There is no doubt that the fans in New York and former tennis great Jimmy Connors have a mutual love for each other. Connors was a tough, brash, in your face kind of player and that fits the mold that New Yorkers really get behind. He is a five-time U.S. Open winner, starting when the tournament used to be held at Forest Hills.
Connors’ victory at the 1976 U.S. Open came during the brief period (1975-77) when the tournament was held on clay courts. So while Connors never won the French Open, he is one of only five men — Mats Wilander, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — to have won a Grand Slam singles title on grass courts, hard courts and clay courts.
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He will be the lead broadcaster on the Tennis Channel for the U.S. Open starting Monday and in a recent conversation he talked about his fondest memories of the championship.
Connors on the U.S. Open » It was the swirl around the U.S. Open that attracted me to it. It was not like what you expected tennis to be like. I did not mind the airplanes, or people walking after points. I didn’t mind anything but being down there playing tennis. Everything else was just a bonus. … The fans make the event what it is.
On this the 25th anniversary of Super Saturday » I remember 25 years ago I lost … I’m glad it was a great day, but not so much for me. … It is still a day talked about by players. Sometimes the hype and what you expect is an overload. But on that day it was not an overload. You got everything you expected to see and more and walked out loving it.
Connors is proud of his former pupil, Andy Roddick » He is taking care of what is in front of him, keeping his mind on his business, not looking so much into the stands. [Roddick is] going about his own game in his own way. Wimbledon was the kind of tennis you expect Andy to play.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
