Jimmy Connors
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Connors at the 1978 ABN Tennis Tournament holding his Wilson T2000 steel racket.
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| Full name | James Scott Connors |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |
 United States
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| Residence | Santa Barbara, California |
| Born |
September 2, 1952 East St. Louis, Illinois |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Turned pro | 1972 |
| Retired | 1996 |
| Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$ 8,641,040 |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1998 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1256–279 (81.82% at Grand Slam, Grand Prix tour, WCT tour, ATP Tour level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 109 (1st in the Open Era) |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (July 29, 1974) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1974) |
| French Open | SF (1979, 1980, 1984, 1985) |
| Wimbledon | W (1974, 1982) |
| US Open | W (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (1977) |
| WCT Finals | W (1977, 1980) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 174–78 (68.9% at Grand Slam, Grand Prix tour, WCT tour, ATP Tour level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 16 |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (1974) |
| French Open | F (1973) |
| Wimbledon | W (1973) |
| US Open | W (1975) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1981) |
| Coaching career (2006–) | |
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James Scott "Jimmy" Connors (born September 2, 1952) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player, often considered among the greatest in the history of the sport. He held the top ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from July 29, 1974 to August 22, 1977 and an additional eight times during his career for a total of 268 weeks, thus becoming the first male player to be No.1 for more than 260 weeks, a record surpassed by Lendl (270 weeks), Sampras (286 weeks) and Federer (302 weeks). He also held a year-end top ten ranking for an Open Era record 16 years.
By virtue of his long and prolific career, Connors still holds three prominent Open Era singles records: 109 titles (the only man to win more than 100), 1535 matches played, and 1256 match wins. His titles include eight majors (five US Opens, two Wimbledons, and one Australian Open), three year-end championships, and 17 Grand Prix Super Series. In 1974, he became the second man in the Open Era to win three majors in a calendar year, and his total career match win rate of 81.82% remains in the top four of the era. He is the first male player to win 5 US Open titles, a record tied by Sampras and Federer.
Connors was known for his fiery competitiveness, acrimonious relationships with a number of peers, and boorish behavior that pandered to the crowd. For these reasons, he has been likened to baseball player Pete Rose, a comparison Connors is proud of.
Connors grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, and was raised Catholic. He played in his first U.S. Championship, the U.S. boys' 11-and-under of 1961, when he was nine years old. Connors' mother, Gloria, took him to Southern California to be coached by Pancho Segura, starting at age 16, in 1968. He and his brother, John "Johnny" Connors, attended St. Phillip's grade schooln
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