"I ended up the bad guy again... There should be books written about it" - When John McEnroe accused Jimmy Connors of 'manipulating' fans against him
John McEnroe once expressed frustration over Jimmy Connors' behavior during a match on the ATP Champions Tour. He accused his long-time rival of manipulating the crowd to turn them against him.
After retiring from the professional circuit, McEnroe and Connors continued their intense rivalry on the Seniors Tour, also known as the ATP Champions Tour. The former had a 20-14 head-to-head advantage against the latter during their professional careers, and this competitive spirit carried over into their post-retirement matches.
One notable moment between the duo took place in September 1998 during a match in Dallas, Texas, on the Seniors Tour. During the first set, a dispute over a line call sparked tension when someone in the stands shouted for Connors to "be fair."
McEnroe, known for his fiery personality, repeated the fan's words, which agitated Connors. He was so upset that he left the court for about 30 minutes before eventually returning to continue the match.
John McEnroe reflected on the incident in a 1998 interview ahead of the Honda Challenge at Olympia. He claimed Jimmy Connors deliberately left the court to gain sympathy from the crowd.
"He left the court for 30 minutes, not me, but I ended up the bad guy again," McEnroe said (via The Independent). "It's not easy to pull that off but he's an expert. There should be books written about it as an inspiration. I thought I'd seen pretty much everything until this happened. He has manipulated crowds against me for years, he gets them thinking `Poor Jimmy'.
The 65-year-old continued:
"We haven't spoken since. I'm quite upset that apparently he's upset at me for reasons I don't understand. But that's Jimmy. This sort of thing is always what he has needed, to really dislike an opponent and believe everybody is screwing him."
"So he is in his element right now. He seems to be reverting to what I became used to before he started to make an effort to be friendly," he added.
Jimmy Connors won 8 Grand Slams while John McEnroe won 7
Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe were once dominant forces on the Grand Slam circuit, with the former winning eight Majors and the latter claiming seven.
Connors won five titles at the US Open (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, and 1983), two at Wimbledon (1974 and 1982), and one at the Australian Open (1974). Although he never won the French Open, he made it to the semifinals four times (1979, 1980, 1984, and 1985).
Meanwhile, McEnroe lifted four New York Major trophies (1979, 1980, 1981, 1984) and three at Wimbledon (1981, 1983, 1984). He also reached the Roland-Garros final in 1984 and the semifinal in Melbourne in 1983.