Jimmy Connors

By Paulie Knep
Love of Sports Correspondent

In the world of professional tennis, 28 is over the hill and 30 is downright ancient.

So, when Jimmy Connors entered the 1991 U.S. Open a week shy of his 39th birthday, it was considered remarkable, and nobody expected him to advance very far. But Jimbo never gave a damn what other people thought. He’d made a career out of defying the odds.

Connors had been ranked #1 for 159 consecutive weeks and won the U.S. Open five times, but after battling various injuries in 1990 and 1991, he was ranked 174th in the world and had to win a qualifying match just to gain entrance to the tournament.

In the first round, he faced Patrick McEnroe, younger brother of his longtime nemesis John McEnroe. Patrick was no slouch himself, ranked 35th in the world and playing the best tennis of his career. Behind a strong serve and volley game, he captured the first two sets and took a 3-0 lead in the third. Up Love-40 in the fourth game, McEnroe was about to put the nail in Conners’ coffin.

The old man was short of breath, and the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium was slowly shuffling out. John McEnroe admitted the next day that he changed the channel, believing the match was over.

Suddenly, Connors found the fountain of youth. He overcame the deficit and charged full steam ahead. He won the third set and, spurred on by the rapture of the fans that had remained, finished McEnroe off 6-2, 6-4. The match lasted four hours and 18 minutes and ended at 1:35am.

Jimbo won his next two matches, and as he took the court on his 39th birthday for his fourth-round contest against fellow American Aaron Krickstein, the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium serenaded him with a rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Connors always had a special connection with the New York fans, who appreciated his indomitable will, raw emotion and sense of humor and he would need them to help lift him past 24-year-old Krickstein.

Connors and Krickstein split the first two sets. Jimbo looked exhausted as he fell behind early in the third, and he decided to tank the set to save energy for the fourth and fifth sets. The fourth went according to plan, but in the fifth set, the fresher Krickstein went up 5-2 and had Jimbo on the ropes.

Once again, Connors came storming back. He and the crowd fed off of each other’s energy. After a big point, Connors would pump his fist several times and the fans would respond with a rousing ovation. Krickstein was overwhelmed by the Connors mystique and the cheers cascading down from the stands, and Connors closed out the match in a fifth set tiebreaker.

After four hours and 42 minutes, the 39-year-old Connors pointed to the crowd to express his appreciation for their support. After the match, John McEnroe went to the lockerroom to congratulate his old rival. “I’ve got to go in there and touch him and see if he bleeds” said Mac.

Jimbo faced Dutchman Paul Haarhuis in the quarterfinals. He lost the first set and trailed 5-4 in the second, with Haarhuis serving at 30-15, two points from winning the set.

It was unlikely that Connors’ older body could endure another five-set match, so he had to make his move. He won the next two points, then delivered the most memorable sequence in U.S. Open history:

Haarhuis charged the net behind a strong backhand and all Connors could do was lob it back. Haarhuis slammed an overhead to Connors’ backhand side and Connors, back to the wall, lobbed it over again. Haarhuis smashed a second overhead and Connors was able to backhand it high into the air once more. This time, Haarhuis slammed the ball to Connors’ forehand side. Looking as spry as ever, the old man lunged and lobbed it back.

By this point, Haarhuis was exhausted and his final overhead was his weakest. Connors pounced on the opportunity and drilled a crosscourt forehand. Haarhuis volleyed it back and Connors crushed a backhand down the line to win the point.

Connors exploded into a round of fist pumps as the exalted crowd roared. If the rally symbolized Jimbo’s indomitable will, then the look of ecstasy on his face afterwards reflected his unparalleled love for the sport. These two qualities fueled his tremendous success over many years and earned the adulation of his fans.

The astonishing rally left Haarhuis emotionally defeated. Connors won the third set in a tiebreaker and closed out the match 6-4, 6-2.

The fountain of youth dried up in the semifinals, as Connors fell to Jim Courier. Stefan Edberg won the tournament, but Connors made it a U.S. Open to remember. For 11 days, he awed and inspired every person who tuned in to watch, and those of us that did will never forget it.

That’s why we’re sending Jimmy Connors some Old School Love.