Jimmy Connors

Born in September of 1952 in Belleville, Illinois, Jimmy Connors was raised by his mother and grandmother and was coached by both of them, as well. Starting at a young age, his mother coached him in tennis and instilled in him a competitiveness which would come to define him as a player.

Jimmy Connors was an independent operator from the day he went pro until the day he retired. He was one of the few that refused to join the ATP, which was the men’s tennis union. Turning pro in 1972, twenty year old Connors would go on to become the best male tennis player of all time. Known for his two-handed backhand, as well as his left-handed play, he was a fierce and sometimes colorful competitor. His antics, from rants on the court to hand signals to the line judges, were well known throughout the tennis community. Connors held the ranking of #1 player in the world for a total of more than 250 weeks, of which 160 were consecutive. He won eight grand slam singles titles, two grand slam doubles titles, and a record 109 singles titles. His winning percentage when he retired was an impressive 82.4%. He had surgery on his left wrist in 1990 and came back in 1991 to end his career with some of his gutsiest tennis playing.

Jimmy Connors was inducted into the World Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 1998. He also spend two years as the coach of Andy Roddick.