Jimmy Connors: "For me, Wimbledon was always a tough couple of weeks; for Bjorn Borg, probably his best, just like Roger Federer"
Jimmy Connors recently reflected on his experience of competing at Wimbledon, highlighting the contrast between his treatment and that of Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer.
Connors has enjoyed great success at the grasscourt Major, having won the title in 1974 and 1982. Meanwhile, Borg and Federer have established dominant legacies at Wimbledon, with the Swede winning five titles and the 20-time Grand Slam champion claiming a record eight. Moreover, the duo also hold the record of being the only players to win five consecutive titles at SW19.
Connors recalled his experience of competing at Wimbledon, emphasizing the serious repercussions of not adhering to the Grand Slam's strict rules.
"I found out early, if you don’t conform by the rules of Wimbledon, they’ve got a big boot that’s going to hit you right in the a**," he said on the latest episode of the 'Advantage Connors' podcast.
The eight-time Grand Slam champion revealed that the grasscourt Major always represented a challenging two weeks for him due to the All England Club's restrictive rules. He contrasted his experience with that of Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer, noting that their attitudes were better suited to Wimbledon, resulting in them enjoying preferential treatment at SW19.
“For me, [Wimbledon] was always a tough couple of weeks. For Borg, probably his best two weeks because none of that effected him. Different attitudes fit different places to play and his attitude really fit Wimbledon, just like Federer. And in turn, they take them to heart, you know, always on the Centre Court, never playing on Court 2," he said.
The American, however, took comfort in having received similarly favorable treatment at the US Open.
"But, you know, what the hell, I had that at the US Open. I don’t think, since 1988, I maybe played one match outside of the Centre Court. It just depends on what your flow is. I won it (Wimbledon) twice and I was in the final four times, I’m good with that," he added.
"Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal aren't even the greatest of all time in their own era" - Jimmy Connors
Novak Djokovic fell just short of winning his 24th Grand Slam title, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the recently concluded Wimbledon Championships. The Spaniard secured his second win over Djokovic to claim his second Major title.
Commenting on the crowd favoring Alcaraz over the Serb in the final, Connors asserted that the lack of crowd support for the 36-year-old may have been the result of fans believing that he had already accomplished enough in his career.
The American expressed his disagreement with this perspective, highlighting how both Federer and Nadal were hailed as the greatest players of all time despite the pair not even being the undisputed best-ever players of their own era.
"It comes to a point where a lot of people think he’s had enough. To me that’s bulls**t. Look at all the people that were on the Federer bandwagon and the Nadal bandwagon as the greatest of all time. They’re not even the greatest of all time in their own era," he said.