Jimmy Connors is a true tennis great, and still holds many records even today.
Despite bearing witness to one of the greatest generations of male players in history, many of the American’s accolades have stood the test of time.
Chief among his accomplishments is his total ATP titles won, which stand at 109.
Novak Djokovic, whilst not far off, still seems unlikely to manage that feat.
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And yet, despite his stature within the game and continued involvement following his retirement, Jimmy Connors was not so effusive in his praise for Andre Agassi when asked about his compatriot all the way back in 1999.
Jimmy Connors once said Andre Agassi copied his style of play
Speaking to the press, at the back-end of a year where Agassi had won the French and US Open whilst also reclaiming the world number one spot ahead of Pete Sampras, Connors was not moved.
He remained staunch in his stance on the iconic American: “I wouldn’t mention his name in the same breath.”
Connors continued, implying that Agassi had copied his play style: “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but I think they broke the mould when I finished.”
His main reasoning for such strong opinions was due to ‘too many dips in his career’, claiming he ‘should never have allowed himself to drop out of the top four or five’.
Given what we now know with the release of Agassi’s book, Open, his reasons for frequently leaving and returning to the sport were justified. Connors was clearly not privy to such information at the time, thus explaining why these takes have aged so poorly.
Andre Agassi made the most out of his incredible talent
At the peak of his powers, Agassi was unplayable.
The frustrating thing was, as the likes of Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev will feel, he was born in a generation alongside an absolute animal in Sampras.
Not only that, but as he came to the end of his career, a certain Roger Federer began to emerge too.
Agassi spoke about losing to Federer at the ATP Finals in 2003, branding him an ‘inspiration’ despite his youth.
Now, whilst the 55-year-old may not have won as much as Connors did, or claimed as many Grand Slam titles as Sampras managed, he should still be proud of the career he had.
After all, eight majors, an Olympic gold medal and the ATP Finals title mark a fine trophy cabinet, without touching on the rest of his titles which made up the 60 he managed across his career.
Willing to slug it out with the best of them, his sensational return gave him the edge over most of his rivals and helped him enjoy a legendary career that has kept him relevant and revered today.
