James Scott Connors (born September 2, 1952) is an American former professional tennis player as well as an author, a tennis commentator, and a coach. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 268 weeks (fifth-most of all time), and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Known for his fiery competitiveness, Connors holds three prominent Open Era men's singles records: 109 titles, 1,557 matches played, and 1,274 match wins. His titles include eight singles majors (an Open Era joint-record five US Opens, two Wimbledons, and one Australian Open) and three year-end championships. In 1974, he became the second man in the Open Era to win three major titles in a calendar year; he was not permitted to participate in the fourth, the French Open. His playing career ended in 1996.
Early life Born September 2, 1952, Connors grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. He was raised Catholic. During his childhood, he was coached and trained by his mother Gloria and grandmother Bertha. His father, Jim Connors, was a toll bridge operator. His paternal grandfather, John Connors, was the mayor of East St. Louis from 1939 to 1951.
Connors played in his first U.S. Championship, the U.S. boys' 11-and-under of 1961, when he was nine years old. Connors's mother took him to Southern California to be coached by Pancho Segura in 1968;Caroline Seebohm: Little Pancho (2009) however, she remained his coach and manager. He and his brother, John "Johnny" Connors, attended St. Phillip's grade school. Connors won the Junior Orange Bowl in both the 12- and the 14-year categories.
Career 1970–1971 In August 1970, Connors recorded his first match win in the first round of the Haverford tournament, beating Jean-Baptiste Chanfreau. In his first US Open, Connors lost in round one to Mark Cox. At Pacific Southwest Open in Los Angeles, he defeated Roy Emerson before losing to Clark Graebner in the last 16, where he was described by the Los Angeles Times as the "Cinderfella of tennis" and "the kid with a magic wand for a backhand". In 1971, Connors won the NCAA singles title as a Freshman while attending UCLA and attained All-American status. He reached his first ATP Tour finals at Columbus (losing to Tom Gorman) and Los Angeles (beating newly crowned US Open champion Stan Smith before losing to 43 year old Pancho Gonzales).
1972–1973 Connors turned professional in 1972 and won his first tournament, the Jacksonville Open, quickly followed by his second at Roanoke, third at Queen's Club, fourth at Columbus, fifth at Cincinnati and sixth at Albany. 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. At Wimbledon, where WCT pros were banned, Connors reached the quarter finals before losing to Ilie Nastase in straight sets. Connors won the 1973 U.S. Pro, defeating Arthur Ashe in a five-set final, one of 11 tournaments Connors won that year. Because he was not a member of the ATP, he did not boycott Wimbledon 1973 and reached the quarter finals, losing in four sets to Alex Metreveli in a match in which Connors "failed badly with volleys". Newcombe remarked that Connors's weak point was his volley and said "I felt I was on top of Jimmy's best weapon, his return of serve" after beating Connors in straight sets in the US Open quarter finals.
1974
Connors had a 93–4 record in 1974 and won 15 tournaments of the 21 he entered, including three of the four Grand Slam singles titles. Connors won the Australian Open, which began in late December 1973 and concluded on January 1, 1974, defeating Phil Dent in a "dour" four-set final. He beat Ken Rosewall in straight sets in the final of Wimbledon, losing just six games. He allowed Rosewall just two games in the US Open final in the most one-sided men's singles final in the tournament's history. "From the moment I took the court and hit the first ball, I felt I was gliding. I was on a cloud. It was a terrific feeling” said Connors afterwards. Connors was the second man in the Open Era to win three Grand Slams in a calendar year. Connors did not participate in the French Open during his peak years (1974–78), as he was banned from playing by the event in 1974 due to his association with World Team Tennis (WTT) and in the other four years chose not to participate. His exclusion from the French Open denied him the opportunity to become the second male player of the Open era, after Rod Laver, to win all four major singles titles in a calendar year. Connors is one of thirteen men to win three or more major singles titles in a calendar year. He chose not to participate in the season-ending Masters Cup between the top eight players of the world and was not eligible for the World Championship Tennis (WCT) finals because he did not compete in the WCT's regular tournaments. Connors finished 1974 at the top of ATP Point Rankings. He also was the recipient of the Martini and Rossi Award, voted for by a panel of journalists and was ranked world No. 1 by Rex Bellamy,The Times (London), January 3, 1975, p. 6 Tennis Magazine (U.S.), Rino Tommasi,Almanacco illustrato del tennis 1989, Edizioni Panini, p.694 World Tennis, Bud Collins, Judith Elian and Lance Tingay.
1975 Connors reached the finals of Wimbledon (losing in four sets to Arthur Ashe), the US Open (where Manuel Orantes "destroyed Connors' usually furious attacking game with popcorn balls") and the Australian Open (losing 9–7 on a fourth set tie break to John Newcombe). He never played in the Australian Open again. He won nine of the tournaments he entered achieving an 82–8 record. While he earned enough points to retain the ATP No. 1 ranking the entire year and was ranked number one by Rino Tommasi, all other tennis authorities, including the ATP, named Arthur Ashe, who defeated Connors at Wimbledon, as the Player of the Year. He once again did not participate in the Masters Cup or the WCT Finals.
1976 Connors lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon to Roscoe Tanner. At the US Open, Connors captured the title once again (defeating Björn Borg). After the match, Borg said “it was a very good match. It was the best Jimmy has ever played against me. He hit everything on the lines, everything in the corners. I couldn't do anything. Usually, you play like that for one and a half sets and start missing. But he was very consistent." He won 12 events, including the U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia, Palm Springs and Las Vegas, he achieved a record of 90–8 and defeated Borg all four times they played. He was ranked No. 1 by the ATP for the entire year and was ranked number one by World Tennis, Tennis Magazine (U.S.), Bud Collins, Lance Tingay, and Tommasi. The ATP named Borg as its Player of the Year.
1977 At Wimbledon 1977, playing with an injured right thumb, Connors lost in the final to Borg 6–4 in the fifth set. In the US Open final on a windy day Connors lost in four sets to Guillermo Vilas (it was the only match in the tournament to go beyond three sets). Connors captured both the Masters (beating Borg in the final) and the WCT Finals (over Dick Stockton in the final). While Connors held on to the ATP No. 1 ranking, World Tennis Magazine and other sourcesMultiple sources: Tennis Magazine (France) (March 1978)
La fabuleuse histoire du Tennis (1984) ranked Borg or Vilas No. 1. Connors won eight tournaments that year.
1978 In the Wimbledon final against Borg, Connors "seemed dispirited throughout the match and played without his usual animation", as he lost in straight sets. Connors defeated Borg in the US Open final (played on hardcourt for the inaugural time). The Los Angeles Times described the match by saying "Connors played smashingly, as he has all tournament, pressuring Borg from the start. Yet Borg looked nothing like the broad-shouldered, power-hitting Swede who dominated Connors in straight sets at Wimbledon." Borg was suffering from an infected callous on his thumb but said "it was little bit tender earlier today, but it did not bother me during the match. Jimmy was just too good today." 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). Connors won ten tournaments in 1978, including the U.S. Pro Indoor. While he retained the ATP No. 1 ranking at the end of the year, the ATP and most tennis authorities rated Borg, who also won the French Open, as the player of the year.Multiple sources:
Tennis Magazine (France) (March 1979)
Connors reached the ATP 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. Connors was the year-end No. 1 player from 1974 through 1978 and held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 268 weeks during his career. Connors relinquished his initial grip (160 weeks) on the No. 1 ranking for only one week, from August 23 to 30, 1977, before resuming as No. 1 for another 84 weeks.
1979 At the French Open, he lost in the semi finals in four sets to Victor Pecci. "He's just clubbing the ball, hitting it with everything he's got" said Connors afterwards. At Wimbledon, Connors lost in the semi finals in straight sets to Borg. At the US Open, Connors lost in the semi finals in straight sets to John McEnroe, making 62 unforced errors. He reached the semifinals at the Masters (losing to Gerulaitis for the first time since 1972). Afterwards Gerulaitis said "nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row!" Connors won eight tournaments in 1979.
1980 Gerulaitis played a "patient clay court game" to beat Connors in five sets in the French Open semi finals. At Wimbledon, Connors lost in four sets to McEnroe in the semi finals when McEnroe's antics caused the two men to clash: "Keep your mouth shut out here" shouted Connors to his opponent. At the US Open the two men met again in the semi finals. It was described as "one of the finest and most spectacular contests in history" and once again McEnroe's temper was on display as he called the umpire "Mr. Incompetent" and at one stage was angrily disputing a call and let go of his racket, which sailed over Connors's head (McEnroe claimed it was "accidental"). McEnroe won on a fifth set tie break. He reached the semi finals of the 1980 Masters (losing his eighth consecutive match to Borg), but he did win the WCT Finals in 1980, beating McEnroe in four sets in the final. He won six tournaments in 1980.
1981 Despite leading 2 sets to 1 and 2–0 in the fourth set, Connors lost in five sets to José Luis Clerc in the quarter finals of the French Open. Connors lost his tenth consecutive match to Borg in the Wimbledon semi finals, despite winning the first two sets. At the US Open, Borg served 14 aces in 15 service games and beat Connors in straight sets in the semi finals. He won four tournaments in 1981, including a five set victory over McEnroe in the final of the Wembley championships in which McEnroe was fined for whacking a microphone with his racket.
1982