Jimmy Connors at 2007 Sony Ericsson Open

[xquisitaz]

@sas2206: I beg to differ and bet many others would as well.

[ogedei]

C'mon dodododa, flat strokes have their advantages - balls land deeper in the opponents court, though there is less margin of error in net clearance. No need to be a topspin fanboi.

[dodododa]

C'mon Jimmy, they invented top spin years ago.

[RecipeDan]

Does anyone know what type of racquet he is using?

[Tennisclassics]

@RecipeDan It's a Prince Precision Mono...I actually have a brand new one. It was designed particularly with Connors in mind.

[ripperduck]

JC looks pretty damn good out there!!!!!!

[worldted]

@ripperduck Will never forget that day. He DID look good out there. Not bad for someone his age with a artificial hip. Thanks for commenting.

[MrSuperguy1000]

Its crazy how he can play so well with that style. Different generation I guess. He still gets some pop from that forehand when he steps backwards as he follows through.

[theriokid]

The reason why he plays so well is because his strokes have no "hitches." Pretty much straight back, straight thru, by the book. He wasn't the greatest player in the world, but due to the economy of his strokes, he seldom had "off days" so in his prime, he usually made it to the semis or finals.

[gyrate4]

He's still moving those feet! Great player!

[AzN2K6]

I hear Nadal somewhere...

[worldted]

@AzN2K6  Yes, Nadal was on an adjacent court practicing. The Nadal video I have was that practice session.

[gretscher]

Connors still has it after all these years. Awesome player.

[rmrooster01]

I tried the Precision Mono back in 1996 when I first joined the local tennis club. Well I was just learning back then so I cant tell you how it was, haha.

[sas2206]

Looks kinda unorthodox and not the best looking strokes. Venus & Serena have a much more natural looking ability. Im not dying that he was amazing tho in his day! and very sucessful

[AllGenreMusic]

@sas2206 Why would you compare ATP and WTA players? Especially a male player from nearly 30 years ago? Connors' strokes are extremely clean and very precise. He hits the ball flat because that is how you hit the ball back then with the rackets, not to mention he is a fast court player. If you hit like that for all of your professional career, you aren't going to change even if technology does. Connors by far has top 10 groundstrokes of all time. Probably only behind Federer/Agassi/Lendl

[THEKINKS08]

@AllGenreMusic

right, probably behind Borg, Nadal and Jim Courier too

[AllGenreMusic]

@THEKINKS08 I'm talking about fast court players though. Nadal/Borg certainly have fantastic groundstrokes, but they are more well known for their defense. Courier could be in the list, but he was still more a slow court player as well.

[THEKINKS08]

@AllGenreMusic

That's true, talking about fast surfaces Jimmy was for sure in the all-time's top five . Couldn't agree more

[Gman6755]

If you took Connors in his prime and through him out on tour against the players of today, he would get killed!!f The game has changed that much! Same goes for all those former greats, including Laver.

[dura1mater]

@Gman6755 Most players in the past would, but not connors. He held with Agassi and Agassi scared a bunch of these players on tour right now. Laver may have had problems with the women's tour, but Connors would still be a contender on the men's tour.

[bevanne12]

if jimmy had some 25 year old legs, he would still be able to beat a lot of players on the atp tour

[jlr0926]

he is nearly 60yrs old, with a steel hip and still hitting a very fine backhand

his style of play/shot making required very good eyes and timing...most today could not play his style...

the backhand is a thing of beauty...he is spot on w/it...

[lollygoddard123]

his strokes are extremely ugly

[Nigelxman]

Queenofcourt, your ignorance is delicious.

[makenakai]

T2000 secret. stretch the head oval before stringing. all the pics u see of Jimmy, the head is oval. all the other pix, eg, Billie Jean, its round. That's when it has a totally unpredictable sweetspot performance. Guy in Newport bch taught me that in 77 and i LOVED the 2000. cheers. kc

[piedrada]

What the heck kind of racquet is he using? Anyone know?

[diredesire]

@piedrada: Prince Precision Mono, it's an old school racquet with no throat.

[piedrada]

Thanks ... leave it up to Jinmmy to always use something unorthodox ... how he ever made the T2000 work is beyond me??

[Tennisclassics]

@diredesire It's actually not that old school - it came out in 1994. I just think Connors had them design it that way for him. I personally wish more racquet companies had the guts that Prince had to come out with what is a very traditional design in the 90's era of racquets.

[isselman2000]

It's a badminton racket.

[Tennisclassics]

@piedrada Prince Precision Mono - a racquet that he helped design. You can find them on EBAY

[Tennisclassics]

@piedrada It's a Prince Precision Mono - a racquet that he helped design

[KIKIESSAM]

great

[Canamana42]

I wish I had his hair.....lol

[TheMagedMan]

Jimbo's form and footwork still look great. One of the best ever and my personal fave.

[logant44]

sounds like roddick at the other end

[worldted]

It was actually Andy Roddick's brother.

[kinkabala]

I tried that racqut - horrible to play with though

[supertrex2]

wow consider he is old!

[dave5566]

that racket looks like a badminton one lol... look closely at the throat.. lol

[THEKINKS08]

that's a Prince Mono, i guess, 15 years old racquet

[cestmoi974]

He has somme strange shots... son revers est vraiment bizarre ...

[mashafun]

there is something really wrong with his backhand... He is relying mainly on his closer hand which is generaly a big mistake on two handed backhand...

[daraemkar]

Really? Agassi hits like that too. Maybe you should tell him he has a flawed backhand.

[dura1mater]

@daraemkar Actually Agassi's backhand is more violent and is hit with topspin. Connors hits with underspin on his backhand. I wish someone these days would hit like connors. It would be amazing.

[Pamqnx]

What is the closer hand in this case?

[tyruk]

"There is something really wrong with his backhand..." is one of the more foolish things I've heard today. Jimbo won five US Open titles with that beastly backhand.

[worldted]

Agreed. He has one of the best backhands of all time. It'd work great even in this era.

[elguapostino]

The flattest ground strokes of the modern era.

[jkygogo]

Jimmy could do fine against them. He could compete and would adapt to the present technology of rackets. He competed great with Andre Agassi. With respect to Andre, he got close to beating Andre in their match in 1989.

Be cool. Why so disrespectful?

Peace.

[kusta345]

noooo i dont thnk so. he might still have the tecnique and everythn but he will be 2 slow

[jkygogo]

In his Prime and even later, he could compete. He has one thing that some players lack, that fighting spirit and determination that very few have. He'd be as fast if not faster than some. But if you don't agree, than that's your opinion. I think he would do very good.

Peace.

[FinalFan0]

He's still using the old school forehand... but he sure hasn't lost any of his hitting skills. Perfect technique...

[supertrex2]

perfect timing! if u use that technique with wrong timing you are gone!

[FinalFan0]

I can vouche for that personally as I recenly got eliminated from a tournament for having terrible timing...

[jkygogo]

No one is going to win in this argument. The current generation thinks their athletes are the best and so much better than the other, while people who support Jimmy Connors and their generation are trying to say how he could compete against the present generation.

Bottom line, people adapt to the new technologies. And Jimmy could be able to adapt. It's just sad that people are so disrespectful of Jimmy Connors just because he played with different racket.

He could compete.

[jkygogo]

And Jimmy could dominate now. Jimmy has something that is important for an athlete, the "fighting" mentality which is so important to sports. His competitivenss has not been matched. So I honestly believe Jimmy Connors could compete and dominate whenever he played. Jimmy in fact did adapt from the Wood and aluminum rackets to when he first played, to the graphite and increased power rackets later. So Jimmy proved he could adapt. Respect to Jimmy Connors. He would do fine today.

[chrisrei10]

he had more heart than anyone ive ever seen play, monica seles is a close second..

[punjabitype]

i don't know what you just said. english.

[punjabitype]

Good thing there's no such thing as the grammar police or your ass would be in jail.

It's "would have" not "would of" you illiterate hill billy.

[nachoambort]

1:08 "only idiots hit it harder" jajaja que grande

[worldted]

Yeah! I remember when he said that. It was pretty funny.  Got a good laugh from those watching.

[jack89ts]

Haha!You can hear Nadal shouting while hitting his shots in the background!By the way,this is a very nice video because it shows how an old legend can compete with a good player of nowadays even without using the best racquet and the most advanced technologies.

[acies92]

You call this competing? Youre kidding right? Hes hitting shots into the net every now and then and Roddick is pretty much hitting right at him every shot. Its good that he can still hit so well for his ae though

[jkygogo]

Be cool, be respectful. Jimmy Connors would do fine if he competed now. But if you disagree, you're entitled to your opinion. To be honest, he has the biggest fighting spirit I've ever seen in a Tennis Player. So with this mentality, he could compete and do good. Peace. :)

[acies92]

Im not sure if he would do well since im not familiar with his game, but im saying NOW. The other guy was saying how Connors is "competing" with Roddick in this video when he is barely keeping up.

[conndogg79]

He has had reconstructed hip surgery you idiot, lets see how you would move after that

[acies92]

I actually went back and read my comment, and im disappointed. Youre a hypocrite. Having a bad hip doesnt mean that you can play badly and still be considered to play well. It means you have a bad hip and cant play well. I see no relevance to him having a hip reconstruction and the fact that he is not "competing" with Roddick in this video

[conndogg79]

You said he was having the ball hit right to him, thats because he recently had a hip replacement.

[conndogg79]

Do you know what the meaning of the word hypocrite even means?

[guthixboy18]

Shut the fuck up. You're making no sense.

[endicott3]

queenofcourt : you're an absolute idiot. You'd better learn from tato4527 although he's twice younger than you !!

[tato4527]

that style es so old, that is true, but, he is one of the most incredibles and important tennis player ever...

[KevinKrack]

haha that style is so old and bad!

[worldted]

Well..old, yes, bad, no.

[Prickle]

damn connor still got a pretty nice backhand, but an ugly forehand xD

[marokokisetter]

his strokes are so funny and flat..

anywho, they were effective

[Tennisclassics]

For everyone who is wondering what kind of racquet that Jimmy's using, he is using the Prince Precision Mono. it is no longer in production

[quest8899]

Jimmy Connors could probably beat Roddick now.

[worldted]

I'm not so sure I agree with that. Roddick is playing pretty well these days. LOL

[leelord337]

haha u can hear rafa in the background starting at 2 min onward

[tennismike22]

the rotation on his forehand side with his shoulder matched to his his hip is wonderful. a clean transfer of energy into the ball.

[vanastensucks]

what the fuck type of racquet is he using????????? its the weirdest ever

[drifterbum]

its the prince precision mono. its like a graphite version of a wood racquet. if that makes sense.

[azIRHSkid1]

wow haha... he was a fantastic player but seeing this tape shows me how absolutely horrible his strokes were... its a wonder how he played so amazingly with a game like that... i guess if you practice something over and over you can do it consistently.

[ilsur]

the hell racquet is that... looks like a wood racket, but not...

[dominikkeul]

great tennis player, but the ugliest strokes in tennis history:)

[worldted]

I sort of agree about his forehand and serve, but his backhand WAS a good-looking shot.

[ThailandKyle]

In 1974, Jimmy was banned by the ATP to play in the French Open. Because he played world team tennis. He won the three other majors that year. Perhaps he would have won the Grand Slam? Was not given the chance though.

[ThailandKyle]

I think Connors is probably the most underated player of all time. Can't ignore the fact that he won 109 singles titles! That will never be duplicated. His career winning % is over 82%. I think you can't look at "only" grand slams to decide the best players of all time. Why bother even playing any other tournaments then? Jimmy never took time off to better prepare for majors like many do. He considered every tournament important. I don't like a lot of his antics, but have to give credit

[popeye135]

nadal is better than nastase, lendl and connors in their times. The difference is that nadal has the greatest tennis player of all time competing with him and many other good players that didnt have connors and the others

[trevorwinton]

he really slices the backhand and makes that forehand look really hard to do. man that racket also looks like a badmitton racket or something. great for his era, but would get owned by todays standards...

[sukarno]

I wonder what shampoo he uses? His hair is still full and still flinging around like it's still so soft like in his younger days. haha. But he's GREEAT!

[vonniedp]

swear i heard nadal playing in the background lol!

[worldted]

You did hear Nadal. He was practicing on the adjacent court.

[jimbooo19]

hahaha yes after 2:00 you can hear rafa, good observation.

[Sh3vCh3nk0]

is better him..

[KevinKrack]

haha compare him with federer!!

[StinkyKnobcheese]

haha compare Federer with Borg!!

[MegaloBellamian]

Borg would totally OWN Federer.....

[StinkyKnobcheese]

Exactly right!

[datboijj]

hmmmm doesn't look like he's using his right hand for control for his backhand....i wonder how he does it

[reefric]

when he was a touring pro, he hit his slice backhand with two hand´s , just like frenchman fabrice santoro..quite unique

[MegaloBellamian]

Connors is one of a kind, he is my frickin tennis hero

[lobextomy]

His two handed backhand looks like its going from high to low, as if slicing it. Or maybe he is scooping it? I'd love to see a slow motion of that, its really different looking

[lobextomy]

I wasnt talking about the follow thru of course, Im talking just before and during the hit

[worldted]

Interesting observation. You're right. It DOES look like he's going to slice his backhand. Never looked at Connors' backhand like that before.

[tommie66tx]

he actually hits it with side spin, so it stays very low and goes away from the opponent.He hit's it flat if it's higher, but he seldom uses topspin and when it does it's very, very little

[worldted]

Good point. I do notice a bit a sidespin on his forehand.

[MegaloBellamian]

Jimmy Connors totally owns nowadays players in every single area of the sport (huh charisma alone he pwns them)

[paladino444]

Wow, what an education to ready some of the comments on this forum about Jimmy's form. By the way the racket is a Prince Mono which is only the second racket Jimmy has played with for any length of time since the T2000 came out in about 1970. Played with a Mono and a T2000 back in the 70s. You young bucks' entire ignorance of tennis and how the rackets amazes me. I'm 47 and if somebody handed both of us a T2000 today, I would eat your lunch and steal your girlfriend in that time.

[turdferguson2]

connors is great. he knows that you should never ever ever give up on a point.

[reefric]

I have seen some footage of connors on youtube and I got say that in his day from what I saw, he is just like nadal on court, fighting for every point,competive to the extreme,going ballistic and celebrating when he won a difficult point..it was quite entertaining actually to see..check it out

[worldted]

Very well put! That pretty much sums up Jimmy Connors. He was SO much fun to watch.

[tyuki0323]

昔　コナーズのフォームをとことんコピー

してました。in1980

[worldted]

Yes, I agree with you. I was 20 years of age back in 1980, so I remember it well.

[ralphmen20060731]

wat type of racquet is Jimmy Connors using?

[him88002]

That would be the prince mono . Pretty weird looking ha?

[Schrittwieser]

Jimmy's strokes were classic at the time. During the time that he grew up you were taught to hit a forehand with an eastern grip. The backhand of jimmy's is genius one of the best of all-time.

[buckbobo]

Fed is between eastern and semi on the forehand..

[turdferguson2]

i can see where you'd think they're 'weird looking', but really he has pretty classic strokes. he has very unique footwork.

[dmacontop]

Actually I can understand why us younger players would think they look weird, almost everyone now uses the semi-western and there is heavy topspin including the finish that breaks shoulder-side....connors does not have an exaggerated follow through plus that straight take back classic as it is, would make any of us younger players who did not get much of tennis from that era, think it weird, which is not necessarily so because he has 8 grand slams...impressive by any standard:)

[stell29]

Connors has such weird looking strokes, especially the forehand. I guess it worked for him though.

Jimmy was awesome but had trouble against the more naturally talented players like Borg and McEnroe

[musicgamer10]

but he made the absolute best of every ounce of his talent

[turdferguson2]

Near the end I swear you can hear Nadal grunting on some nearby court.

[worldted]

Yep, Nadal was on an adjacent court practicing. I took two Nadal videos that day at @ 3:20 PM. Next was a Roddick video at 4:05 PM, and finally this one(after Roddick was through practicing) at 4:30 PM. Nadal's grunt is distinctive.

[jerrymang]

so that backhand is slice basically?

[Lava1964]

I could recognize Jimmy Connors from 1000 meters away. He had very distinct mannerisms. Sure his technique looks a bit odd, but you can't argue with success. Connors won a record 109 singles titles on the pro tour. He won the 1982 Wimbledon final against McEnroe with zero aces. Nobody will do that again.

[robertk2007]

no one got more out of their talent, or lack of talent than connors. he willed himself to win. he tried harder than anyone

[yoshiyuan]

why does he back up everytime he hits

[texasfan58]

to get the ball at the rite position to hit

[PSkimmer]

A calculating thug on the court, a mercenary and asshole off it, Jimmy Connors wakes up one morning to discover that his reputation as an all-time great is secure but nobody actually likes him. Is forced to take up coaching to give his life some meaning in his lonely, declining years.

[zpeed7]

Now, that's just plain stupid.

[pegosse29mc]

Sacré Jimmy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[infernalofchaos]

You don't see pros hitting tennis balls as flat as he does anymore. He is a legend. He gets the maximum out of the minimum. We need more players like Jimmy.

[localwear]

There is little doubt that you had to be more precise with those old t 2000's and wooden rackets. I just don't understand why they changed it: Baseball still uses wood not aluminum. Back then you had to play the point not just power the ball.

[ibwangin]

1:08 "only idiots hit it harder."

[Glarencezhao]

his forehand motion looks weird.

[kabob21]

You're used to seeing the modern western and semiwestern grip forehand. Connors hits using the classic eastern grip.

[RandyCasey]

Jimmy never won a free point, because his serve was adequate at best. He earned everything with his two-fisted backhand, his relentless pressure...deep to the corners. A classic player from tennis' golden era

[billionaire35]

Connors won all of his majors with the tiny Wilson T2000. My neighbor's dad was an A level player in the 70's and 80's and had one too and it was smaller than a woodie. Agassi beat Guy Forget that day too. It was the Volvo Classic tournament in '84 or '85 Stefan Edberg was there too. Anyways, they may hit harder now though not that much faster considering the equipment. Mac would casually hit on the rise and his ball would EXPLODE off his racket.

[billionaire35]

This dude isw one of the greatest. I saw him play and practice at UCLA when he was in his prime. Dayum, they don't make them like that anymore. Amazing player

[worldted]

It's really interesting to hear the comments on the way Connors hits the ball. No doubt, in this era his technique is bound to be somewhat controversial, and inspire debate. I don't want to take sides, but I WILL say that the ball was coming off his racquet with pretty good pace. Not quite as hard as the current pros I taped, but pretty decent nonetheless. Keep in mind that in the last couple years Connors had hip-replacement surgery. Keep the comments coming!

[ralvarezguitar]

For those who say awful technique... at least do yourself a favor and cover your ignorance admitting that what you saw there is one of the most beautiful backhands ever. And what about McEnroe´s technique? Connors game looks like heaven compared to McEnroe´s.

[crapbag89]

he's still playing the same way he did back in 1980!

[andrewc3411]

Great jimbo for ever, it is a pleasant I see you to play. Good-lucky Jimbo.

[230205]

jimmy connors has terrible form. he hits off of his back foot. that's a clay court shot. this guy is mad overrated

[sarkywarky]

oh nvm..its just a weird metal one.

[sarkywarky]

is he playing with a wooden racquet?

[brocanova]

Haha, still looks the same like 1980. Ok, different racket.

[Tproshot]

LoL, Dastacoman so true. However, if it works.....

[abujabi]

wow classic style

[dastacoman]

i love jimbo. that guy knows how to work a crowd. tennis needs arrogant bastards like connors if it wants to become relevant again. :)

[dastacoman]

it looks like a caveman found a tennis racquet. that backhand could fell a brontosaur.

[ZRzymek]

Look at this clip and watch what professional tennis players like Monaco, Zabaleta and others think about Connors

[ZRzymek]

This is that clip Tenispro 13/10/06

[ajaykchaudhary]

Great! I am very happy to see Jimmy hit the ball so well. I wish he would play some matches at the seniors level. He looks fit enough to do so.

[daraemkar]

I thought his strokes were crazy but then I saw Connors and he realized he used the same strokes but, obviously!!!, on a whole nother level. I can only imagine how hard his game must be to play against.

[daraemkar]

I actually have a friend on my school's tennis team who hits almost exactly like Connors, especially the forehand. He is annoying to play because all the little tricks people have dont work on him. Spin, he makes dissapear. Blast the ball at him...his stroke is so simple and quick that unless its a clear winner he nails it back deep and hard with no effort.

[maxasianmuscle]

It's a shame nobody has the "eyes" to see the genius of his game... short backswing, out in front, greatest return of serve, hit on the rise... these qualities extended his career. All these great athletes of today will not play anywhere near their current level in their early thirties. Yeah, they swing harder, but it tears their bodies up after time. Compare Connors today vs Vilas today... Vilas would get his ass kicked. (Vilas also was my hero) Props to Connors...

[ChristianPaul75]

You are so right!

[ChristianPaul75]

And yet with that "awful technique" he won more titles than any player ever. He could have won even more if he hadn´t boycotted certain tournaments for years. So maybe it´s "awful", but highly succesful, or am I wrong?

[ohcopulate]

who gives a shit if his technique is awful? is he playing on the tour? lol no

[saintofallkillers]

still hits a foot out front

[Lithium001]

Lol you can hear Nadal grunt in the background.

[gobertub]

I'd put connors in his prime against any current player.. compact, well directed shots.. and a will to win that was unmatched.

[BashfulBob]

Looks pretty fit at 55. A living legend! But I agree the technique looks a hundred years old.

[tenis101010]

he has the worst-looking technique compared to the modern game now

[marina78th]

You obviously don't know shit.

[lambro39]

notice he isnt using a racquet with a split throat or a large head

Imagine these 100sq in players having to deal with that..

[xaxaxa22]

Obviously, he has the most incredible moving body in tennis history, his wrist did'nt have the same ability as the modern top spiners, but his backhand is still the greatest in tennis history, even Laver agrees...