How Good Was Jimmy Connors Actually?

Jimmy Connors went on to become one of the most successful, longevous, and well-remembered players in history. Yet, today, his name is often overlooked when discussing the best players of all time.
But... How good was Jimmy Connors actually? Hang around to find out!
Inspired by How Good Was Michael Chang Actually?
Inspired by How Good Was Andre Agassi Actually?
Inspired by How Good Was Pete Sampras Actually?
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[@neilh4729]

Jimmy Connors is a true legend. He was at the top during the best era for the men's game in my opinion. Nobody was more entertaining or exciting to watch than him.

[@miloraddjurdjic1695]

@@neilh4729 best era is big 3 era

[@nkd247]

Before Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, Agassi, there was Connors. I grew up watching him and i loved his game so much I used the T2000 racket for years. The guy was phenomenal. He played every point as if it was match point. And he had attitude, and guts. I was at Wimbledon 187 and watched his match against Mikel Pernfors. Connors was 2 games from defeat and mounted arguably the greatest comeback I had ever witnessed. It was just mind blowing. One of the few players who could do it all. Totally underrated. His never say die attitude is so lacking in this modern game of robots these days (apart from Federer). Connors, thank you for all the memories. PS: The only man to win the US open on 3 different surfaces. A feat that will never be broken.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@nkd247]

@@JimmyConnors-cy2xt Since you demolished Ken Rosewall at Wimbledon 1974

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

@@nkd247 thanks so much for the love and support you show me I feel great 👍

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

@@nkd247 I do want you to email 📧 me and let talk more on there

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Jimmyconnors534

[@DjangoThunders]

I met Jimmy Connors at a seniors event in Ohio. He was in line for some food or water. We talked for a while about rackets. He was one of the nicest, coolest people I have ever met.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@prairiehills416]

Jimmy's pleasant personality off the court, masked a real killer on the tennis court. A topnotch competitor. A never say die attitude. 👏👏

[@Pundit2k]

I have just been discovering Connors over the last few weeks. It's criminal how underrated he is in the GOAT debate. The guy held virtually every record before the Big Three started overtaking him--and still holds records for longevity that they haven't even come close to. Plus his game is one of the most fluid and beautiful of all time. Like Laver, it's a shame there are so few videos of him in his prime that survive!

[@Pundit2k]

Also, watching this video, I knew about his longevity, but didn't know he ALSO set records for being the youngest at the time to reach #1. That's almost unbelievable!

[@josephangelastro473]

Federer Got pretty close With 1251 Match wins to Connors 1274, and 103 titles to Connors 109, and also five U.S. Open titles. only Sampras and Roger Federer Have 5 also

[@antonboludo8886]

When I was a kid if you mentioned tennis it was Jimmy Connors for men and Chrissy Evert for women.

[@antonboludo8886]

I had heard of him as a child when I was first discovering the world of tennis in the mid 1970s. Jimmy for the men and Chris Evert for the women.

[@martinstephenson4311]

@@antonboludo8886 Yes and they were engaged for a while. They both won Wimbledon in 1974.

[@vinceventura2393]

The Connors Backhand.. one of the greatest strokes in history!

[@bradleymarshall7395]

Cross court backhand and service return!

[@shawnbm1709]

Playing that kind of flat tennis with a Wilson T-2000 is simply amazing. Because of those two things, he may be the best pure ball striker the game has ever seen. Anybody ever try to hit with that racquet? Incredibly small sweet spot--no forgiving mishits like Borg would get (topspin would often allow the ball to drop in). If Connors mishit a shot it was over. He was one of the true greats of tennis.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@antonboludo8886]

It takes great precision to do that.

[@danguee1]

I played with both the T-2000 and Borg's Donnay. Take it from me, the T-2000's sweetspot was MASSIVE compared to the Donnay's. And I had my Donnay strung at about -60lbs from memory. At the 80lbs that Borg had it strung, the sweetspot must've been the size of an oreo!

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

@@danguee1 Obviously great 😊

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

@@danguee1 I do want us to continue this conversation on google chat 💬

[@robert4039]

Jimmy Connors is my favorite player. He is amazing.

[@steadfastandyx4947]

After Federer he is mine also. Love the man.

[@henry-bo3np]

Jimmy Connors is without a doubt one of the greatest tennis champions of all time. His rivalry with Borg and McEnroe is not unlike our current Big 3.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@johnhughes8466]

It was more exciting then! The big 3 then all had differing styles! The big 3 now have the same game! Boring!

[@johnhughes8466]

109 titles tells the truth! The best and most exciting player of all time!

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

@@johnhughes8466 Thanks so much I’m very glad you a fan of mine and also would love to do you the favor in talking to me privately via my personal email

[@antonboludo8886]

@@johnhughes8466 That is right.

[@davidcunningham7330]

The T-2000 wasn't graphite. It was metal and had the hitting area of a dime!

[@markburnham7512]

Amen. I tried one once, back in the day. Very few could use that racket, myself included, let alone master it like Connors. There is a reason that it never really got popular.

[@brianjensen7985]

@@markburnham7512 I still have one and hit it occasionally to humble myself.

[@Sincopare]

I have one simply because of Jimmy.

[@sniwashitu]

U couldn't buy that racket in uk then either...it was regarded as new tech but its junk compared to even beckers racket in eighties..jimmy played to 40 when he discovered new rackets... Still has most tournament wins

[@HEADLINEZOO]

1000% correct. McEnroe had a gargantuan advantage in the 1984 Wimbledon final because of his then oversized racket and it was only mentioned once under the breath in half a sentence.

[@davidbellile9241]

I saw Connors and McEnroe play an exhibition at Moody Coliseum in Dallas back in the late 90's. Even though both players had long retired from the tour, they still possessed quality shot making skills. On that night McEnroe had his serve clicking, but Jimmy was timing his returns well. They slugged out a best of three sets match, and on this night it was McEnroe coming out victorious. In the grand scheme of things it was a meaningless match, but both players gave it their all and the house was rocking. It was then I realized that the venue and the event didn't matter. Whenever Connors and McEnroe were on the same court, sparks were going to fly. I feel fortunate that I had a chance to witness both players while they still were able to compete at an extremely high level.

[@geoffclarke3796]

My favourite tennis player ever since I started watching tennis as a kid around 1979/80. Loved his never say die attitude.

[@stevengujsky24]

Connors was an incredible champion and competitor

[@paulelverstone8677]

One of my favourite players of all time. I remember well as a 17yr old in 1987, leaving home for work during the Wimbledon fortnight with Connors trailing Penfors 6-1, 6-1, 4-1. It was all over - who could come back from that? Just one man, apparently. Connors eventually lost to the champion (Pat Cash) that year in the semis but that 'never say die' attitude of his really spoke to me. Just incase his run at the 91 USO wasn't unbelievable enough...😉

[@Ajayk9099]

He had beaten Cash in the semis of Queens just before Wimbledon, before going down to Becker the reigning Wimbledon champion in 3 sets. He had the biggest heart in the game. He never gave up and fought till the last shot. My Hero !

[@Nocturnbandofficial]

Jimmy Connors was banned from the French Open in 1974, that's true. But then he decided himself not to play there from 1975 to 1978. Furthermore, he did *not* play his forehand with much topspin. It was actually also flat, with just a little topspin or underspin at times. His forehand just wasn't as leathal as his backhand, and because of the little margin for error due to the absence of topspin, he sometimes made unforced errors with his forehand, whereas his backhand seldom produced an unforced error. Regarding his amazing return of serve, it should also be noted that he broke Pete Sampras' serve more often than most players (even though he was almost 40 years old when he faced Sampras in 1992).

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@antonboludo8886]

He should have played there mor often. He might have won it. No one will ever know, especially Jimmy himself.

[@darting100]

nice tribute to connor,s,i,ll never forget his 1991 run to the U s open semi's I was glued to everymatch

[@lawrence1318]

Actually he didn't retire from tennis in the mid 1990s. He went on to spearhead the Nuvene tennis circuit, and won at least 36 of those titles.

[@peterrukavena4955]

Correct he did, and then when he couldn’t play anymore ( needed a hip replacement) in 2000-01 he sold the Senior Tour which he co-owned with Nuvene to the ATP.

[@brianjensen7985]

Connors was and still is my all time favorite player. He brought it every match.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@mattconnors9419]

Since we share the same last name I was destined to follow him as a kid. I hated Borg & McEnroe with an unbridled passion! Lendl too.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

@@mattconnors9419 jimmyconnors534

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

@@mattconnors9419 make use of gmail

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Here you go that is my gmail address will be expecting messages from you

[@jfdecastro]

the Wilson T2000 was made of steel. not graphite...

[@antonboludo8886]

It must have been really heavy.

[@VsAStarr]

Can you do one of these for Lendl next?🙏

[@deArcaya]

Still the holder of most singles ATP titles to the date. So I guess he wasn't that bad of player, was he? 😜

[@Shiljamannn]

Who ever said that he was bad ?

[@deArcaya]

@@Shiljamannn Sadly, many people say he's overrated.

[@Shiljamannn]

@@deArcaya I don't even know what is overrated... Stats speak for themselves... Long time number 1 on the tour. Maybe he could've won more majors, but still 8 is a lot for that time, and he played across eras with many all time great players....

[@deArcaya]

@@Shiljamannn Yeap, 8 is a lot even for today's standards. Murray "only" won 3, and he is a great champion. I bet most of the tour today would be more than happy to finish their careers with 8 majors.

[@miloraddjurdjic1695]

@@deArcaya Murray won only 3 but in era with Nadal,Federer,Djokovic

[@rootdoc1997]

And Cooners did all this using a terrible racquet and unlike the players today he had no entourage of personal trainers, mental gurus, nutritionists, life coaches etc. Also no performance enhacing drugs which we know all the big players now use to some extent. And his game allowedvery little room for error which shows how great and talented he really was

[@miloraddjurdjic1695]

entourage of personal traners? he mother was trainer, but he was competing with othes who also didnt have entourage of pesonal trainers, gurus, nutritionists,...

[@seveglider8406]

Connors won 109 Tournaments including 8 Majors. He possessed great court instincts, superb ground strokes and the best service return ever. Truly 1 of the all time great players!

[@M.EngelhART]

The Statistics Are Correct But He Didn`t Have The Best Service Return Ever. The Returns Of Agassi And Djokovic And Probably Of Some Others Were Better And That Against Players Who Served Much Better In Some Cases. Connors; For Example, Never Won Against The Great Server Becker. His Groundstrokes Were Good, But He Pushed The Ball. Connors Also Didn`t Have Many Variants With Spin. "Jimbo" Was A Legendary Player, But Is He The Best Player Or Truly Number 1 Of All Time? I Really Don`t Think So.

[@seveglider8406]

@@M.EngelhART Never said Connors was the best player ever. Becker is 15 years younger than Connors. In his prime, Connors would handle Becker's serve and pound the daylights out of him. Connors made a living against players like Becker who relied primarily on his serve. Todays players play with oversized racquets. Connor played most of his career with a Wilson T2000 which had the smallest hitting area of any racquet. A larger hitting area helps players make contact. Take away modern technology and players like Djokovic will have a more difficult time returning serves. Modern Racquet technology is the only reason why Becker had a fast serve. If he played with a wood racquet he would lose at least 20 to 25mph on his serve. Connors pushed the ball? That comment is asinine! Connors hit the ball on the rise and pounded it whenever possible. The truth be told. The overwhelming number of today's players all play the same way, (I would not even call it style), on every surface. Very few can volley effectively. They all stand way behind the baseline and just hit the ball back and forth until someone misses. It's like watching a primitive play station video game. Today's players don't even know how to play serve and volley tennis. They're all clones and can't play all court tennis. Today's tennis players are BORING!

[@M.EngelhART]

@@seveglider8406 Becker Played Power Tennis And Changed The Game.

[@seveglider8406]

@@M.EngelhART Becker didn't change the game. Ever watch how fast Roscoe Tanner served with a standard size racquet. His serve was as fast as any player who ever played! Players were playing serve and volley before Becker was born. Modern Racquet technology changed the way the game is played.

[@M.EngelhART]

@@seveglider8406 You May Have Misunderstood. Becker Changed The Game Because He Not Only Showed The Serve Powerfully, But His Whole Game Was Powerful, Also In Connection With The Groundstrokes, The Way, He Jumped And He Lived It On Court Etc. It Was A New Level Of Intensity Since Wimbledon (1985) At The Latest, And Also A Lesson In Power, Cause After Losing 8 Sets He Won The Tournament At The Age Of 17 And So On. It Is No Surprise, That The Papers And The Media Wrote Or Said After This Performance, That Wimbledon Never Saw Something Like This Before. I Had Written "Power Tennis", Not Only "Power Serve", Seve.

[@hamitolcay5978]

Fact is; after Wilson ceased production of the T-2000, he bought every one of them off the suppliers... That's how important the 'Renee Lacoste' all steel design meant to him...

[@cornel999]

but like Sampras and Federer, he stayed with the "tried and true" old frame for too long. that T-2000 was a sledge hammer. i don't remember any quotes from him, but i suspect he regrets not switching to a modern frame sooner.

[@moongazer2049]

The most important thing is he brought Tennis to the spotlight and growing up in the Seventies and Eighties everyday Americans were playing Tennis all over public courts , He’s the Pete Rose of Tennis

[@Ajayk9099]

Jimbo brought the crowds to the matches and the tennis revolution of the 1970s. The spectators got so involved, they felt as if they were on the court with Jimmy. He stirred the crowds at the French and US Open 1991 like one ever has. The most exciting, gutsiest and inspirational player of all time.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@Ajayk9099]

@@JimmyConnors-cy2xt Since 1985. You are my Hero and inspiration.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

@@Ajayk9099 thanks so much and I do love and appreciate you so much I do want you to email 📧 me

[@gregoryphillips3969]

Connors did not have a topspin forehand. lt was flat too flay and it probably cost him a few majors.

[@philipbrowne7620]

Pure tennis class

[@mikeramgopal3912]

As a youngster Connors with his playing style; his intensity and 100% effortbess my tennis hero. He hit the ball so flat and low he really gave himself such little room for error. The way he toughed out every point reminded me of fighter holding a tennis racquet. Great days!

[@miguelbarahona6636]

1975 was terrible for Connors, he reached 3 GS finals and lost them all: AO (against Newcombe), Wimbledon (against Ashe) and the USOpen (against Morantes). His rivals weren´t the favorites, at all. After 1974 success, IMHO, Connors turned cocky in 1975, as you can see if you watch those complete matches. After those defeats, Connors became the warrior we all know.

[@Nocturnbandofficial]

Connors was the favorite especially at Wimbledon 1975, after his very impressive semi-final win over Roscoe Tanner. Ashe used clever tactics in the final, and Connors was troubled by an injury as well (the doctors had recommended not to play). Connors himself wrote in his book that he had gained too much weight in 1975 and worked hard to become leaner and fitter for the 1976 season. And by the way, reaching the final of 3 Grand Slam tournaments is quite a good result, but then losing all three finals is disappointing of course.

[@kikaa1884]

​@@NocturnbandofficialJimmy Connors is one of the best tennis player in the world

[@johnhughes8466]

3 grand slam finals a failure?!?! In the same yr!

[@miguelbarahona6636]

@@johnhughes8466 In some context, it's a failure. Look, I lost the final of a small tennis tournament a month ago. And I still think to this day, what I could have done better.

[@rikkousa]

@@miguelbarahona6636you go through fire to make steel as they say. I had the good fortune to play tennis at Castle Oak in St. Louis as a junior. Jimmy’s brother John, was one of the teaching pros there (with Paul Tobin). John always had a smile on his face and his reputation seemed to fit the reality I observed as an 11-14 year old during this period. I will never forget when Jimmy stopped by to visit his brother with his date-the current Miss World at the Time (Marjorie Wallace?). At any rate, it was at that moment I decided I wanted to be become a tennis professional. Sadly while my talent was not along for the plan, it left me with a fascination to all things JC.

[@jamesmc1813]

Great player. His serve lacked the power of many of his rivals which meant he rarely won cheap points with it but he definitely advanced the game by helping popularise the double handed backhand which had only been used by a minority of players up until that time.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@antonboludo8886]

That's right. His serve was well placed and allowed him to control the point, but it lacked speed. His backhand was different from Borg's. Both were great, though.

[@DjangoThunders]

Back then players had personality and flare. Their games were very different from each other. We have a little of that coming back today. But sports in the 70's was way more interesting.

[@jm7804]

Lots of little and not so little mistakes throughout the video. 2:40 is not McEnroe. It's Shia Lebeouf playing McEnroe in a movie. You refer to several matches early in his career but use footage from his 91 USO run. Footage exists of the matches you're talking about. Do your homework.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine 😊

[@TomBonham-l3z]

One heck of a player!

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@catmantraofficial]

Thanks for making this video. It shows exactly why Jimbo was my childhood hero, and still is today..!! A few errors in yr images like at the end a mention of Lendl with a picture of Andy Murray but I'll let you off for that hahah! J S Connors. Legend. GOAT. 🌠🎾🌠🎾🌠

[@MrFchank]

The most fierce,determined, never give up player,I've ever seen!!

[@shyrafrancisco2248]

His mother's name is Gloria Connors, not Glorida Connora.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@lonewave1]

I had one of the lousiest backhands when I began playing. When I saw Connors hit his two handed backhand , everything changed. I bought and always used the T-2000 & T-3000. It did have a small sweet spot but It made you more disciplined in your shots. He was my favorite player!

[@michaelhegyan7464]

I also saw Jimmy in team tennis, when played for the Baltimore Banners, they played the Detroit Loves, at Cobo Hall, back in 73'. Connors played Phil Dent, as i recalled, and won in 8 game pro set. I remember a really weird moment, some guy in stands..yelled, ' hey Jimmy, where's Crissie..? And Connors, flicked him the finger..!

[@dontsayitisntbecauseitis3845]

Maybe I’m just in a bad mood, but I found the radical dissociation of image and audio a big distraction here.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine 😊

[@alberts2208]

I loved how Connors used his groundstrokes to open the court to get high easy putaways.

[@tonya4029]

I was 4 when I first saw Connors play against Borg in Wimbledon on TV. My mom said I wanted to “play like Jimmy”

[@ristekostadinov2820]

At the 1991 US Open Semi he was 39 years old, and he continued playing for another 4.

[@antonboludo8886]

Nowadays this would not be considered to be that old.

[@Nocturnbandofficial]

... actually, 1992 was his last full season. He never officially retired, but from 1993 to 1996 he only made "guest appearances" on the ATP tour, focusing mainly on his senior tour.

[@6thwatergateplumber]

I can't think of any other player or person for that matter who thrived so much on pressure. He soaked up pressure better than anyone, and was able to come through on so many critical points. In his US Open match with Adriano Panatta he had made one of his incredible down the line winners, and had match point on Panatta's service, and the poor guy double faulted to lose the match. I was there, and I can still recall Panatta grabbing JC at the net, and hugging him for pulling it out. Awesome day that was.

[@Nocturnbandofficial]

... agreed, but sometimes even Jimmy did not thrive under pressure. Wimbledon final 1977 for example..

[@bruceeven9942]

We all bought the T-2000 because of Jimmy. Obviously when you win the most titles and matches of any male in your sport, you are one of the greatest. He was really the guy who made tennis less of a country club sport. It was the 70s when tennis started to bring in big money and he was a huge part of that.

[@stevephlyer]

Pretty good assessment of Jimmy Connor's legacy, but you need to be consistent with your research and images. The T-200 racquet he used was not the one shown in your video, as was not the pictures of John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl, whom you confused with actor Shia LeBouf and Andy Murray!

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@wayneharper2168]

Conners was ahead of his time. Two handed backhand,left handers were still awkward to play against,and a huge heart. He played top level tennis well into his 40s. He also played a lot of very talented players at that time. And he was a real character, very funny.

[@jangerhards1253]

Century Tennis Player!

[@maddoxmortenson8009]

Do you realise you used a picture of Shia Lebeouf in this video? He played McEnroe in Borg vs McEnroe. Also, Lendl didn't half look like Andy Murray back in the day, did he? Other than that, great video. I never new Connors got banned from the French Open and only participated at the Australian Open twice.

[@GKHTS]

I thought that picture of McEnroe didn't look right. Good catch.

[@franks2910]

Connors reminded me very much of Nadal. Both lefties and an indomitable fighting spirit. There was a big three during those times: as I said Connors reminded me of Nadal, McEnroe of Federer and Djokovic is the Bjorn Borg of their times. McEnroe had the greater skill set and serve, just like Federer and Djokovic and Borg were both defensive retrievers for the most part. Then came Lendl.

[@Nocturnbandofficial]

Well, you could also say that Borg was the king of clay before Nadal, whereas Connors had the bet return before Djokovic.. ;-)

[@tennsmoothie]

I consider Jimmy Connors among the top 5 players of all time because I put him above Borg and McEnroe during that 70's - 80's era. Jimmy was a little past his prime when those two hit theirs and he still beat them regularly until the very late 70's. Then he did what neither Borg or McEnroe ever did when he won Wimbledon and the US Open to regain #1 in 1982, well past his prime youth and again became the best player in the world. He beat McEnroe at Wimbledon that year, but few people realize he also beat John at the Queen's Club tournament right before Wimbledon in both '82 & '83. He overwhelmed Lendl at the Open in both '82 & '83 with a superior game and a much tougher mentality. I remember the first few games of the '82 final after Lendl had destroyed opponents with his overpowering forehand throughout the tournament and the opinion was to beat Lendl by going to his backhand side. Connors instead goes right after Lendl's forehand with his two-hander and probably wins the match at that point thru sheer intimidation. My all-time favorite Connors match was the 1978 US Open final when he dismantled Borg in straight sets. Some blamed the loss on Borg's blistered thumb. Ridiculous. The win was so dominant, it was obvious Jimmy was just the better player. Most fans don't remember that Connors beat him again weeks after the '78 Open in another tournament well after Borg's blister had healed. Funny how Connors had lost the Wimbledon final in '77 to Borg playing with a BROKEN thumb in a metal splint and took him all the way to 4-4 in the 5th set with that injury. A broken thumb is a little more serious than a blister, but the press ignored the disadvantage it created. I cannot tell you the level of enjoyment I got from watching Jimmy Connors play tennis. I was able to see him in person a few times late in his career and never saw anyone hit the ball as perfectly as Jimmy did. Between his textbook footwork and his hand-eye timing, he was simply beautiful to watch.

[@miguellobos8590]

Sin lugar a dudas súper jugador,un espectáculo para la historia del tenis,su aporte a este deporte es insuperable.

[@HEADLINEZOO]

Quality over quantity. Drill down into his 109 ATP championships: Connors beating Borg in a grand slam final on clay, McEnroe in a G/S final on grass & Lendl in a G/S final on hard crt -all in their prime & all considered the greatest on those surfaces at the time-shows a level of mastery not duplicated.

[@antonboludo8886]

Yes, against Borg it was Har-Tru. Still it is all excellent. The Connors backhand was different from Borg's. I liked to see them use them against each other.

[@HEADLINEZOO]

He beat Borg in grand slam finals on clay and hard court. In the 3 US Open finals Connors played in in a row he raced all-time great clay court players in Orantes, Borg and Vilas. That was no accident, the clay court material used favored clay court players. Connors has a good case of being the greatest all-around player because of who he beat, on what surfaces, and on what occasion. Borg-clay GS Finals, McEnroe-grass GS Finals, Lendl-hard court GS Finals. Djokovic, Rafa, Federer, Sampras, Borg, McEnroe, Lendl, and Agassi didn’t match that feat.

[@antonboludo8886]

@@HEADLINEZOO Yes, I know. I loved watching Borg, Connors and McEnroe play each other because their styles were so different.

[@antonboludo8886]

@@HEADLINEZOO Yes, These are all valid points. Which 2-handed backhand do you prefer, Borg's or Connors's?

[@HEADLINEZOO]

@@antonboludo8886 Connors had the greatest backhand in tennis history.

[@toptenguy1]

He was never the biggest, the strongest, or the fastest... But you could perhaps say that NOBODY wanted it more. Legendary grinder.

[@DavidChapman-hu2eq]

Jimbo is the g o a t record titles great rivalries super exciting rackets that did not do the work for you longevity fantastic will to win humble background and most important no 32 protected easy rounds. And he wrote a great book. Hope I've made my case jimbo was a true Rocester prizefighter miss ya buddy the true g o a t

[@BenzeneHex57]

I thought that nobody could be better than Connors.

[@dks13827]

An all time great, no doubt.

[@anaclarisss]

Até hoje eu me pergunto o que pode ter havido com ele em 1979? Infelizmente precisou esperar 79, 80, 81 até voltar a vencer um torneio de Grand Sland em 82. É o meu ídolo no esporte. .

[@liaghetta]

My first great tennis idol ❤

[@mypandabear50344]

He is synonymous with the cool yellow racquet too!

[@robertmeade7642]

I played with a T2000 because Connors did. Eventually I had to take it to a specialist just to get it strung.

[@jorgerampinini4429]

Connors didn't use semiwestern grep, and didn't hit topspin forehand. It was more of a flat or even sidespin shot. Nevertheless, one of the great players.

[@rgstyle0505]

Agreed. The racquet shown is not a Wilson T-2000. That is a Slazenger racquet he played with at the end of his career.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@dennyli9339]

Jimmy Connor started the two hands backhand era!

[@izgler]

9:18 I’m sure Andy Murray is happy to be called Ivan Lendl.

[@Antigegner]

9:17 - says LENDL but shows picture of MURRAY (other than that: nicely done!)

[@ssubconsciouss]

But is Lendl in the back coaching Murray 😂 I saw that too

[@GKHTS]

Although the last 3 number 1 players in the world all won so many more grand slam titles than anyone else making it seem like they are the greatest ever, all 3 didn't have serious competition like the golden age of when simultaneously there was Connors, McEnroe and Borg and add in Lendl. Nothing like it since. And there were others sprinkled in whereas now, who can name anyone other than the top guy, because there isn't. there hasn't been a serious rivalry in decades. You had 3 all time greats overlapping and since then none.

[@steed3902]

my mt Rushmore...... of favorites...Fed, Djoker, Pete, Jimbo.

[@aaronaragon7838]

Connors lack of a big serve hurt him against Borg, and big men like Becker destroyed him. The players are so tall and powetful now, especially with the graphite rackets, Connors, Borg, and Mac could not compete. Rank Jimmy in his era behind Borg and Mac.

[@ruuud25]

Final Queen's 1982 vs Mac Enroe: Connors played usually serve and volley

[@TheQ-Continuum]

A player of his time. A gusty, courageous fighter, who never knew when he was beaten. But, not one of the all-time greats. He only won eight grand slams. And, like so many others - Becker, McEnroe and Sampras, never won the French Open !

[@mikerichards5610]

As good as anyone who ever played. I've watched tennis since the 60s. One brilliant competitor who could beat anyone in his day and there were plenty of all time greats in his day.

[@aleksandarfrick2656]

Watch his matches ...he was player only for 70 -ties . Respect for his fighting spirit .

[@astrahcat1212]

Those flat Del Potro like shots I'm convinced are the only thing that will ever defeat Sinner at this point

[@sandromastrangeli7073]

no doubts: jimbo is the goat in tennis and one of the greatest sporstmen in the history, only MJ can be compared to jimmy connors

[@mitanshmittal2164]

9:18 Murray on Lendl's part?

[@qc1okay]

At 1:00 in the video you say that Connors was able to hit the ball flat rather than with spin because he hit on the rise rather than on the fall. That makes no sense. The height and spin of the ball are the same either way.

[@charlesbromberick4247]

I was a big Connors fan.

[@carseye1219]

Jimmy Connors is the reason I got into tennis. Prior to him, tennis was this genteel, country club game. He made it macho, grunting, wielding his T-2000 like a sword and, okay, misbehaving, sometimes to a cringe level. But tennis became "cool". I think the sport needed a "bad boy" (Okay, Nastase was one too). He may not be the best of all time but, as Mary Carillo always said, he might be the most important.

[@Londonvoicecoaching1]

Jimmy was the best. The most exciting and thrilling player around. Also very entertaining and quirky. What was all that Borg and McEnroe rivalry nonsense?!! It was Jimmy and Borg that had the real rivalry. I was glad when Borg said to Jimmy quite recently on Jim's podcast, Advantage Connors, 'It was you and I that had the rivalry. Come on! John came later'.

[@dendel9784]

At 3:23 the kid on the photo is not Connors in my opinion, as the man beside him looks a lot like B. Borg, and has Borg written on his shirt. Maybe I'm wrong but it would be "Back in the future" if an adult B. Borg was on the same photo as a Jimmy Connors being a kid 😀

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@bobcavanagh8968]

9:18 That's Murray, not Lendl?

[@Smoothways]

"...trailing only Djokovic, Federer, Sampras and Lendl..." and at Lendl you show the picture of Andy Murray...HAHAHAHA!!!!!

[@jacquesjtheripper5922]

I dont see him as overlooked idk. Him, McEnroe, and many others were brilliant with rackets they had to work with.

[@g2tennis]

Do one of this for Gustavo Kuerten

[@MW-od5wp]

How good was Connors? He won 109 tournaments which shows his longevity BUT some of these tournaments were not of todays ATP standards and many top players would not have deemed worthy of entering. I would place him quite a bit lower than Borg and a bit lower than McEnroe and Lendl.

[@Reslo]

The only player to win theU.S. Open on three different surfaces. Grass, Har Tru, and Hard Court.

[@FLAC2023]

He should have gotten rid of the T-2000 much earlier and only God knows why he only played with the PS85 for only a few months after helping designing it...

[@josephbarbarie692]

"Longevous" is a word. Wow.

[@googoo-gjoob]

2:58 that is *NOT* a Wilson T2000 .... 3:32 _THAT_ is a T2000

[@kenarthur6253]

So good that absolutely no one has ever won as many tournaments as Jimbo.

[@Nocturnbandofficial]

...in the Open Era. ;-)

[@jamesmartello2218]

I’m thinking he is the only player to win the US Open on 3 different surfaces.

[@robertoantonio397]

Sure he'd be as good as usual as well as his entire great tennis career. Connors always gave 120, 130 percent of himself on and off the court. And it'd not be different in 2020's decade

[@stephan6603]

There has never been any player whos will to win was bigger.

[@bradleymarshall7395]

The best. Still won more than anyone else!

[@leisurefarm]

9:17 the guy looks vaguely familiar but is not Lendl.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@Ultimate.Tennis]

You seem to be suggesting that jimmy connors is younger than bjorg (given how you say jimmy connors emerged while borg was on the circuit and how you show a photo of borg with young agassi when talking about connors' junior career). This is not true; bjorg is a lot younger.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@raghumanda2tanush496]

connors unfortuantely could not win more slams as he had dealt with all time young legendary rivals for most of his career, those days playing against young legendary rivals is not easy at all.

[@my8osprive]

3:23 what is this photo? Connors is older than Borg.😂 That's Agassi with Borg. 🤣

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@my8osprive]

@@JimmyConnors-cy2xt I wonder if you're actually a legit account.... Anyway my coach in the 70s used to call me Jimmy Connors... lol.

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

@@my8osprive yeah, it’s my legit account and beside this is jimmy connors

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

@@my8osprive I do want you to email me

[@my8osprive]

@@JimmyConnors-cy2xt How do you propose I do that? I don't have your email address. And it's not a good idea to share email addresses in public ;)

[@AndrewShupe-xj7ke]

Connors forehand was hit with lots of topspin? really?

[@JimmyConnors-cy2xt]

Thanks for the love and support you show me as a loyal fan of mine not withstanding how long have you been a fan of mine

[@mattcorcoran7082]

Jimmy was very longevous