Editing Jimmy Connors (section)

===Early career (1970–1973)===
In August 1970, Connors recorded his first match win in the first round of the Haverford tournament, beating Jean-Baptiste Chanfreau.<ref name=":connorsatp1970">{{cite web|title=Jimmy Connors Player Activity|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jimmy-connors/c044/player-activity?matchType=Singles&year=1970&tournament=all|publisher=Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)|access-date=September 29, 2024}}</ref> In his first US Open, Connors lost in round one to [[Mark Cox (tennis)|Mark Cox]].<ref name=":connorsatp1970" /> At [[Countrywide Classic|Pacific Southwest Open]] in Los Angeles, he defeated [[Roy Emerson]] before losing to Clark Graebner in the last 16, where he was described by the Los Angeles Times as the "Cinderfella of tennis" and "the kid with a magic wand for a backhand".<ref name=":congra1970">{{cite news|date=25 September 1970|title=Bell Tolls for the Cinderfella of Tennis|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/newspage/384741654/|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> In 1971, Connors won the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] singles title as a Freshman while attending [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]] and attained All-American status. He reached his first ATP Tour finals at Columbus (losing to Tom Gorman) and Los Angeles (beating newly-crowned US Open champion Stan Smith before losing to 43 year old Pancho Gonzales).<ref name=":congon1971">{{cite news|date=27 September 1971|title=Billie-Jean and Rosemary Pull Own Version of Double-fault|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/newspage/385480002/|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref>

Connors turned professional in 1972 and won his first tournament, the [[Jacksonville Open (tennis)|Jacksonville Open]],<ref name=":connatp">{{cite web|title=Jimmy Connors: Titles and finals|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jimmy-connors/c044/titles-and-finals?titleType=Singles&countType=Titles|publisher=Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)|access-date=September 29, 2024}}</ref> quickly followed by his second at Roanoke,<ref name=":connatp" /> third at Queen's Club,<ref name=":connatp" /> fourth at Columbus,<ref name=":connatp" /> fifth at Cincinnati<ref name=":connatp" /> and sixth at Albany.<ref name=":connatp" /> Connors was acquiring a reputation as a maverick in 1972 when he refused to join the newly formed [[Association of Tennis Professionals]] (ATP), the union that was embraced by most male professional players, in order to play in and dominate a series of smaller tournaments organized by Bill Riordan, his manager. However, Connors played in other tournaments and won the [[1973 U.S. Pro Tennis Championships|1973 U.S. Pro]] Singles, defeating [[Arthur Ashe]] in a five-set final, one of 11 tournaments Connors won that year.<ref name=":connatp" />