Jimmy Connors: achievements, biography, photo

Tennis has always been considered an elite sport. Initially it was played by the "cream" of society, but now any person, possessing sufficient talent and good technique, is able to become a tennis player. History knew a lot of champions in this sport, coming from the bottom. Among them, Jimmy Connors - tennis player, not only became a champion, but also achieved love and recognition of the audience, although he often behaved on the court as a hooligan.

Childhood of Jimmy Connors

James Scott Connors was born in September 1952 in the United States. His mother - Gloria, in her youth was fond of tennis and even took the thirteenth place in the list of tennis players-juniors of the United States. That's why hardly a young Jimmy was two years old, as he was already learning to keep a heavy tennis racket. Having absorbed the mother's milk with love for this game, the boy quickly learned and did well.

Behind a small house of the Connors family there was a private court, which enabled the guy to devote all his spare time to his favorite occupation. In addition, the parents took Jimmy with them to all competitions in which his mother participated. Watching professional tennis players, he gradually formed his own style of play.

The first steps in the world of tennis

When Jimmy Connors matured (he turned 16), Gloria saw that professionally he had outgrown her. So she began to look for her child suitable coach. They became Pancho Segura. It was this "court veteran" who helped to sharpen the young man's skill.

Jimmy was left-handed since he was born, this gave him an advantage over rivals who were accustomed to playing with right-handers. In addition, thanks to the efforts of the new coach, the guy brought his backhand (left) to perfection.

After leaving school Jimmy Connors thanks to his talent tennis player easily entered the college, where athletes were in high esteem. However, he quickly realized that he would have to choose either a game or a study, since he simply did not have enough time for everything.

After dropping his studies, the young man concentrated on his sports career. His coach was Rick Riordan. With his help at the age of twenty, Jimmy Connors has already started to play tennis at a professional level.

For the first year, Jimmy won seventy-five tournaments, becoming the first tennis player among men in the US. In 1973, this athlete retained the lead. And the following year became even more successful in the life of Connors, or "Jimbo," as the fans called it.

Peak of popularity

1974 was marked by the highest achievements of Connors. He participated in three Grand Slam tournaments and won all of them (Australia, Wimbledon, Forest Hills). However, in the fourth tournament (France) he was forbidden to participate. The judges justified this ban by the fact that Jimmy Connors is already playing in the world tennis team.

This event, of course, upset the tennis player, because to win all four tournaments Grand Slam was an honor. However, even without this, he remained the favorite of the public and the best tennis player in the world.

The next four years, Connors retained the title of the first racket of the world. And even having conceded this title to another, the sportsman continued to win in the most prestigious tournaments of the planet.

However, gradually on the tennis sky began to light up new stars, and the audience began to get tired of the daring "tennis hooligan", which marks every victory with a fist through the air.

Sunset career

Despite his talent, with time Jimmy Connors stealth gradually take. At first, these were small defeats. However, in May 1984, the athlete suffered the most devastating defeat of Ivan Lendl in the Grand Slam tournament in Forest Hills. Connors lost to the opponent with the score 0-6, 0-6. It is not known what caused this defeat, because the previous two years, Jimmy beat Ivan in the US Open tournaments.

After that, Jimmy Connors (photo below) became less and less likely to appear on the court, preferring to watch the game in the ranks of the audience. In addition, in one of the matches he suffered a serious wrist injury. Because of this, almost for a whole year he was forced to abstain from participating in competitions.

However, this could not continue for a long time, because Jimbo loved the game itself, not just victory and success. That is why, at the very beginning of the nineties, on the eve of his fortieth anniversary, Connors decided once again to enter the court.

The triumphant return in 1991.

In 1991, Jimmy Connors took part in the Grand Slam tournament, taking place in Forest Hills. From the "veteran of the court", as already at that time Connors considered the audience, did not expect anything special. The maximum that Jimbo might have hoped to lose is to lose to a younger opponent with a decent score. After all, at the time in the Internet ranking of tennis players in the world, Connors held 936th position, and according to official statistics - 174th.

In the first match with the young Patrick Makinroem Jimmy lost, but unexpectedly for all for the past fifteen minutes was able to literally snatch victory from the opponent.

In the next two "battles" Connors defeated his opponents: Michael Schapers and the tenth world champion Karel Novacek.

The fourth opponent was Jimbo young Aaron Crickstein, who beat the strongest opponents of the tournament. Being a young fan of Jimmy, the boy thoroughly studied all his brand-name blows and learned to reflect them.

The match between Crickstein and Connors lasted almost five hours, during which time both tennis players showed an excellent game. However, the veteran managed to become a winner, proving that there is still gunpowder in the flasks. In the last hour of the game, when both athletes almost fell from their feet from fatigue, the whole stadium (even the enemy's fans) began shouting the name "Jimbo"!

After this grand victory the fans nicknamed Jimmy Connors "Mr. Open".

His sports career Jimbo completed only five years later. However, feeling in himself more strength, the athlete decided to become a coach of the younger generation.

Coaching

Having ceased to play himself, Connors began to teach other athletes. At one time he was the coach of American tennis player Andy Roddick, who achieved the title of the first racket of the world.

Later, the ward of Jimbo was the Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova. However, they did not agree with the characters and soon ceased to cooperate.

Jimmy Connors: records

During his career, the athlete has achieved significant results. Moreover, many of his records could be beaten only recently. Became the record holder in the number of wins in the US Grand Slam tournament (US Open) Jimmy Connors.

His achievements are great: Connors is the owner of 120 sports titles, and so far no one has been able to surpass him in this regard. In addition, he won 233 single matches at various Grand Slam tournaments (this record was beaten only in 2012).

Among other things, Connors won twelve consecutive years in the semifinals of the US Open and eleven years in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.

The athlete was able to twelve years in a row to be in the top three of the best tennis players in the world and fourteen in the four.

Having received the title of the first racket of the world in 1974, he was able to hold him for 160 weeks. In all, he was the best tennis player in the world for 268 weeks (the fourth result in the history of tennis).

The only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, in which he did not become the winner of the Connors, is Roland Garros.

Did Jimmy Connors play? There were, of course, of course. However, he won 80% of the matches.

Jimmy Connors: The Private Life

Having achieved success in 1974 in the career plan, the athlete in the same period met his love. His lover was the US tennis champion Chris Evert. Star couple instantly became America's favorites, after a short engagement, even a wedding was assigned, but suddenly the lovers diverged.

Only years later it turned out that Chris, pregnant with Jimmy, felt that the child would interfere with her career, and had an abortion. Soon after, the lovers parted, but were able to maintain friendly relations.

Mrs. Connors was destined to become one of the sexiest women on the planet - the Playboy model Patty McGuire. Despite the apparent windiness, this leggy beauty became Jimmy's faithful wife and bore him two children.

The history of tennis knows also more productive sportsmen, rather than Jimmy Connors. However, he will forever remain in the memory of the fans as an athlete with a capital letter, proving that even age and numerous injuries can not prevent the achievement of the goal.