Jimmy Connors is not a new name in the tennis fraternity as the former American tennis player has registered a remarkable number of titles to his magnificent tennis career and has set innumerable records to his name. He won eight major singles Grand Slam titles in his tenure, three year-end championships and 17 Grand Pic Super Series titles. As the veteran World No.1 tennis player turns 69 on Thursday, let's have a look at his major Grand Slam victories that he has achieved throughout the years.
Australia Open (1974): Holding the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) No.1 ranking in that year, Connors emerged to be a dominant player by then. He won the Australian Open against Phil Dent by 7-6, 6-4, 4-6 and 6-3 in the four sets and claimed his first-ever Grand Slam title.
Wimbledon (1974): In the third Grand Slam tennis event of 1974, Connors defeated Australia's Ken Rosewall by 6-1, 6-1, and 6-4, to take home his first Wimbledon title and the second Grand Slam title.
US Open (1974): Playing his third and last-ever Grand Slam tournament of the year, Connors took just an hour to beat Ken Rosewell again in the US Open by 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 in the grass courts of New York. US Open, Day 2: Andreescu Remains Undefeated, Top Seed Barty into R2.
US Open (1976): Though 1975 didn't prove to be Connors' year, he ensured that he didn't let the title slip from him once again after the previous year. He captured the US Open once again by defeating Sweden's Björn Borg by 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 and 6-4 in the finals to claim yet another title for himself.
US open (1978): US Open was probably Connors' territory by then as he went on to register another win at the last Grand Slam of that calendar year and defeated Björn Borg once again by 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 on the hard court for the first time.
Wimbledon (1982): Connors regained his lost form at Wimbledon in 1982 as he defeated America's John McEnroe in the final by 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 and 6-4 to win the Men's Singles tennis title at 1982 Wimbledon Championships
US Open (1982): Connors defeated Czech-American Ivan Lendl in the US Open by 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, and 6-4 to claim his second Grand Slam title for the year.
US Open (1983): Being named the Player of the Year in 1982 by the ATP, Connors registered his last victory at Grand Slam in his favourite tournament - US Open. He defeated Ivan Lendl yet again in1983 by 6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-0 in the finals and claimed his 100th ATP singles title then. US Open 2021: Serena Williams, Dominic Thiem, Rafael Nadal & Other Tennis Players Who Will Be Missing in Action at Year’s Last Grand Slam.
While his extraordinary feat remained unbeatable among men for almost 36 years, Connors didn't get the opportunity to win all four Major singles titles in a calendar year as he was banned from the French Open throughout. Nonetheless, his unrivaled and explicit performance over the years has made him one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Connors registered 109 titles in his 1,557 matches and also triumphed 1,274 matches of them, which still keeps him above every other tennis player to date.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2021 07:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).