Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors
Jimmy connors.jpg
Country United States
Residence Santa Barbara, California
Date of birth September 2, 1952 (1952-09-02) (age 58)
Place of birth East St. Louis, Illinois
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Weight 70 kg (150 lb; 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 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)
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)
Last updated on: August 28, 2007.

James Scott "Jimmy" Connors (born September 2, 1952, in East St. Louis, Illinois, also known as "Jimbo")[1] is an American former World No. 1 tennis player and is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He held the top ranking for 160 consecutive weeks from July 29, 1974, to August 29, 1977, and an additional eight times during his career (a total of 268 weeks). He won eight Grand Slam singles titles and two Grand Slam doubles titles with Ilie Năstase and was the mixed doubles runner-up with Chris Evert at the 1974 US Open. 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 (1975–77) when that tournament was held on clay courts. Connors is, therefore, one of only five men (Mats Wilander, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer 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 grass courts, hard courts, and clay courts, the only man to accomplish that trio of wins.

Contents

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. The lawsuits began as a result of Connors being banned from the French Open in 1974 after he had signed a contract to play World Team Tennis (WTT) for the Baltimore Banners. 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. The first match, in February and billed as US$100,000 ($408,065 in current dollar terms) winner-takes-all, was against Rod Laver, 14 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 6–3, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4.

Björn Borg, John McEnroe, and later years

Connors had shining moments against Björn Borg, John McEnroe, and Ivan Lendl, all of whom rose to prominence after Connors peaked. 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 U.S. Open at the age of 39.

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(11–9), 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.

In 1982, at age 29, 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 (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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

Connors won a male record 109 singles titles.[2] 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.[3]

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.[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 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, but he falls short of 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

Larry Schwartz on ESPN.com said about Connors, "His biggest weapons were an indomitable spirit, a two-handed backhand and the best service return in the game. It is difficult to say which was more instrumental in Connors becoming a champion. ... Though smaller than most of his competitors, Connors didn't let it bother him, making up for a lack of size with determination."[5] 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."[5] 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.[6] 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 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. Connors' racial insensitivity also played a role, as while playing Ashe in an exhibition in South Africa, he derisively complained that the pro-Ashe crowd reminded him of Harlem. When Connors 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 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 U.S. Open Champions Ceremony during the christening of Arthur Ashe Stadium in 1997.

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 Năstase 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.[7] "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."[8]

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."[8]

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.[8].

Connors used 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 also served as an analyst for the Tennis Channel at the 2009 US Open[9].

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 November 1974, but it was called off. In 1979, Connors married Playboy model Patti McGuire. They have two children and live in the Santa Barbara, California area.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]

In the spring of 2006, Connors had successful hip-replacement surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.[14]

On January 8, 2007, Connors's mother and long-time coach, Gloria, died at the age of 82.[15]

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.[16] The charges were dismissed by a judge on February 10, 2009.[17]

Records

Championship Years Record accomplished Player tied
US Open 1974–1983 5 wins overall Pete Sampras
Roger Federer1
U.S. Open 1974–1985 12 consecutive semi-finals Stands alone
Wimbledon 1972–1982 11 consecutive quarterfinals Stands alone

1(Federer not only has won 5 titles, but he has won his titles consecutively.)

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 15 finals (8 titles, 7 runner-ups)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner 1974 Australian Open Grass Australia Phil Dent 7–6(7), 6–4, 4–6, 6–3
Winner 1974 Wimbledon Grass Australia Ken Rosewall 6–1, 6–1, 6–4
Winner 1974 US Open Grass Australia Ken Rosewall 6–1, 6–0, 6–1
Runner-up 1975 Australian Open Grass Australia John Newcombe 7–5, 3–6, 6–4, 7–6(7)
Runner-up 1975 Wimbledon Grass United States Arthur Ashe 6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4
Runner-up 1975 US Open Clay Spain Manuel Orantes 6–4, 6–3, 6–3
Winner 1976 US Open (2) Clay Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(9), 6–4
Runner-up 1977 Wimbledon (2) Grass Sweden Björn Borg 3–6, 6–2, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4
Runner-up 1977 US Open (2) Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas 2–6, 6–3, 7–6(4), 6–0
Runner-up 1978 Wimbledon (3) Grass Sweden Björn Borg 6–2, 6–2, 6–3
Winner 1978 US Open (3) Hard Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
Winner 1982 Wimbledon (2) Grass United States John McEnroe 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(2), 7–6(5), 6–4
Winner 1982 US Open (4) Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4
Winner 1983 US Open (5) Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–7(2), 7–5, 6–0
Runner-up 1984 Wimbledon (4) Grass United States John McEnroe 6–1, 6–1, 6–2

Doubles: 3 finals (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1973 French Open Clay Romania Ilie Năstase Australia John Newcombe
Netherlands Tom Okker		 6–1, 3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4
Winner 1973 Wimbledon Grass Romania Ilie Năstase Australia John Cooper
Australia Neale Fraser		 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 8–9 (3), 6–1
Winner 1975 US Open Clay Romania Ilie Năstase Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen		 6–4, 7–6

Mixed doubles: 1 final (1 runner-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1974 US Open Grass United States Chris Evert United States Pam Teeguarden
Australia Geoff Masters		 6–1, 7–6

Grand Slam results

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 NH 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 W RR SF SF RR SF SF SF A 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 (148) 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

Grand Slam, WCT, and Grand Prix singles titles

Singles titles listed by the Association of Tennis Professionals—ATP (109), 107 in the Web site and 2 others in the Players' Guide.

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 1972 Jacksonville, U.S. Hard (i) United States Clark Graebner 7–5, 6–4
2. 1972 * Roanoke, U.S. (1) Hard (i) Czechoslovakia Vladimír Zedník 6–4, 7–6
3. 1972 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom (1) Grass United Kingdom John Paish 6–2, 6–3
4. 1972 Columbus, U.S. (1) Hard Rhodesia Andrew Pattison 7–5, 6–3, 7–5
5. 1972 Cincinnati, U.S. Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6–3, 6–3
6. 1972 Albany, U.S. Carpet United States Roscoe Tanner 6–2, 7–6
7. 1973 Baltimore, U.S. Hard (i) United States Sandy Mayer 6–4, 7–5
8. 1973 Roanoke, U.S.(2) Hard (i) Australia Ian Fletcher 6–2, 6–3
9. 1973 Salt Lake City, U.S. (1) Hard (i) United States Paul Gerken 6–1, 6–2
10. 1973 Salisbury, U.S. (1) Hard (i) West Germany Karl Meiler 7–6, 7–6, 6–3
11. 1973 Hampton, U.S. (1) Hard (i) Romania Ilie Năstase 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–3
12. 1973 Paramus, U.S. Hard (i) United States Clark Graebner 6–1, 6–2
13. 1973 Boston, U.S. Hard United States Arthur Ashe 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2
14. 1973 Columbus, U.S. (2) Hard United States Charlie Pasarell 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
15. 1973 Los Angeles, U.S. (1) Hard Netherlands Tom Okker 7–5, 7–6
16. 1973 Quebec, Canada Carpet United States Marty Riessen 6–1, 6–4, 6–7, 6–0
17. 1973 Johannesburg, South Africa (1) Hard United States Arthur Ashe 6–4, 7–6, 6–3
18. 1974 Australian Open Grass Australia Phil Dent 7–6(7), 6–4, 4–6, 6–3
19. 1974 Roanoke, U.S. (3) Hard (i) West Germany Karl Meiler 6–4, 6–3
20. 1974 Little Rock, U.S. Carpet West Germany Karl Meiler 6–2, 6–1
21. 1974 Birmingham, U.S. (1) Carpet United States Sandy Mayer 7–5, 6–3
22. 1974 Salisbury, U.S. (2) Carpet South Africa Frew McMillan 6–4, 7–5, 6–3
23. 1974 Hampton, U.S. (2) Carpet Romania Ilie Năstase 6–4, 6–4
24. 1974 Salt Lake City, U.S. (2) Carpet United States Vitas Gerulaitis 4–6, 7–6, 6–3
25. 1974 Tempe, U.S. Hard India Vijay Amritraj 6–2, 6–3
26. 1974 Manchester, United Kingdom Grass United Kingdom Mike Collins 13–11, 6–2
27. 1974 Wimbledon (1) Grass Australia Ken Rosewall 6–1, 6–1, 6–4
28. 1974 Indianapolis, U.S. (1) Clay Sweden Björn Borg 5–7, 6–3, 6–4
29. 1974 US Open (1) Grass Australia Ken Rosewall 6–1, 6–0, 6–1
30. 1974 Los Angeles, U.S. (2) Hard United States Harold Solomon 6–3, 6–1
31. 1974 London – Dewar Cup, United Kingdom Carpet United States Brian Gottfried 6–2, 7–6
32. 1974 Johannesburg, South Africa (2) Hard United States Arthur Ashe 7–6, 6–3, 6–1
33. 1975 Nassau, Bahamas Hard West Germany Karl Meiler 6–0, 6–2
34. 1975 Birmingham, U.S. (2) Carpet United States Billy Martin 6–4, 6–3
35. 1975 Salisbury, U.S. (3) Carpet United States Vitas Gerulaitis 5–7, 7–5, 6–1, 3–6, 6–0
36. 1975 Boca Raton, U.S. Hard West Germany Jürgen Fassbender 6–4, 6–2
37. 1975 Hampton, U.S. (3) Carpet Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš 3–6, 6–3, 6–0
38. 1975 Denver WCT, U.S. (1) Carpet United States Brian Gottfried 6–3, 6–4
39. 1975 North Conway, U.S. (1) Clay Australia Ken Rosewall 6–2, 6–2
40. 1975 Hamilton, Bermuda Clay United States Vitas Gerulaitis 6–1, 6–4
41. 1975 Maui, U.S. (1) Hard United States Sandy Mayer 6–1, 6–0
42. 1976 Birmingham, U.S. (3) Carpet United States Roscoe Tanner 6–4, 3–6, 6–1
43. 1976 Philadelphia WCT, U.S. (1) Carpet Sweden Björn Borg 7–6(5), 6–4, 6–0
44. 1976 Hampton, U.S. (4) Carpet Romania Ilie Năstase 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
45. 1976 Palm Springs, U.S. (1) Hard United States Roscoe Tanner 6–4, 6–4
46. 1976 Denver WCT, U.S. (2) Carpet Australia Ross Case 7–6(1), 6–2
47. 1976 Las Vegas, U.S. (1) Hard Australia Ken Rosewall 6–1, 6–3
48. 1976 Washington, D.C., U.S. (1) Clay Mexico Raúl Ramírez 6–2, 6–4
49. 1976 North Conway, U.S. (2) Clay Mexico Raúl Ramírez 7–6, 4–6, 6–3
50. 1976 Indianapolis, U.S. (2) Clay Poland Wojtek Fibak 6–2, 6–4
51. 1976 US Open (2) Clay Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(9), 6–4
52. 1976 Cologne, West Germany Carpet South Africa Frew McMillan 6–2, 6–3
53. 1976 Wembley, United Kingdom (1) Carpet United States Roscoe Tanner 3–6, 7–6, 6–4
54. 1977 Birmingham WCT, U.S. (4) Carpet United States Bill Scanlon 6–3, 6–3
55. 1977 St. Louis WCT, U.S. Carpet Australia John Alexander 7–6, 6–2
56. 1977 Las Vegas, U.S. (2) Hard Mexico Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 5–7, 6–2
57. 1977 Dallas WCT Finals, U.S. (1) Carpet United States Dick Stockton 6–7, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3
58. 1977 Maui, U.S. (2) Hard United States Brian Gottfried 6–2, 6–0
59. 1977 Sydney Indoor, Australia (1) Hard (i) Australia Ken Rosewall 7–5, 6–4, 6–2
60. 1977 Las Vegas – WCT Challenge Cup, U.S. Carpet United States Roscoe Tanner 6–2, 5–6, 3–6, 6–2, 6–5
61. 1977 Colgate Masters, New York City Carpet Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 1–6, 6–4
62. 1978 Philadelphia WCT, U.S. (2) Carpet United States Roscoe Tanner 6–2, 6–4, 6–3
63. 1978 Denver, U.S. (3) Carpet United States Stan Smith 6–2, 7–6
64. 1978 Memphis, U.S. (1) Carpet United States Tim Gullikson 7–6, 6–3
65. 1978 Rotterdam WCT, Netherlands (1) Carpet Mexico Raúl Ramírez 7–5, 7–5
66. 1978 Birmingham, United Kingdom Grass Mexico Raúl Ramírez 6–3, 6–1, 6–2
67. 1978 Washington, D.C., U.S. (2) Clay United States Eddie Dibbs 7–5, 7–5
68. 1978 Indianapolis, U.S. (3) Clay Spain José Higueras 7–5, 6–1
69. 1978 Stowe, U.S. (1) Hard United States Tim Gullikson 6–2, 6–3
70. 1978 US Open (3) Hard Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
71. 1978 Sydney Indoor, Australia (2) Hard (i) Australia Geoff Masters 6–0, 6–0, 6–4
72. 1979 Birmingham, U.S. (5) Carpet United States Eddie Dibbs 6–2, 3–6, 7–5
73. 1979 Philadelphia, U.S. (3) Carpet United States Arthur Ashe 6–3, 6–4, 6–1
74. 1979 * Dorado Beach – WCT Tournament of Champions,
Puerto Rico		 Hard United States Vitas Gerulaitis 6–5, 6–0, 6–4
75. 1979 Memphis, U.S. (2) Carpet United States Arthur Ashe 6–4, 5–7, 6–3
76. 1979 Tulsa, U.S. Hard (i) United States Eddie Dibbs 6–7, 7–5, 6–1
77. 1979 Indianapolis, U.S. (4) Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6–1, 2–6, 6–4
78. 1979 Stowe, U.S. (2) Hard United States Mike Cahill 6–0, 6–1
79. 1979 Hong Kong Hard United States Pat Du Pré 7–5, 6–3, 6–1
80. 1980 Birmingham, U.S. (6) Carpet United States Eliot Teltscher 6–3, 6–2
81. 1980 Philadelphia, U.S. (4) Carpet United States John McEnroe 6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4
82. 1980 Dallas WCT Finals, U.S. (2) Carpet United States John McEnroe 2–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–2
83. 1980 North Conway, U.S. (3) Clay United States Eddie Dibbs 6–3, 5–7, 6–1
84. 1980 Republic of China Carpet United States Eliot Teltscher 6–2, 6–4
85. 1980 Tokyo Indoor, Japan (1) Carpet United States Tom Gullikson 6–1, 6–2
86. 1981 La Quinta, U.S. (2) Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 7–6
87. 1981 Brussels, Belgium Carpet United States Brian Gottfried 6–2, 6–4, 6–3
88. 1981 Rotterdam, Netherlands (2) Carpet United States Gene Mayer 6–1, 2–6, 6–2
89. 1981 Wembley, United Kingdom (2) Carpet United States John McEnroe 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
90. 1982 Monterrey, Mexico Carpet South Africa Johan Kriek 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
91. 1982 Los Angeles, U.S. (3) Hard United States Mel Purcell 6–2, 6–1
92. 1982 Las Vegas, U.S. (3) Hard United States Gene Mayer 5–2, ret.
93. 1982 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom (2) Grass United States John McEnroe 7–5, 6–3
94. 1982 Wimbledon (2) Grass United States John McEnroe 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(2), 7–6(5), 6–4
95. 1982 Columbus, U.S. (3) Hard United States Brian Gottfried 7–5, 6–0
96. 1982 US Open (4) Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4
97. 1983 Memphis, U.S. (3) Carpet United States Gene Mayer 7–5, 6–0
98. 1983 Las Vegas, U.S. (4) Hard Australia Mark Edmondson 7–6, 6–1
99. 1983 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom (3) Grass United States John McEnroe 6–3, 6–3
100. 1983 US Open (5) Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–7(2), 7–5, 6–0
101. 1984 Memphis, U.S. (4) Carpet France Henri Leconte 6–3, 4–6, 7–5
102. 1984 La Quinta, U.S. (3) Hard France Yannick Noah 6–2, 6–7(7), 6–3
103. 1984 Boca West, U.S. Hard United States Johan Kriek 7–5, 6–4
104. 1984 Los Angeles, U.S. (4) Hard United States Eliot Teltscher 6–4, 4–6, 6–4
105. 1984 Tokyo Indoor, Japan (2) Carpet Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–4, 3–6, 6–0
106. 1988 Washington, D.C., U.S. (3) Hard Ecuador Andrés Gómez 6–1, 6–4
107. 1988 Toulouse, France (1) Carpet Soviet Union Andrei Chesnokov 6–2, 6–0
108. 1989 Toulouse, France (2) Carpet United States John McEnroe 6–3, 6–3
109. 1989 Tel Aviv, Israel Hard Israel Gilad Bloom 2–6, 6–2, 6–1

Grand Slam, WCT, and Grand Prix singles runner-ups

Listing 54, only 51 are listed by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 1971 Columbus, U.S. Hard United States Tom Gorman 6–7, 7–6, 4–6, 7–6, 6–3
2. 1971 Los Angeles, U.S. Hard United States Richard Pancho Gonzales 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
3. 1972 Baltimore, U.S. Hard Romania Ilie Năstase 1–6, 6–4, 7–6
4. 1972 Washington, D.C., U.S. Carpet United States Stan Smith 4–6, 6–1, 6–3, 4–6, 6–1
5. 1972 Indianapolis, U.S. Clay South Africa Bob Hewitt 7–6, 6–1, 6–2
6. 1973 Omaha, U.S. Hard (i) Romania Ilie Năstase 5–0, ret.
7. 1973 Bretton Woods, U.S. Clay India Vijay Amritraj 7–5, 2–6, 7–5
8. 1974 Omaha, U.S. Other West Germany Karl Meiler 6–3, 1–6, 6–3
9. 1974 South Orange, U.S. Hard Soviet Union Alex Metreveli DEF
10. 1975 Australian Open, Melbourne Grass Australia John Newcombe 7–5, 3–6, 6–4, 7–6
11. 1975 New York City, U.S. Indoor United States Vitas Gerulaitis DEF
12. 1975 Wimbledon, London Grass United States Arthur Ashe 6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4
13. 1975 US Open, New York City Clay Spain Manuel Orantes 6–4, 6–3, 6–3
14. 1975 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Italy Adriano Panatta 6–4, 6–3
15. 1975 London, United Kingdom Carpet United States Eddie Dibbs 1–6, 6–1, 7–5
16. 1976 Salisbury, U.S. Carpet Romania Ilie Năstase 6–2, 6–3, 7–6
17. 1976 La Costa WCT, U.S. Hard Romania Ilie Năstase 4–6, 6–0, 6–1
18. 1976 *Nottingham, United Kingdom Grass Romania Ilie Năstase div'd (weather)
19. 1976 Las Vegas, U.S. – WCT Challenge Cup Carpet Romania Ilie Năstase 3–6, 7–6, 6–4, 7–5
20. 1977 Philadelphia WCT, U.S. Carpet United States Dick Stockton 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 6–2
21. 1977 Toronto Indoor WCT, Canada Carpet United States Dick Stockton 5–6, ret.
22. 1977 Wimbledon, London Grass Sweden Björn Borg 3–6, 6–2, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4
23. 1977 **Boca Raton, U.S. – Pepsi Grand Slam Clay Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 5–7, 6–3
24. 1977 Indianapolis, U.S. Clay Spain Manuel Orantes 6–1, 6–3
25. 1977 US Open, New York City Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas 2–6, 6–3, 7–6, 6–0
26. 1978 **Boca Raton, U.S. – Pepsi Grand Slam Clay Sweden Björn Borg 7–6, 3–6, 6–1
27. 1978 Wimbledon, London Grass Sweden Björn Borg 6–2, 6–2, 6–3
28. 1979 **Boca Raton, U.S. – Pepsi Grand Slam Hard Sweden Björn Borg 6–2, 6–3
29. 1979 Las Vegas, U.S. Hard Sweden Björn Borg 6–3, 6–2
30. 1979 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet Sweden Björn Borg 6–2, 6–2
31. 1979 Montreal, Canada – WCT Challenge Cup Carpet Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4
32. 1980 Memphis, U.S. Carpet United States John McEnroe 7–6, 7–6
33. 1980 San José, Costa Rica Hard Argentina José Luis Clerc 4–6, 2–6, ret.
34. 1981 *Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Argentina Guillermo Vilas div'd (weather)
35. 1981 Hamburg, Germany Clay Australia Peter McNamara 7–6, 6–1, 4–6, 6–4
36. 1982 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet United States John McEnroe 6–3, 6–3, 6–1
37. 1982 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet Argentina Guillermo Vilas 0–6, 6–2, 6–4
38. 1982 Milan, Italy Carpet Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6–3, 6–3
39. 1982 San Francisco, U.S. Carpet United States John McEnroe 6–1, 6–3
40. 1983 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet United States John McEnroe 7–5, 6–1, 6–4
41. 1984 *Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–0, 1–0 div'd – match cancelled (bomb threat)
42. 1984 Dallas WCT, U.S. Carpet United States John McEnroe 6–1, 6–2, 6–3
43. 1984 Wimbledon, London Grass United States John McEnroe 6–1, 6–1, 6–2
44. 1985 Ft. Myers, U.S. Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–2
45. 1985 Chicago, U.S. Carpet United States John McEnroe walkover
46. 1986 Ft. Myers, U.S. Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–2, 6–0
47. 1986 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom Grass United States Tim Mayotte 6–4, 2–1, ret.
48. 1986 Cincinnati, U.S. Hard Sweden Mats Wilander 6–4, 6–1
49. 1986 San Francisco, U.S. Carpet United States John McEnroe 7–6, 6–3
50. 1987 Memphis, U.S. Hard (i) Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–3, 2–1, ret.
51. 1987 Orlando, U.S. Hard South Africa Christo van Rensburg 6–3, 3–6, 6–1
52. 1987 London/Queen's Club, United Kingdom Grass West Germany Boris Becker 6–7, 6–3, 6–4
53. 1988 Milan, Italy Carpet France Yannick Noah 4–4, ret.
54. 1988 Miami, U.S. Hard Sweden Mats Wilander 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4

Other Singles titles

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 – draw at least eight players (24).

Year Date Tournament Surface Prize Money Final Opponent Final Result Winners Prize
1972 August 14–20 Ocean City Hard ? Herb Fitzgibbon 6–3 6–2
1978 June 5–10 Beckenham – Kentish Times Tennis Week Grass Stan Smith 9–8 6–3
1978 November 23–26 Kobe & Tokyo – Gunze Invitational Carpet Ilie Năstase 6–2 6–4
1978 December 5–8 Lucerne Lucerne Invitational Carpet Tom Okker 6–1 6–1
1979 September 28–30 Asunción – Boqueron International Clay Guillermo Vilas 7–5 6–3
1980 May 15–18 Louisville International Classic  ? Eddie Dibbs 6–2 6–3
1980 August 4–10 Frejus – 8-men Round Robin Hard Roscoe Tanner 6–0 6–7 6–4
1980 October 8–12 Melbourne – Mazda Challenge Carpet Gene Mayer 1–6 6–2 6–0 7–5
1982 January 6–11 Rosemont – Michelob Light Challenge of Champions Carpet $310,000 John McEnroe 6–7 7–5 6–7 7–5 6–4
1982 September 29 – October 3 Montreal – Molson Light Challenge Cup Hard $250,000 Björn Borg 6–4 6–3 $80,000
1982 December 17–19 North Miami Beach – Nastase-Hamptons Invitational Hard $305,000 Brian Teacher 6–2 6–2 $80,000
1983 February 8–13 Toronto – Molson Challenge Carpet José Higueras 6–2 6–0 5–7 6–0
1983 May 12–15 Tulsa Bank of Oklahoma Tennis Classic Hard Roscoe Tanner 6–4 6–3
1983 July 28–31 Beaver Creek – Vail Beaver Creek Classic Hard Mats Wilander 7–6 6–2
1983 August 3–7 Newport Beach – High Stakes Hard $300,000 Tim Mayotte 6–3 6–4 6–2
1983 October 5–9 Vancouver Labbat's Invitational Carpet Bill Scanlon 6–1 6–2 6–2
1983 December 14–20 North Miami Beach – Nastase-Hamptons Invitational Hard $305,000 Ivan Lendl 6–3 7–6 6–1 $90,000
1984 January 3–8 Rosemont – Lite Challenge of Champions Carpet $250,000 Andrés Gómez 6–3 6–2 6–1
1985 April 25–28 Tulsa Bank of Oklahoma Tennis Classic Hard Yannick Noah 6–4 6–4
1985 July 26–29 Beaver Creek Kiva Tennis Classic Hard Mats Wilander 6–4 6–4
1985 July 30 – August 4 Stowe Head Cup Hard Gene Mayer 2–6 6–3 6–4
1986 April 24–27 Tulsa Bank of Oklahoma Tennis Classic Hard Kevin Curren 6–3 6–2
1986 September 11–14 Amelia Island Dupont All American Hard Aaron Krickstein 4–6 6–2 6–0
1987 July 16–19 Beaver Creek Vail Tennis Classic Hard Tim Mayotte 1–6 6–3 7–6

Other singles titles (under 8 players)

These are non-ATP, exhibition/invitational and special events – draw less than eight players (15)

Year Date Tournament Surface Final Opponent Final Result Winners Prize
1972 June 8–11 Nottingham – 4-men invitational Round Robin Grass Colin Dibley 4–6 7–6 7–5
1978 September 22–24 Buenos Aires – 4-men invitational Clay Björn Borg 5–7 6–3 6–3
1979 July 27–28 Montpellier Invitational Tennis Tournament – 4-men invitational Hard John McEnroe 7–6 2–6 7–5
1979 September 15–16 Rio de Janeiro – 4-men invitational Clay Guillermo Vilas 6–3 6–4 6–3
1979 October 3–5 Buenos Aires Indoor Round Robin Carpet Victor Pecci 6–2 1–6 6–2
1980 March 6–7 Munich – 4-men invitational Carpet Vitas Gerulaitis 6–1 6–7 6–4
1980 April 7–8 Tokyo – Suntory Cup Carpet John McEnroe 7–5 6–3
1981 April 11–12 Tokyo – Suntory Cup Carpet John McEnroe 6–4 7–6
1981 November 17–18 Tel Aviv – Golden Racquet Sabirna Gali  ? Ilie Năstase 6–4 6–2
1982 July 22–24 Industry Hills – $100,000 4-men invitational Hard Björn Borg 5–7 6–2 6–2 6–7 6–2 $50,000
1983 April 10–11 Tokyo – Suntory Cup Carpet Björn Borg 6–3 6–4
1983 July 8–10 Sun City – Round Robin Bophuthatswana Hard Ivan Lendl 7–5 7–6 $400,000
1983 October 15–16 Atlantic City Jimmy Connors Invitational  ? Gene Mayer 7–6 6–4
1986 April 19–20 Tokyo – Suntory Cup Carpet Mats Wilander 6–4 6–0
1989 May 5–7 Nîmes Clay Anders Järryd 6–2 6–3

Sources

The following are the sources for the information that is not on the Association of Tennis Professionals Web site:

Grand Slam, WCT, and Grand Prix doubles titles (15)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponent in the final Score
1. 1972 Columbus, U.S. Hard United States Pancho Gonzales United States Robert McKinley
United States Dick Stockton		 6–3, 7–5
2. 1972 Los Angeles WCT, U.S. Hard United States Pancho Gonzales Egypt Ismail El Shafei
New Zealand Brian Fairlie		 6–3, 4–6, 7–6
3. 1973 Baltimore WCT, U.S. Hard (i) United States Clark Graebner United States Paul Gerken
United States Sandy Mayer		 3–6, 6–2, 6–3
4. 1973 Wimbledon, London Grass Romania Ilie Năstase Australia John Cooper
Australia Neale Fraser		 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 8–9, 6–1
5. 1973 South Orange, U.S. Hard Romania Ilie Năstase United States Richard Pancho Gonzales
United States Tom Gorman		 6–7, 6–3, 6–2
6. 1973 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Romania Ilie Năstase Australia Bob Carmichael
South Africa Frew McMillan		 6–3, 6–7, 6–2
7. 1974 Salisbury, U.S. Carpet South Africa Frew McMillan South Africa Byron Bertram
Rhodesia Andrew Pattison		 3–6, 6–2, 6–1
8. 1974 Salt Lake City, U.S. Hard (i) United States Vitas Gerulaitis Colombia Iván Molina
Colombia Jairo Velasco		 2–6, 7–6, 7–5
9. 1974 Indianapolis, U.S. Clay Romania Ilie Năstase West Germany Jürgen Fassbender
West Germany Hans-Jürgen Pohmann		 6–7, 6–3, 6–4
10. 1974 London, United Kingdom Carpet Romania Ilie Năstase United States Brian Gottfried
Mexico Raúl Ramírez		 3–6, 7–6, 6–3
11. 1975 Salisbury, U.S. Carpet Romania Ilie Năstase Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš
United Kingdom Roger Taylor		 7–6, 6–2
12. 1975 South Orange, U.S. Clay Romania Ilie Năstase Australia Dick Crealy
United Kingdom John Lloyd		 6–2, 6–3
13. 1975 US Open, New York City Clay Romania Ilie Năstase Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen		 6–4, 7–6
14. 1976 Birmingham, U.S. Carpet United States Erik Van Dillen United States Hank Pfister
United States Dennis Ralston		 7–6, 6–4
15. 1980 North Conway, U.S. Clay United States Brian Gottfried South Africa Kevin Curren
United States Steve Denton		 7–6, 6–2

Grand Slam, WCT, and Grand Prix runner-ups (11)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponent in the final Score
1. 1971 New York City, U.S. Indoor Pakistan Haroon Rahim Spain Juan Gisbert
Spain Manuel Orantes		 7–6, 6–2
2. 1971 Columbus, U.S. Hard United States Roscoe Tanner United States Jim McManus
United States Jim Osborne		 6–7, 6–4, 6–2
3. 1973 Omaha, U.S. Hard (i) Spain Juan Gisbert United States William Brown
United States Mike Estep		 DEF
4. 1973 Hampton, U.S. Hard (i) Romania Ion Ţiriac United States Clark Graebner
Romania Ilie Năstase		 6–2, 6–1
5. 1973 French Open, Paris Clay Romania Ilie Năstase Australia John Newcombe
Netherlands Tom Okker		 6–1, 3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4
6. 1973 Los Angeles, U.S. Hard Romania Ilie Năstase Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš
Czechoslovakia Vladimir Zednik		 6–2, 6–4
7. 1973 Quebec, Canada Other United States Marty Riessen Australia Bob Carmichael
South Africa Frew McMillan		 6–2, 7–6
8. 1975 Rome, Italy Clay Romania Ilie Năstase United States Brian Gottfried
Mexico Raúl Ramírez		 6–4, 7–6, 2–6, 6–1
9. 1975 London, United Kingdom Carpet Romania Ilie Năstase Poland Wojtek Fibak
West Germany Karl Meiler		 6–1, 7–5
10. 1976 Denver WCT, U.S. Carpet United States Billy Martin Australia John Alexander
Australia Phil Dent		 6–7, 6–2, 7–5
11. 1976 Washington, D.C., U.S. Clay United States Arthur Ashe United States Brian Gottfried
Mexico Raúl Ramírez		 6–3, 6–3

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Holding Court". Vogue. 2007-08-01. http://www.mensvogue.com/health/articles/2007/08/connors?currentPage=1. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 
  2. ↑ James Scott Connors- International Hall of Fame
  3. ↑ Kramer considered the best player ever to have been either Don Budge (for consistent play) or Ellsworth Vines (at the height of his game). The next four best were, chronologically, Bill Tilden, Fred Perry, Bobby Riggs, and Pancho Gonzales. After these six came the "second echelon" of Rod Laver, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Gottfried von Cramm, Ted Schroeder, Jack Crawford, Pancho Segura, Frank Sedgman, Tony Trabert, John Newcombe, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Björn Borg, and Jimmy Connors. He felt unable to rank Henri Cochet and René Lacoste accurately but felt they were among the very best.
  4. ↑ James Scott Connors
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 ESPN
  6. ↑ Bud Collins Joins ESPN
  7. ↑ Racket history
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Jimmy Connors racquets
  9. ↑ Ex-Tennis Great Jimmy Connors to Work for Tennis Channel SI.com, January 28, 2009
  10. ↑ "'Lovebird Double' who ruled Wimbledon", The Independent, 19 June 2004. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  11. ↑ International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 21. St. James Press, 1998 (via fundinguniverse.com)
  12. ↑ Alystra to rise again? – Las Vegas Business Press – January 29, 2007
  13. ↑ Fire settles casino’s fate for good – Las Vegas Sun – May 17, 2008
  14. ↑ Jimmy's New Hip
  15. ↑ Associated Press (2007-01-14). "Gloria Connors, 82; son inherited passion for tennis". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2007/01/14/gloria_connors_82_son_inherited_passion_for_tennis/. Retrieved 2008-07-06. 
  16. ↑ Associated Press (2007-01-14). "Tennis great Jimmy Connors arrested". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/tennis/11/22/connors.arrested.ap/index.html. Retrieved 2008-11-22. 
  17. ↑ Jimmy Connors Cleared! TMZ.com, February 10, 2009

Further reading

Video

External links

 
Jimmy Connors (Achievement precedessor & successor)
Sporting positions
Preceded by
John Newcombe
Björn Borg
Björn Borg
John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John McEnroe
Ivan Lendl
John McEnroe		 World No. 1
July 29, 1974 - August 22, 1977
August 30, 1977 - April 8, 1979
May 21, 1979 - July 8, 1979
September 13, 1982 - October 31, 1982
November 8, 1982 - November 14, 1982
January 31, 1983 - February 6, 1983
February 14, 1983 - February 27, 1983
May 16, 1983 - June 5, 1983
June 13, 1983 - July 3, 1983		 Succeeded by
Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Björn Borg
John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John McEnroe
Ivan Lendl
John McEnroe
John McEnroe
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
John McEnroe		 ITF World Champion
1982		 Succeeded by
John McEnroe