Jimmy Connors Saved My Life: Part 3

[johnyandell]

Let's get your thoughts on Joel Drucker's article "Jimmy Connors Saved My Life: Part 3"!

[klacr]

The making of a champion. Gloria Connors was a tough cookie. The more I read these pieces about Connors by Joel Drucker, the more I become fascinated by him as a player and the mindset. I never had Connors on my radar much and was not of great interest to me, but now, thanks to Joel, James Scott Connors, Gloria and Bertha are much more prominent figures in my tennis universe. Great series.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[ClassicStrokes]

Absolutely fascinating. The boondocks story is a total classical moment. Also the Tiger juices bit. I had never heard that either. I wonder how Jimmy's game would hold up today? Is it like Novak's playing up to the baseline and working his ass off to get into position? So maybe it would translate.

[joeldrucker]

It's nice to see all this curiosity about Jimmy Connors and his game. Often, for reasons good and bad, he's talked about more for all he did when he wasn't hitting the ball. Fair enough, and I enjoyed much of that too. But over time, it's the work itself that speaks most loudly. There is so much to be learned from Connors. I'd rank his footwork among the best ever, right up there with Federer and Rosewall -- footwork being the ability to put oneself in place to strike the ball as efficiently as possible as often as possible. Pretty tough to find Connors ever mishitting a ball or being off-balance. And that in turn helps one stay healthy and have an extremely long and productive career -- good pointers for all of us.

Added to that is Connors' knowledge of what he calls "the game within the game within the game." He was a remarkable problem-solver. Even his frequent comment, "I never changed my game," was more about a mentality than a tactical gestalt. Watch his points closely and you'll see.

[stotty]

It's nice to see all this curiosity about Jimmy Connors and his game. Often, for reasons good and bad, he's talked about more for all he did when he wasn't hitting the ball. Fair enough, and I enjoyed much of that too. But over time, it's the work itself that speaks most loudly. There is so much to be learned from Connors. I'd rank his footwork among the best ever, right up there with Federer and Rosewall -- footwork being the ability to put oneself in place to strike the ball as efficiently as possible as often as possible. Pretty tough to find Connors ever mishitting a ball or being off-balance. And that in turn helps one stay healthy and have an extremely long and productive career -- good pointers for all of us.

Added to that is Connors' knowledge of what he calls "the game within the game within the game." He was a remarkable problem-solver. Even his frequent comment, "I never changed my game," was more about a mentality than a tactical gestalt. Watch his points closely and you'll see.

For me, it was his ball control that was astoundingly good, especially since he was a flat hitter. As you rightly point out, he rarely mishit the ball...he didn't spray many either. His basic form didn't alter that much from match to match. He was a good player every time he went out on court.

His coach Pancho Segura apparently has amazing ball control too...maybe he passed some of it on to Connors.

But best of all Connors was the epitome of hard work. He was never lazy, he never lacked intensity. I remember watching him knock-up at Wimbledon and wondering how on earth anyone could keep up that level of work for so many years. Where did all that drive come from.....

[joeldrucker]

indeed

Fine thoughts, Stotty. As I found over the course of studying him closely for more than 25 years, Connors' motivation came from many sources. Certainly it began with his mother and grandmother fueling him with the desire to compete and show up others from what they perceived as wealthier backgrounds. Ah, the micro-climate of St. Louis. And it sure helped that he generated such good results his entire career. Even in the less good years of his prime, he remained in the top three.

I also think, as distrustful as Gloria Connors was, as limiting as that vision could be, she was a genius at making sure he continued to love the game. The short practices were one sign. Then, turning him over to Pancho Segura as a tennis doctoral advisor was even more dazzling. Even as the results kept coming, Connors relished the chance to get on the court and compete -- certainly most of all to win, but also, just to throw himself into the heat of battle. In this sense, he was quite different from Borg and McEnroe, neither of whom (for different reasons), had the desire to labor (and suffer?) that much.

But still, yes, I realize I've mostly addressed how motivation manifests itself. Where it comes from -- for example, why Jimmy but not his older brother Johnny -- is tricky indeed to determine.

[don_budge]

Pound for pound...

...he may have been the toughest tennis player ever. The greatest of all time. His longevity attest to this. His overall record. His resistance to switch to the "new technology". His love and loyalty to the game indisputable.

He was a rebel. He was a "mama's boy". But once he was between the lines on that tennis court he was all about kicking ass. If he went down...he went down his way. Gunning every step of the way. I never saw him tank. I never saw him throw in the towel. He was just tough, tough, tough.

This toughness doesn't manifest itself into a personality to make them likeable. But to Jimmy Connors this was more or less besides the point. He didn't give a shit what you or I thought about him or his attitude. This was his strength...and at the same time a shortcoming.

He's a compelling character. One that we haven't seen since and most likely we will never see again. All things being equal he wouldn't have been overly impressed with the players of today. Not at all. Unrelenting...perhaps the toughest mama's boy ever. Read his autobiography to get to know him. He puts it out there just the way he played. Like it or not.