Five-time US Open champion Jimmy Connors was back in New York City on Monday, showing the same passion and emotion that made him a fan favorite in the Big Apple for more than two decades.
Connors made a personal appeal to fans attending the US Open to join the USTA and ESPN efforts to raise money to support the victims of Hurricane Harvey, which has left a trail of devastation in Texas. The USTA will match every donation, with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to charity.
You can help those affected by Hurricane Harvey by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.*
USOpen.org spoke with Connors about his decision to join the appeal and his many great memories of the US Open.
USOpen.org: Jimmy, why did you decide to make this plea for tennis fans to support the hurricane victims in Texas?
Jimmy Connors: You sit at home in the comfort of your own living room and you see the devastation that’s going on in Texas and you say, ‘Oh boy, it’s not here’. But it is here. You see the pain and the suffering and everything that the people in Texas are going through, so I thought, ‘Why not do something?’ We’re at the greatest tennis event in the world, so let’s get the fans here that saw me play for so many years and the fans that come on these grounds and [encourage them to] make a difference in the people’s lives in Texas. It’s something I want to do. The USTA is going to match every dollar we get. The amount of fans that will pass through the next five or six days is tremendous and I know that their generosity will do very well.
USOpen.org: It sounds like something you’re very passionate about.
Connors: I’m a passionate guy. I played tennis that way and I’ve lived my life that way. I know from all the years I played, that the fans here are passionate, too. They love to see people come out and leave their DNA on the court. They love to see fighters. And that’s what they see with the people in Texas. They’re surviving and they’re going to come out of it. They just need a little help and hopefully this is part of it.
USOpen.org: You’re a five-time champion here in New York. What’s your fondest memory of competing here?
Connors: I’ve had 22 years of playing here, but it’s not just the tennis. It’s the whole two or three weeks that I was here leading up to the tournament, getting ready for the tournament, starting to play the tournament. The whole scene for me was where the thrill was. Preparing, getting ready and then, once the tournament started, performing. Could I give you one? No, I could not. But I could give you 101. I don’t look back often, but sometimes there’s a little shot that goes through my brain. To have that and hold onto that, hopefully someday it’s something I can tell my grandchildren about.
USOpen.org: You won your first US Open in 1974. Just how special was that?
Connors: It was my first US Open title. I always heard that winning your first was the toughest. That once you get that under your belt, then you can relax and just go and play. That was very true with me in New York. I made a good connection with the fans, my game fit their attitude and their personality and we had a very special feeling toward each other for an awful long time.
USOpen.org: You had already won your first two Grand Slam singles titles in Melbourne and London earlier that year. Did that take some pressure off you in New York, or did it make it worse?
Connors: I think it added to it. I was expected to win. To go out and play that kind of tennis when you’re 20 or 21 years old, isn’t that what you live for? To have that pressure and excitement of every time I walked out onto the court, it not only meant winning, it meant more. To win three Grand Slams in one year is pretty special.
USOpen.org: You were known for your fiery personality and your passion on the court. Do you see any current players who embody that same type of passion?
Connors: [Rafael] Nadal for sure. [Roger] Federer is a different player, more elegant in the way he moves around the court and his game and his strokes. Rafa is getting in the trenches with you. If I had someone watching my back, I’d like it to be him. You can see the passion. I’m not saying other don’t, I’m saying he expresses it and lets it go around the stadium so that the people who are watching him can understand what he’s going through and then can get behind him and root for him.
USOpen.org: An exciting second week coming up. Do you have any predictions for who may lift the trophies on Saturday or Sunday?
Connors: Well, the interesting match if they both get there is in the semifinal this year. You’re looking at everybody saying that’s the final, but no, it’s not the final. The other half of the draw now is so wide open for someone to make their name and get that first US Open, that first Grand Slam. For these young kids to have had an opportunity like that, those who have lost already will ask what went wrong or will I have another chance like that. For those still in, I want to hear their heart beat. To have this opportunity is very special.
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