I had the misfortune to meet connors which shattered my impression of him. But that cannot detract from the player. What makes me open mouthed is the speed these guys are playing at compared to that of Duokovic vs Federer yesturday. The game has certainly evolved.
too bad jimmy is like 40 yrs old in this clip...would love to see what a connors in his prime maybe like a '82 connors when he won it vs a '99 Agassi when he won it. I wonder who would win that match.
i was at this match. my impression at the time was that Andre "gave" Connors the two sets, then turned it on at the end, to make it more dramatic. Connors was hurting early on; no way he could legitimately bagel Andre in the third. i assumed Andre didn't want to crush Jimmy again like he'd done the previous year and get criticized for embarrassing an old man. i could be completely wrong, though.
I was at this match and it was incredible! Conners fought as hard as he could, but just couldn't pull it out!. On top of him being nearly 40, it was hot and I think the heat got to him.
Agassi is my all time favorite sports star, but in the 80's Connors was my favorite player. His match against Mikael Pernfors in the 1987 Wimbledon R16 was the single most exciting tennis match I have ever seen in my life. No one played the crowd like Jimbo! His win over Paul Haarhuis in the 1991 US Open quarters aged 39 remains the highest rated tennis match in US TV history.
I read Agassi's book. I liked it for the most part. But he came off as a complete jerk when he talked about his relationship with Brooke Shields. All he did concerning her was complain how boring she was, and he could not stand being around her. Like it was all her fault. If he had shown more class about his feelings to her, I would have had more respect for him. As such, he comes off as a spoiled shit.
As for Connors, I have never liked him. He always had poor boy chip on his shoulder.
@Swordsman808 I knew someone like that. I told him I imagined his girlfriend no doubt holds a mirror in front of her face so he can see his own face reflected back while they are having sex, lol! xD
One of my friends was chauffering Connors back from an exhibition match in Tacoma, Wa., and was telling Connors what a fan he was of him. Connors asked him if there were any tennis courts nearby. They went over to the University of Puget Sound tennis courts where Connors loaned my friend one of his raquets, and hit with him for about an hour in his street clothes. They drew a very surprised crowd.
@moseyalong1 that's really cool. i love stuff like that. i've had several "unique" encounters similar, but not to the point of hitting with the legend. i was practicing one night in Indian Wells, CA and noticed there were a few people behind the fence & windscreen watching us. In came Federer, Mirka, and some other lad. They walked over to the next court after saying hello and began to have a hit. No security, no fans, just us and the man himself, Fed. We watched in awe & then spoke to him.
Can one of the best players of one era compete with one of the best of another? This video unequivocally answers that question. I realize that at age 19 Agassi had probably not reached his peak, but at the same time any middle aged athlete comes to know that after age 30 his body can't perform as it did between 20-25. Subtract 8-10 years from Connors' age and this match would have had a different winner.
Can one of the best players of one era compete with one of the best of another? This video unequivocally answers that question. I realize that at 19 Agassi had probably not yet reached his peak, but any middle-aged athlete knows that his body can't perform after age 30 the way it did between 20 and 25. Subtract 8-10 years from Connors's age, and this match would have had a different winner.
Yep. In Agassi's book "Open" it was Sampras that was the terrible tipper, though other than that, Agassi makes him sound like a decent guy. Connors, on the other hand, was an arrogant condescending nasty piece of work.
@3434arc1 I'm reading Open now and don't like how Agassi throws his family under the bus: his grandma was "nasty" with a "walnut" sized mole on her nose; his father was a psychotic violent maniac who should be in jail for road rage assaults and child abuse; his brother was a "born loser." Agassi goes overboard to paint himself as the victim of a dysfunctional family -- to make himself look better as the ultimate victim-survivor. He doesn't realize how self-serving and disloyal it comes across.
@JoeyFudd. I think the reason he did that because the whole family relied and put pressure on him to be the breadwinner at an early age. They made nasty gestures and remarks when he lost or was losing. His point is why don't you live your own life or appreciate me better.
@3434arc1 Don't believe everything you read. That's only Agassi's side of the story. Connors used to wind Agassi up and Agassi couldn't deal with it. At least Connors never took drugs and lied about it - and never wore a wig. Wait till Connor's autobiography comes out and hear his side of the story.
@3434arc1 Connors was known to be rude and a sore loser as was Pancho Gonzales - legendary for being a REALLY sore loser although he rarely lost. (Something about being super competitive). On the other hand, both were great commentators - praising other players while being humble about their own great accomplishments. Agassi was the flip side - nicest of the nice guys.
@sebriani Goofball?? LOL! yah, OK..that goofball won 8 GS, including 5 US Opens on 3 different surfaces...and at 37 years old, had Andre Agassi running his butt off...
Historic match. Youth vs. Knowledge. Stamina vs. Heart. The "old showman" vs. the "new showman". The "past" vs. the "future". I loved watching this match, as it had so many elements of intrigue. And for the game differences / similarities. Connors was the master of taking the ball early, with the best return. Andre took it to a new level. It's ironic that Connors was now playing the same kid who he hit with in Vegas, when Andre was 5 or 6 years old. Andre's dad used to string Connors' rackets.
@pacodemic It's a quarterfinal match, not semi-final. So weird though - it's like Agassi is playing with a ghost from the past (and loses the third set to Love!) or Connors traveled in time; either way it's really weird. Two different tennis eras playing each other.
Connors was not "old" here. In tennis terms he was ancient. Most players peak by their mid twenties and go the way of the dodo by the time they hit 30, or very shortly thereafter. To be playing at this level when one is almost 40 is insane.
Connors was a phenomenon, just like Navratilova was for the women. And I say this without being, or having ever been, a Connors fan.
@alin1975 ; Why are you saying that? Agassi won 8 grand slams and won the French which Jimmy Connors never did. In addition Agassi played against Sampras and Federer in their prime who both have won more grand slams than any other men in history. Connors was a great player but I will never say he was better than Agassi in his prime.
Connors did not play the French in his prime due to a dispute. Moreover, in that era the Aussie was not considered an important tour. Connors went twice in his career and won it once. Despite this, he won as many slams as Agassi. More importantly, he spent 268 weeks at no1(!!!) to Agassi's 101. He has 148 tournaments to Agassi's 68. He has 2 doubles slams to none.
I like Agassi very much, but Connors is imo the nr 5 best player of the open era.
@alin1975 : You make a valid point but Agassi also played at a time when Sampras and Federer were at their peak. These are two guys who have won the most Grand Slams in the history of the sport. Both Sampras and Federer beat Agassi in grand slam finals and he still has eight slams. Connors is great but I don't think he's that far ahead of Agassi.
I am not just waiting for these replies lol - I just happened to log in :)
I agree that Fed and Sampras are probably best, but remember that players like Borg usually only played 3 slams/year (also slam counting is a fairly recent thing).
I think the competition was similar. Connors faced a peak Borg, Mac, & Lendl and similar aging/2nd-tier players.
I rank Agassi joint 6th/7th with Mac, so maybe its not "far ahead" but Connors's record is better in every way imo.
@alin1975 : I guess I can agree with you on this point, especially if you rank Agassi 6th/7th all time. Good analysis buddy. It was nice debating you : )
@pacodemic Good points. Nice to see crossover between generations for some perspective - these two are 18 YRS apart! Connors serve was one of the weakest on the tour while Agassi had one of the greatest return of serves in history as did Connors. What was that bagel about? Thanks for the post!
This was awesome. Thanks for posting it.
camvantasco 2 months ago
1:06 ask for a challenge!! LMAO
Blackdog747 4 months ago
I had the misfortune to meet connors which shattered my impression of him. But that cannot detract from the player. What makes me open mouthed is the speed these guys are playing at compared to that of Duokovic vs Federer yesturday. The game has certainly evolved.
deve8uk 5 months ago
too bad jimmy is like 40 yrs old in this clip...would love to see what a connors in his prime maybe like a '82 connors when he won it vs a '99 Agassi when he won it. I wonder who would win that match.
subban 6 months ago
i was at this match. my impression at the time was that Andre "gave" Connors the two sets, then turned it on at the end, to make it more dramatic. Connors was hurting early on; no way he could legitimately bagel Andre in the third. i assumed Andre didn't want to crush Jimmy again like he'd done the previous year and get criticized for embarrassing an old man. i could be completely wrong, though.
cornel999 7 months ago
Thought it was borg at first haha
TheGeorgevt 7 months ago
I was at this match and it was incredible! Conners fought as hard as he could, but just couldn't pull it out!. On top of him being nearly 40, it was hot and I think the heat got to him.
shiprock24 8 months ago
Connors il più grande giocatore di tutti i tempi
Ghianda6972 8 months ago
@Ghianda6972 That's easy for you to say. It is true however.
therubtyk 4 months ago
Agassi is my all time favorite sports star, but in the 80's Connors was my favorite player. His match against Mikael Pernfors in the 1987 Wimbledon R16 was the single most exciting tennis match I have ever seen in my life. No one played the crowd like Jimbo! His win over Paul Haarhuis in the 1991 US Open quarters aged 39 remains the highest rated tennis match in US TV history.
THEBOXINGPOST 8 months ago
This is where Jimmy said before the match that Andre could be his son because he did so much screwing in Vegas. LOL.
Ariamaluum 8 months ago
I love Conners and Agassi. Two of my favorite players. Conners looks like a guy you play at the Y, but he was special.
TheMarke94 8 months ago
agassi's father used to string connors rackets!
symba 9 months ago
I read Agassi's book. I liked it for the most part. But he came off as a complete jerk when he talked about his relationship with Brooke Shields. All he did concerning her was complain how boring she was, and he could not stand being around her. Like it was all her fault. If he had shown more class about his feelings to her, I would have had more respect for him. As such, he comes off as a spoiled shit.
As for Connors, I have never liked him. He always had poor boy chip on his shoulder.
mrbobevans 9 months ago
@Swordsman808 I knew someone like that. I told him I imagined his girlfriend no doubt holds a mirror in front of her face so he can see his own face reflected back while they are having sex, lol! xD
BunnyWunnyPuke 10 months ago
One of my friends was chauffering Connors back from an exhibition match in Tacoma, Wa., and was telling Connors what a fan he was of him. Connors asked him if there were any tennis courts nearby. They went over to the University of Puget Sound tennis courts where Connors loaned my friend one of his raquets, and hit with him for about an hour in his street clothes. They drew a very surprised crowd.
moseyalong1 11 months ago
@moseyalong1 that's really cool. i love stuff like that. i've had several "unique" encounters similar, but not to the point of hitting with the legend. i was practicing one night in Indian Wells, CA and noticed there were a few people behind the fence & windscreen watching us. In came Federer, Mirka, and some other lad. They walked over to the next court after saying hello and began to have a hit. No security, no fans, just us and the man himself, Fed. We watched in awe & then spoke to him.
THEATLANTEAN4 11 months ago
Agassi has a nice butt sweat going on in the first game
gasmaster01 1 year ago
Agassi has a nice butt sweat going on
gasmaster01 1 year ago
Supposedly Agassi lost the middle sets on purpose to prove he could finally win in 5 sets. BadAss.
tennisboi 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
LOL You showed a Connors highlight reel from a match he lost.
guitarmbar 1 year ago
lol you should a Connors highlight reel from a match he lost.
guitarmbar 1 year ago
Its a pity Connors was a serious dickhead in his day.
niall29 1 year ago
I was glad that Agassi easily defeated Connors, both times they met.
CalypsoJuice 1 year ago
Can one of the best players of one era compete with one of the best of another? This video unequivocally answers that question. I realize that at age 19 Agassi had probably not reached his peak, but at the same time any middle aged athlete comes to know that after age 30 his body can't perform as it did between 20-25. Subtract 8-10 years from Connors' age and this match would have had a different winner.
VolTupungato 1 year ago
Can one of the best players of one era compete with one of the best of another? This video unequivocally answers that question. I realize that at 19 Agassi had probably not yet reached his peak, but any middle-aged athlete knows that his body can't perform after age 30 the way it did between 20 and 25. Subtract 8-10 years from Connors's age, and this match would have had a different winner.
VolTupungato 1 year ago
Yep. In Agassi's book "Open" it was Sampras that was the terrible tipper, though other than that, Agassi makes him sound like a decent guy. Connors, on the other hand, was an arrogant condescending nasty piece of work.
3434arc1 1 year ago 9
@3434arc1 I'm reading Open now and don't like how Agassi throws his family under the bus: his grandma was "nasty" with a "walnut" sized mole on her nose; his father was a psychotic violent maniac who should be in jail for road rage assaults and child abuse; his brother was a "born loser." Agassi goes overboard to paint himself as the victim of a dysfunctional family -- to make himself look better as the ultimate victim-survivor. He doesn't realize how self-serving and disloyal it comes across.
JoeyFudd 1 year ago
@JoeyFudd. I think the reason he did that because the whole family relied and put pressure on him to be the breadwinner at an early age. They made nasty gestures and remarks when he lost or was losing. His point is why don't you live your own life or appreciate me better.
Ariamaluum 11 months ago
@3434arc1 Don't believe everything you read. That's only Agassi's side of the story. Connors used to wind Agassi up and Agassi couldn't deal with it. At least Connors never took drugs and lied about it - and never wore a wig. Wait till Connor's autobiography comes out and hear his side of the story.
therubtyk 4 months ago
@3434arc1 Connors was known to be rude and a sore loser as was Pancho Gonzales - legendary for being a REALLY sore loser although he rarely lost. (Something about being super competitive). On the other hand, both were great commentators - praising other players while being humble about their own great accomplishments. Agassi was the flip side - nicest of the nice guys.
JIM2oob 4 weeks ago
Agassi has the worst hair in the history of tennis, but he's still awesome :))
Fernandez218 1 year ago
Connors looks like a goofball out there with the way he hits the ball
sebriani 1 year ago
@sebriani Goofball?? LOL! yah, OK..that goofball won 8 GS, including 5 US Opens on 3 different surfaces...and at 37 years old, had Andre Agassi running his butt off...
jlr0926 1 year ago
@jlr0926 True, but he still looks like a goofball
sebriani 1 year ago
@jlr0926 Very true. He upped his performance cos he hated Agassi and saw him as nothing but a punk. Shame Connors was a complete asshole though.
niall29 1 year ago
jimmy was 37 in 1989, agassi was just 19!!!! connors is a genious!
pablotjob 1 year ago
RF
Hi, could someone please post the entire match.
Also would like to hear it in English also
Thanks for posting these wonderful highlights of this incredible match
yasudab1 1 year ago
i recorded this on hd tv off of espn classic in english.so i have it in extremely high quality.compared to this.i will post the match for you.
jayfey77 1 year ago
@jayfey77 That would be awesome. Thanks alot. I would appreciate it. :)
RF
yasudab1 1 year ago
Jeez. For every Agassi highlight there's 10 Connors highlights.
9Bluejay 1 year ago
@9Bluejay that's because agassi is a bad tipper.
gardenvarietypenis 1 year ago
@gardenvarietypenis
That was Sampras that was a bad tipper dumbass, not Agassi.
HTHAMMACK1 1 year ago
@HTHAMMACK1 sarcasm, the perfect bait for stupid people like you.
gardenvarietypenis 1 year ago
Historic match. Youth vs. Knowledge. Stamina vs. Heart. The "old showman" vs. the "new showman". The "past" vs. the "future". I loved watching this match, as it had so many elements of intrigue. And for the game differences / similarities. Connors was the master of taking the ball early, with the best return. Andre took it to a new level. It's ironic that Connors was now playing the same kid who he hit with in Vegas, when Andre was 5 or 6 years old. Andre's dad used to string Connors' rackets.
theatlantean2 2 years ago
@theatlantean2. As Connors said before that match, Andre could be his son.
Ariamaluum 11 months ago
this was a prelude to agassi's beatdown on the old guy a couple years later.
viva andre!
tangerine44 2 years ago
@tangerine44 no, that was courier who beat connors in the semis in '91
this was agassi's 2nd & last meeting w/ connors
mephatboi 1 year ago
So Connor's lost this match.
GRANDOVERLORD77 2 years ago
that slice down the line by Agassi towards the end of this clip is CRAZY. Thats one of the best shots I've ever seen.
alstrom 2 years ago
wow what a match... isnt this the one where they go five sets and conors get really sick halfway through? thanks for the video!
tennisboi 2 years ago
Yes, Connors was too tired in the 5th set, but would have won it if it was best of 3, you can see the score at 1:28 for a moment :-)
pacodemic 2 years ago
@pacodemic If it was best of 3 it wouldnt be a slam. No point trying to use that to defend Connors.
VerdascoFan 10 months ago 6
@VerdascoFan He was like 40 years old, Agassi was like 20
THATS why i mentioned the best of 3 thing.
and this was a SEMI-FINAL so he had to win a few matches before.
And this IS a good defense ...lol.
when YOU become 40 you will realize
pacodemic 10 months ago
@pacodemic It's a quarterfinal match, not semi-final. So weird though - it's like Agassi is playing with a ghost from the past (and loses the third set to Love!) or Connors traveled in time; either way it's really weird. Two different tennis eras playing each other.
misztong 10 months ago
@pacodemic It's not a good argument. So what if he was old? Agassi was pretty young here...
VerdascoFan 10 months ago
@VerdascoFan
Connors was not "old" here. In tennis terms he was ancient. Most players peak by their mid twenties and go the way of the dodo by the time they hit 30, or very shortly thereafter. To be playing at this level when one is almost 40 is insane.
Connors was a phenomenon, just like Navratilova was for the women. And I say this without being, or having ever been, a Connors fan.
alin1975 9 months ago 2
@pacodemic agassi is better anyway
1992chucks 6 months ago
@1992chucks
I sure hope you dont mean in general, because Connors is clearly the more accomplished player... its not even that close.
alin1975 6 months ago
@alin1975 ; Why are you saying that? Agassi won 8 grand slams and won the French which Jimmy Connors never did. In addition Agassi played against Sampras and Federer in their prime who both have won more grand slams than any other men in history. Connors was a great player but I will never say he was better than Agassi in his prime.
TheTopspin77 1 month ago
@TheTopspin77
Connors did not play the French in his prime due to a dispute. Moreover, in that era the Aussie was not considered an important tour. Connors went twice in his career and won it once. Despite this, he won as many slams as Agassi. More importantly, he spent 268 weeks at no1(!!!) to Agassi's 101. He has 148 tournaments to Agassi's 68. He has 2 doubles slams to none.
I like Agassi very much, but Connors is imo the nr 5 best player of the open era.
alin1975 1 month ago
@alin1975 : You make a valid point but Agassi also played at a time when Sampras and Federer were at their peak. These are two guys who have won the most Grand Slams in the history of the sport. Both Sampras and Federer beat Agassi in grand slam finals and he still has eight slams. Connors is great but I don't think he's that far ahead of Agassi.
TheTopspin77 1 month ago
@TheTopspin77
I am not just waiting for these replies lol - I just happened to log in :)
I agree that Fed and Sampras are probably best, but remember that players like Borg usually only played 3 slams/year (also slam counting is a fairly recent thing).
I think the competition was similar. Connors faced a peak Borg, Mac, & Lendl and similar aging/2nd-tier players.
I rank Agassi joint 6th/7th with Mac, so maybe its not "far ahead" but Connors's record is better in every way imo.
alin1975 1 month ago
@alin1975 : I guess I can agree with you on this point, especially if you rank Agassi 6th/7th all time. Good analysis buddy. It was nice debating you : )
TheTopspin77 1 month ago
@TheTopspin77
Very nice talking to you too :)
alin1975 1 month ago
@pacodemic Good points. Nice to see crossover between generations for some perspective - these two are 18 YRS apart! Connors serve was one of the weakest on the tour while Agassi had one of the greatest return of serves in history as did Connors. What was that bagel about? Thanks for the post!
JIM2oob 4 weeks ago