Roland, Gilbert, 17, 46
Rooney, Mickey, 17
Rosewall, Ken, 60, 80, 125–26, 132, 137, 159
Ross, Stanley, 357
Rostagno, Derrick, 325
Rothmans grass-court championship, 93–94
Roundtree, Joe, 219
Sabatini, Gabriela, 325
Sajak, Pat, 305
Sampras, Pete, 320, 324
San Francisco tournament (1982), 260
Scanlon, Bill, 278
Schapers, Michiel, 329
Scheinberg, Rick, 317–18, 319
Schneider, David, 2, 104, 118–19, 122–23, 145, 268–69, 301, 302, 319, 320–21, 334, 337, 338
Schoendienst, Red, 185
Seattle tournament (1982), 260
Sedgman, Frank, 109
Segura, Pancho, 19, 45–48, 50, 51, 52, 53–55, 56–60, 62, 63–64, 65–66, 67, 68, 69, 70–71, 84, 85, 95, 102, 103, 120, 125–26, 128, 136, 138, 140, 145, 152–54, 156, 163, 175, 176–77, 180, 204, 208, 216, 286, 304–5, 385
Segura, Spencer, 51, 52, 53–54, 55–56, 57, 60–61, 62, 65, 69, 70–71, 99, 100, 104, 107, 110, 119, 121–22, 145, 165, 173, 196
Seguso, Robert, 302
Seiko Super Tennis tournament (1984), 300
Senior Tour, 33, 217
Shales, Jeremy, 298–301
Sinatra, Frank, 56, 164, 236, 289
Smith, Stan, 56, 60, 69, 80, 85, 95, 103, 345
Smythe, Pat, 239
Soffer, Donny, 269, 357
Solomon, Harold, 90, 133
South African Open (1974), 107–8
Southern California:
juniors tournament (1970), 68
men’s tournament (1970), 68
Southern Illinois tournament, 35
Sovran Bank Classic (1988), 304
Spelling, Aaron, 54
Spelling, Candy, 54
Staton, Jack, 41
Stewart, Rod, 272
Stockton, Dick, 40, 56, 103, 125, 184, 189, 195, 220–21, 244, 342
Stolle, Fred, 2, 360
Strnadová, Andrea, 325
Summerall, Pat, 330
Svensk, Deborah, 196
Swain, Gary, 349
Swayze, Patrick, 15
Talbert, Bill, 360
Tanner, Roscoe, 72, 151, 176, 182, 250, 345, 346
Taylor, Roger, 80, 98
Team Tennis, 326, 336–37, 362
Tel Aviv tournament (1981), 248
Teltscher, Eliot, 224, 230
Thompson, Al Lynch “Pop,” 5–6, 13–14, 15–16, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26–27, 28–30, 41–42, 49, 50, 51, 58, 65, 84, 87, 88, 90, 123–24, 127, 150, 292–93, 370, 377, 379
Thompson, Bertha “Two-Mom,” 12, 13–14, 16–17, 18, 20, 21–22, 25, 26, 27, 29, 36, 41, 45, 46–47, 49, 50–51, 52, 66, 78, 80, 84, 86–89, 90, 92, 94, 97, 119, 127, 153, 162, 166, 178, 246, 287, 302, 363, 377, 383
Tinling, Ted, 253–55, 256
Tiriac, Ion, 80, 81, 84
Trabert, Tony, 166, 360
Trump, Donald, 313
USLTA circuit, 78, 81
US National Championships, 17
US National Championships, Indoors (Memphis):
of 1980, 232
of 1983, 264
of 1985, 282
US Open, 4, 7, 68, 69, 78, 86, 91, 111, 136, 137, 156, 161, 162, 163, 165–66, 170, 175, 206, 207, 208, 218–19, 233, 262, 288, 321, 324, 339, 360, 374
of 1971, 94
of 1972, 96–97, 105
of 1973, 102, 105
of 1974, 105, 126–27, 128, 131–32, 140
of 1975, 101, 164, 177
of 1976, 101, 176–79
of 1978, 210, 216, 259, 355
of 1979, 226
of 1980, 27, 241–42
of 1981, 246–47
of 1982, 243, 259, 260
of 1983, 243, 275–79, 281
of 1984, 283
of 1987, 304
of 1988, 310–11, 313
of 1989, 311
of 1991, 323, 326–33, 335
of 2003, 373
of 2006, 313
US Pro Indoors, 184
of 1975, 129, 174
of 1980, 230
of 1982, 250
US Pro Tennis championships, 46, 282
of 1950, 46
of 1951, 46
of 1952, 46
of 1973, 103
US Tennis Association tournaments, Missouri Valley Section of, 39
Van Dillen, Erik, 47, 57, 65, 85, 172
Van Dyke, Dick, 240
Van Halen, Eddie, 227
Vilas, Guillermo, 23, 163, 177, 208–9, 288–89, 290, 294–97, 342, 346
Vines, Ellsworth, 54
Wallace, Marjie, 172–74, 180, 182, 184, 187–88, 213
Wayne, Aissa, 106
Wayne, John, 106
WCT circuit, 78, 79, 80, 97, 148–49, 193–95
Challenge Cup, 192
in Dallas (1980), 233
in Dallas (1984), 283
Denver tournament, 148–49, 168
St. Louis Arena semi-finals of, 191
see also Challenge Match
WCT circuit, Toronto tournament, 186
of 1983, 264
of 1984, 283
WCT Tennis Invitational (1980), 230
Wembley:
of 1976, 180
of 1981, 3–5, 6–7, 9–11, 247, 248
Western Open tournament (1940), 17
White, Vanna, 305, 307
Wightman Cup, 93
Wilander, Mats, 278, 286
Wiley, Don, 242
Wimbledon, 4, 8–9, 73, 78, 86, 91, 93, 102, 111, 112, 115, 119, 131, 136, 145, 152, 156, 160–61, 165, 170, 189, 206, 218, 233, 252, 253, 259, 260, 262, 288, 299, 304, 320, 339, 348, 349
of 1958, 139
of 1972, 8–9, 94–96, 97
of 1973, 97–98, 105
of 1974, 105, 117, 119–21, 123, 124–27, 128, 132
of 1975, 155–59, 190
of 1976, 176, 182
of 1977, 197–205
of 1978, 210
of 1979, 226
of 1980, 124, 238–41
of 1981, 244, 246
of 1982, 254–58
of 1983, 268, 270, 273
of 1984, 281, 283
of 1985, 292
of 1986, 301
of 1987, 303, 304
of 1988, 310
of 1991, 324–25, 326, 329
of 2005, 373
of 2006, 373
Woodburn, Joel, 325
Woods, Earl, 147, 224
World Cup, 176
Wortman, Frank “Buster,” 33–34
WTT circuit, 113–14
Zoecke, Markus, 314
Photographs
Mom and Dad enjoyed a busy social life in the early days of their marriage.
My trifecta of coaches: Mom, Two-Mom, and Pancho Segura at a tournament in the 1940s. When they were younger, Pancho tried to romance Mom but faced competition from Jimmy Evert, Chrissie’s father. They both failed.
Mom striking a pose in her early teens when she was a rising star on the women’s professional circuit. Later, she coached Hollywood celebrities like Mickey Rooney and Errol Flynn.
Hitting with Mom on our homemade court in Belleville. Playing tennis left-handed was natural for me.
My older brother, Johnny, and me running moonshine in our go-cart.
Me and Johnny in our basement practicing the technique taught to us by our grandfather, Pop, a former prizefighter who once sparred with Joe Louis. “I can take a punch,” Johnny used to say proudly, neglecting to add he knew how to throw one, too.
Me and Pop. He was responsible for developing my footwork by making me jump rope every day. I can still hear him saying, “Pick up your feet, Jimmy. Just another 20 minutes.”
Johnny, Mom, and me after a tournament. Johnny loved tennis but it wasn’t his life, which allowed Mom to devote herself to my game.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Mom may have made some mistakes alon
g the way, but I knew she always had my best interests at heart.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Even while cruising the Venice canals, my buddy Nasty was always on the lookout for beautiful women. Fortunately, I had one of my own at home, so I could just relax.
Nasty, my friend Gerry Goldberg, and me on the loose in Florida. This is just trouble!
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Nasty and me performing with the Monte Carlo philharmonic. I think I’ll keep my day job.
Horsing around in the locker room at Roland Garros. Wait, is that a newspaper? What? We can’t read.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Nasty and me having a serious tactical discussion during a tournament about what clubs we’d be hitting that night.
My friend Vitas Gerulaitis had rock-star sex appeal but was also a great champion. Here we are at Wimbledon in 1978 before our semifinal match.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
With Patrick McEnroe and Vitas in Scotland. I found it much easier to relax with Patrick than with his older brother, WhatsHisName.
(Courtesy of Hamish Campbell for THE SCOTSMAN)
I dated Miss World Marjie Wallace for a year. We broke up after she appeared on the cover of People magazine, with the headline marjie and her men. My “bodyguard” Doug Henderson kept the stalkers at bay.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Walking on water at Caesars Palace before one of my big-money winner-takes-all challenge matches.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
With my manager, Bill Riordan. You can guess how this conversation was going: “We can sue this guy and this guy . . .” “What? Huh?”
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
With Chrissie in 1974. Nice haircut, Jimmy. Where’d you leave the bowl?
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Nasty, Chrissie, me, and my buddy Spencer Segura. Who is that on the pedestal? Oh, yeah—all of us! We thought.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Chrissie and me with our Wimbledon silverware. The Love Double cleans up!
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
My two-fisted backhand, which the critics said was my only shot. But it was a damn good one!
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Beating Mac in the Wimbledon finals, 1982—the longest match in tournament history at the time and my second Wimbledon title.
(Courtesy of Russ Adams Productions)
PLAYING AT THE 1991 US OPEN.
The Open has always been my stage and the crowd my people. Like I always say, the fans won me more matches than I won myself.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Here I am leading the James Scott Connors Philharmonic Orchestra after coming back from 2-5 in the final set to beat Aaron Krickstein. Not bad for a 39-year-old geezer.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Tennis is serious business for some people, but for me it was about winning and entertaining the fans.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
That’s my body-double. I’d never do something so crude.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Borg and me getting ready for battle. Apparently, I was going through a “Grizzly Adams” phase.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
Patti Lynn McGuire: The life-changer!
Starting the family tree and traveling with Brett and Patti worked out just fine at the beginning.
(Courtesy of Aimee Weinik)
The French Open wasn’t my favorite tournament, especially after they banned me, but I loved hanging out with my little redhead, Aubree.
I’m still not sure how Brett grew to be so big but I’m glad he did, because no one messed with me when he was around.
Aubree takes after her mother— beautiful, elegant, and still willing to laugh at my jokes.
It took Mom years to drop her guard with Patti, but they became close toward the end of Mom’s life.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
At my Hall of Fame induction, Patti and I are joined at my new hip.
(Courtesy of Michael Baz)
With my good friend David Schneider. What? A golf cart? Really?
Mac, me, and Borg. Sorry if I turned you guys gray.
(Courtesy of Art Seitz)
With Vitas and Patti on a night out in Paris. Wherever we went with Vitas, he was the life of the party. We miss him every day.
Mug shot, 2008. Finally, a good picture. Inmate 00001.
(Courtesy of Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office)
We call Sophie our “special child” even though she is now a senior citizen—just like her dad.
Me and my shrinks at the beach. Those therapy sessions were lifesaving, especially after I retired from tennis and didn’t know what to do with myself. Nothing could calm me more than a long walk with the dogs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JIMMY CONNORS won a record 109 men’s singles titles (and 15 doubles titles) from 1972 to 1989. He was ranked the world’s number one player for five consecutive years and won a total of 10 Grand Slams. In 1998, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and is arguably one of the top tennis players of all time. Originally from East St. Louis, he lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his family.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
Credits
Cover design by Archie Ferguson
Front cover photograph by Walter Iooss
All photographs are courtesy of the author unless otherwise indicated.
Grateful acknowledgment is made to Art Seitz for his photographs included in the Photographs section.
Title page photograph and About the Author photograph by Brett Connors.
Opening photograph of Jimmy Connors on his back © Michael Cole/Corbis.
Copyright
THE OUTSIDER. Copyright © 2013 by Jimmy Connors. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBN: 978-0-06-124299-1
EPUB Edition MAY 2013 ISBN 9780062119629
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The Outsider: A Memoir Page 38
