for the top spot in those years, while Connors played the role of the spoiler. However, 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(2), 7–6(5), 6–4, and claim his second Wimbledon title, eight years after his first. Although Connors' tour record against McEnroe is 14-20, McEnroe is six 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 and McEnroe winning the 1984 Wimbledon.

Ivan Lendl[link]

Connors defeated another of the next generation of tennis stars, Ivan Lendl, in the 1982 U.S. Open final and soon regained the world no. 1 ranking. Connors has a tour record of 13-22 against Lendl, but Lendl is seven years younger than Connors and had a losing record against Connors until he won their last seventeen matches from 1984 through 1992, well after Connors' prime. Head to head in major championship finals, Connors took both meetings, winning the 1982 and 1983 U.S. Opens.

A low point in Connors' 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 $20,000 fine and accepted a ten-week suspension from the professional tour, starting March 30. He was forced to miss the French Open. 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.

Respected elder[link]

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.

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. Ironically, Connors walked off the court after hitting a winner against Chang.

The defining moment of Connors' later career came when he made an improbable run to the 1991 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 defeated Paul Haarhuis in the quarterfinals before suffering a defeat to Jim Courier.

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 Martina Navratilova in the third Battle of the Sexes tennis match at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Connors was allowed only one serve per point and Navratilova was allowed to hit into half the doubles court. Connors won, 7–5, 6–2.

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' 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.^[5]

Distinctions and honors[link]

Connors won a male record 109 singles titles.^[6] He also won 15 doubles titles (including the men's doubles titles at Wimbledon in 1973 and the US Open in 1975).

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.^[7]

Connors 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. He played 401 tournaments and through many years it was a record until Fabrice Santoro overcame it in 2008.^[8]

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 reached the semifinals or better of Grand Slam Men's Singles events a total of 31 times, an all time record. This achievement is particularly remarkable considering that he entered the Australian Open Men's Singles only twice and that he did not enter the French Open Men's Singles for five of his peak career years. Roger Federer holds the record for most consecutive semifinal appearances at these events and is one semifinal away from equalling Connors' total career number in this category.

Connors was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998 and Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Hall of Fame in 1986.

Playing style[link]

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."^[9] 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."^[1]

His on-court antics, designed to get the crowd involved, both helped and hurt his play. 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."^[9] 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.^[10] 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, 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 Pancho Segura at age 16. Segura advanced Connors' game of hitting the ball on the rise which enabled Connors to reflect the power and velocity of his opponents back at them. Segura was the master strategist in developing Jimmy's complete game. In the 1975 Wimbledon final, Arthur Ashe countered this strategy by taking the pace off the ball, giving Connors only soft junk shots (dinks, drop shots, and lobs) to hit.

Ashe and Connors did not get along, as Ashe frequently criticized Connors for playing in lucrative exhibitions instead of representing his country in Davis Cup competition.^{[citation needed]} Connors' racial insensitivity also played a role; while playing Ashe in an exhibition in South Africa, he derisively complained that the pro-Ashe crowd reminded him of Harlem.^{[citation needed]} He was denied the opportunity to play the French Open and sued Ashe, et al., due to Ashe's role in the ban.^{[citation needed]} They settled out of court after Ashe defeated Connors in the 1975 Wimbledon final. The enmity Connors held for Ashe continued even after Ashe's death, as Connors refused to attend the US Open Champions Ceremony during the christening of Arthur Ashe Stadium in 1997.^{[citation needed]}

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^[who?] 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 Năstase and Chris Evert and amassed 15 doubles titles during his career.

Racket evolution[link]

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.^[11] "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."^[12]

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."^[12]

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]

Connors used lead tape which he would wind around the racquet head to provide the proper "feel" for his style of game.

Commentating[link]

Connors did commentary with NBC in 1990 and 1991, during their coverage of the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments. During the Wimbledon tournaments of 2005, 2006 and 2007, Connors commentated for the BBC alongside John McEnroe (among others), providing moments of heated discussion between two former arch-rivals. Connors has also served as a commentator and analyst for the Tennis Channel since the 2009 US Open tournament.^[13]

Coaching[link]

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[link]

In 1968, Connors' mother Gloria sent her son to work with Pancho Segura in Southern California. Segura refined his game, mentored him, and provided the court strategy that made Jimmy great.

In 1979, Connors married Playboy model Patti McGuire. They have two children and live in the Santa Barbara, California area.^[14]

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 metropolitan area of East Alton, Illinois.^[15] 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, for $1.9 million from Union Planters Bank, which had foreclosed on John. John had opened the casino in 1995 with announced plans to include a Jimmy Connors theme area.^[16] It was shuttered in 1998 and became a magnet 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.^[17]

In October 2005, 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.^[18]

On November 21, 2008, Connors was arrested outside an NCAA Basketball 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.^[19] The charges were dismissed by a judge on February 10, 2009.^[20][21]

In December 2010, Douglas Henderson Jr., a long-time Connors associate and close friend, published Endeavor to Persevere, his book detailing his relationship with Connors and Arthur Ashe.[1]

Career statistics[link]

Singles performance timeline[link]

Key

Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series).

Records[link]

• These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
• Combined tours included Association of Tennis Professionals, Grand Prix Circuit, World Championship Tennis.
• Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
• ^ Denotes consecutive streak.

Professional awards[link]

• ITF World Champion: 1982
• ATP Player of the Year: 1982
• ATP Comeback Player of the Year: 1991

See also[link]

Tennis portal

• List of open era tennis records
• List of Grand Slam related tennis records
• ATP World Tour records
• Tennis male players statistics
• World number one male tennis player rankings
• Borg-Connors rivalry
• Connors–McEnroe rivalry

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• 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. ASIN B004EYTBHG. 
• Seebohm, Caroline, (2009), Little Pancho

Video[link]

• 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 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[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jimmy Connors

• Jimmy Connors at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Jimmy Connors at the International Tennis Federation
• Jimmy Connors at the Davis Cup
• Jimmy Connors at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Official Wimbledon website profile
• BBC profile