"Bjorn Borg was more the darling, myself and John McEnroe were outside court visitors" - Jimmy Connors downplays 'insult' at Wimbledon 1983
Jimmy Connors recently commented on the the treatment he and John McEnroe received at the Wimbledon Championships, drawing a comparison to the preferrential treatment accorded to Bjorn Borg.
Connors won the third of his eight Grand Slam titles at the 1982 Wimbledon Championships after defeating John McEnroe in the final. He entered the 1983 edition of the grasscourt Major as the top seed and began his title defense with a win over Eddie Edwards. Subsequently, he defeated Wally Masur and Henrik Sundstorm before falling to Kevin Curren in the fourth round.
On an epsiode of the 'Advantage Connors' podcast, Jimmy Connors entertained fan questions in the lead-up to Wimbledon 2023. One fan used the opportunity to inquire about the American's feelings regarding his fourth round match against Kevin Curren taking place on outside Court 3 during his title defense in 1983.
The fan recalled their memory of watching the match from the players balcony amid discussions about the perceived "insult" of the defending champion not competing on Centre Court.
“In 1983, as the defending champion, how did you feel about playing Kevin Curren on outside Court 3? I watched the match from the players’ balcony and there was a lot of chatter about the insult of you not playing on Centre Court," the fan questioned.
In response, the American revealed that even playing on Court 3 was a luxury for him, as he and John McEnroe were never awarded the "Wimbledon darling" treatment like Bjorn Borg.
“I was never one of Wimbledon’s favorites, that’s no secret and sometimes getting put on Court 3 was a luxury for me. Lot of guys were playing, Borg was playing. Bjorn was more the Wimbledon favorite, the Wimbledon darling and they looked more to keep him on Centre Court. Myself and McEnroe, we were outside court visitors," Jimmy Connors said.
However, Connors shrugged off the perceived "insult" and expressed his acceptance of the situation.
"Sometimes, you know, that jumps up and grabs you. It happened to grab me at that time but you know what the hell, I mean it’s just one of those things," he added.
"It’s comical that it’s even being brought up" - John McEnroe questions tennis' interest in Saudi Arabian investment
John McEnroe recently questioned tennis' interest in Saudi Arabia's potential investment in the ATP Tour after ATP Tour chief Andrea Gaudenzi confirmed engaging in 'positive' discussions regarding the potential investment.
McEnroe shared his concerns about the discussions, stating that the move was "comical" in light of the official investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) into the Saudi-backed LIV golf series.
“I don’t know why in the hell tennis would suddenly be; let’s talk to the Saudis after the debacle that you’re watching in golf," John McEnroe said. "To me, it’s comical that it’s even being brought up right now."
The news of the potential investment comes on the heels of the PIF, the Riyadh based sovereign wealth fund, actively pursuing the opportunity to host the 2023 Next Gen Finals in Jeddah.