Jimmy Connors Source: Profimedia.sk BELLEVILLE – Legendary American tennis player James Scott “Jimmy” Connors celebrates his 70th birthday today, Friday, September 2. The eight-time Grand Slam champion was known for his longevity and played his last tournament at the age of 43. He still holds three important records that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have not managed to break. Connors has 109 singles titles on the ATP Tour, 1557 matches played, of which 1274 were wins. He spent a total of 268 weeks as world number one, holding the men’s throne continuously from July 29, 1974 to August 22, 1977. He won the US Open five times, Wimbledon twice and the Australian Open once. Only the clay of Paris was cursed for him. His highest point at Roland Garros was the semifinals, where he advanced four times. In 1981, he won the Davis Cup with the USA team, he triumphed three times in the tournament of champions. In 1998, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He refused to join the ATP. Connors was born on September 2, 1952 in East St. Louis in the state of Illinois and was already among the great talents as a child. He won the prestigious Orange Bowl in the under-12 and under-14 categories. In 1972, he turned professional and won the first tournament on the men’s circuit in Jacksonville. He subsequently refused to join the newly formed Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and preferred a series of smaller events organized by his manager Bill Riordan. However, Connors also played in other tournaments and in 1973 he won the US Pro Single after a five-set triumph over compatriot Arthur Ash. The most successful year in the career The year 1974 was the most successful in the career for Connors. He won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open and recorded a record of 99 wins and 4 losses on the ATP Tour. At the time of his greatest glory, he did not start at Roland Garros and could not attack the calendar Grand Slam. In 1974, he was banned from Paris because of his association with the World Team Tennis (WTT) and was absent from the clay peak of the season until 1979. Connors’ “heart” was the US Open. In the years 1974-1978, he reached the final five times in a row in New York, lifting the trophy three times. Each title was won on a different surface, which was unique (1974 on grass, 1976 on clay and 1978 on hard). He added two more triumphs at the US Open in 1982 and 1983. Connors’ weapons were a two-handed backhand and a return, among his biggest rivals were Björn Borg and John McEnroe. He achieved his most memorable victory over Borg in 1976 in the final of the US Open, when he beat the Swede 3:1 in sets. He celebrated his most valuable triumph over McEnroe in 1982 after a five-set battle in the Wimbledon final. In the second half of the 80s, Connors did not achieve such success, but even at an advanced age he was able to defeat much younger opponents. He won his last title on the ATP circuit in 1989. At the US Open 1991, at the age of thirty-nine, he sensationally advanced to the semifinals, where he was stopped by Jim Courier. ‘One more time’. When 39-year-old Jimmy Connors rocked the US Open in 1991. A new pod for Friends, featuring memories of Patrick McEnroe (who led Connors 2 sets, 3-0 in R1), Mary Carillo (commenting ) and our own David Law (watching from the sofa in the middle of the night). pic.twitter.com/enrQjPLugU — The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) August 27, 2022 He also coached Maria Sharapova After his career ended, Connors also tried his hand at coaching. He coached Andy Roddick for nineteen months, in 2013 he was briefly Maria Sharapova’s coach. In 2015, he prepared Eugenie Bouchard for the US Open. For many years he worked as a tennis commentator for television companies. Three years after his annulled marriage to another American tennis legend, Chris Evert, he married Patti McGuire. They have two children together – son Brett and daughter Aubree. Author: © Photo list: Twitter/The Tennis Podcast Source: TASR