American athlete, one of the reigning giants of tennis in the 1970s. A Wimbledon men’s single champion in 1974 with a string of U.S. Open championships in 1974, ’76 and ’78. In 1991, at the age of 39, Connors stunned U.S. Open audiences by playing a competitive game and reaching the semifinals. He proved he still could delight an audience with his winning tennis style.
He was raised in Belleville, IL. by his mother Gloria. His tennis-playing mom was instrumental in his life as she began teaching him the game when he was just three and four. His older brother John is a close friend. A winner from age 12, he led the pack of the most promising young tennis stars by the age of 18.
Connors, a free spirit who loves to play tennis was capable of showing off his competitive prowess against his opponent Ilie Nastase, the major l’enfant terrible of the tennis scene. Nastase’s unpleasant antics on the court proved unpopular with tennis fans. He was one of the top-seated players in the ’70s, making $1 million a year. Connors displayed a charismatic style in his game, showing hot intensity and power as he faced his biggest rival, Sweden’s Bjorn Borg. The rivalry was played out in London, Paris and New York as audiences watched the aggressive challenger Connors combat the silent assassin Borg. After Borg retired from the game in the early ’80s, Connors continued to play but was slowly dropping in the ranks to the younger players like John McEnroe and Michael Chang.
In 1974, American tennis fans were heartbroken when Connors and tennis champion Chris Evert broke off their engagement. He dated Marjorie Wallace in 1976 and married his pregnant former Playboy model girlfriend, Patty McGuire in 1979. They live on a Santa Barbara ranch with their children, son Brett David, born 8/01/1979 and daughter, Aubree-Leigh, born in 1985. Family life has mellowed Connors and he makes every effort to keep his personal life with his family private.
Connors had suffered many injuries to his body after years of competitive tennis. In 1990, at a match in Milan, he felt his tendon and tissues explode in his wrist. Reconstructive surgery was a success, but it was a slow recovery and his prognosis on returning to the game of tennis was uncertain. In his retirement, he has worked as a tennis color commentator for a major TV channel and has done some product endorsements.
Link to Wikipedia biography