Editing Jimmy Connors (section)

===Peak years (1974–1983)===
[[File:Jimmy Connors (1978).jpg|thumb|Connors at the 1978 ABN Tennis Tournament holding his Wilson T2000 steel racket]]

In 1974, Connors was the dominant player. He had a 93–4 record that year and won 15 tournaments of the 21 he entered,<ref name=":connatp" /> including three of the four Grand Slam singles titles. Connors won the [[1974 Australian Open|Australian Open]], which began in late December 1973 and concluded on January 1, [[1974 Australian Open – Men's singles|1974]], defeating [[Phil Dent]] in four sets. He beat [[Ken Rosewall]] in straight sets in the final of [[1974 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]] losing six games.
He allowed Rosewall just two games in the [[1974 US Open (tennis)|US Open]] final in the most one-sided men's singles final in the tournament's history. "From the moment I took the court and hit the first ball, I felt I was gliding. I was on a cloud. It was a terrific feeling” said Connors afterwards.<ref name=":conros1974">{{cite news|date=10 September 1974|title=Connors, Mrs. King win titles in U.S. Open tennis|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/10/archives/connors-mrs-king-win-singles-crowns-in-us-open-tennis-connors.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> Connors did not participate in the [[French Open]] during his peak years (1974–78), as he was banned from playing by the event in 1974 due to his association with [[World Team Tennis]] (WTT).<ref>{{cite book|title=World of Tennis '75|year=1975|publisher=Queen Anne Press|location=London|isbn=978-0-362-00217-1|pages=15–17|editor=John Barrett}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Connors, Goolagong 'Can't Play'|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PsoqAAAAIBAJ&dq=connors%20goolagong%20french%20tennis&pg=3375%2C4022177|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|date=May 22, 1974}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and in the other four years chose not to participate. His exclusion from the French Open denied him the opportunity to become the second male player of the Open era, after [[Rod Laver]], to win all four major singles titles in a calendar year. Connors is one of thirteen men to win three or more major singles titles in a calendar year. He chose not to participate in the season-ending Masters Cup between the top eight players of the world and was not eligible for the World Championship Tennis (WCT) finals because he did not compete in the WCT's regular tournaments. Connors finished 1974 at the top of ATP Point Rankings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Singles ranking 1974.12.20|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/rankings/singles?rankDate=1974-12-20&rankRange=0-100|publisher=Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)|access-date=December 19, 2021|archive-date=April 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417112901/https://www.atptour.com/en/rankings/singles?rankDate=1974-12-20&rankRange=0-100|url-status=live}}</ref> He also was the recipient of the ''Martini and Rossi'' Award, voted for by a panel of journalists<ref>{{cite web|title=Statesman Journal (Salem), 25 February 1975|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/198760221/|website=newspapers.com|date=February 25, 1975|access-date=December 19, 2021|archive-date=November 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110180923/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/198760221/|url-status=live}}</ref> and was ranked world No. 1 by Rex Bellamy,<ref>The Times (London), January 3, 1975, p. 6</ref> ''Tennis Magazine'' (U.S.),<ref>{{cite web|title=Hartford Courant, 16 December 1974|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/237124958/|website=newspapers.com|date=December 16, 1974|access-date=December 19, 2021|archive-date=April 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422100822/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/237124958/|url-status=live}}</ref> Rino Tommasi,<ref name="Almanacco1989 694">Almanacco illustrato del tennis 1989, Edizioni Panini, p.694</ref> ''World Tennis'',<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 18, 1975|title=Tennis Rankings: In With New, Out With Old|page=73|work=[[Fort Lauderdale News]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/231615727|access-date=December 19, 2021|archive-date=November 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111135501/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/231615727/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bud Collins,{{sfnp|Collins|Hollander|1997|p=651|ps=}} Judith Elian<ref name="quidet1989">{{cite book |last1=Quidet |first1=Christian |title=La Fabuleuse Histoire du Tennis |date=1989 |publisher=Nathan |location=Paris |isbn=9782092864388 |page=772 |language=French }}</ref> and Lance Tingay.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/worldoftennis1990000unse/|title=World Of Tennis|publisher=Collins Willow|year=1990|isbn=9780002183550|editor-last=Barrett|editor-first=John|editor-link=John Barrett (tennis)|location=London|pages=235–237}}</ref>

In 1975, Connors reached the finals of Wimbledon (losing to Arthur Ashe), the US Open (losing to Manuel Orantes) and Australia (losing to John Newcombe), but he did not win any of them, although his loss to Newcombe was close as Connors lost 9–7 in a fourth set tiebreak. He never played in the Australian Open again. He won nine of the tournaments he entered<ref name=":connatp" /> achieving an 82–8 record. While he earned enough points to retain the ATP No. 1 ranking the entire year and was ranked number one by Rino Tommasi,<ref name="Almanacco1989 694"/> all other tennis authorities, including the ATP, named Arthur Ashe, who solidly defeated Connors at Wimbledon, as the Player of the Year. He once again did not participate in the Masters Cup or the WCT Finals.

In 1976 Connors lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon to Roscoe Tanner. 
At the [[1976 US Open – Men's singles|US Open]], Connors captured the title once again (defeating Björn Borg). After the match, Borg said “it was a very good match. It was the best Jimmy has ever played against me. He hit everything on the lines, everything in the corners. I couldn't do anything. Usually, you play like that for one and a half sets and start missing. But he was very consistent."<ref name=":conborg1976">{{cite news|date=13 September 1976|title=Connors defeats Borg for Open crown|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/13/archives/connors-defeats-bong-for-open-crown-fiiebreaker-in-3d-set-is-high.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> He won 12 events, including the U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia, Palm Springs and Las Vegas,<ref name=":connatp" /> he achieved a record of 90–8 and defeated Borg all four times they played. He was ranked No. 1 by the ATP for the entire year and was ranked number one by ''World Tennis,<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 15, 1976|title=Jimmy Back on Top|page=22|work=[[Tampa Times|The Tampa Times]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/333341886/|access-date=December 16, 2021|archive-date=November 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111124359/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/333341886/|url-status=live}}</ref> Tennis Magazine'' (U.S.),<ref>{{cite web|title=The Vancouver Sun, 17 December 1976|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/492825126/|website=newspapers.com|date=December 17, 1976|access-date=December 16, 2021|archive-date=November 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111183359/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/492825126/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bud Collins,{{sfnp|Collins|Hollander|1997|p=652|ps=}} Lance Tingay,<ref name=":9" /> John Barrett,<ref name="The Financial Times">The Financial Times</ref> and Tommasi.<ref name="Almanacco1989 694"/> The ATP named Björn Borg as its Player of the Year.

In 1977, an injured Connors lost in the Wimbledon finals to Borg 6–4 in the fifth set and in the US Open finals to Guillermo Vilas, but Connors captured both the Masters, beating Borg, and the WCT Finals. While holding onto the ATP No. 1 ranking, ''World Tennis'' Magazine and most tennis authorities ranked Borg or Vilas No. 1 with Connors rated as No. 3 behind Borg. He won eight tournaments this year.<ref name=":connatp" />

In 1978, Borg defeated Connors in the Wimbledon final. Connors defeated Borg in the US Open final (played on hardcourt for the inaugural time). ''The Los Angeles Times'' described the match by saying "Connors played smashingly, as he has all tournament, pressuring Borg from the start. Yet Borg looked nothing like the broad-shouldered, power-hitting Swede who dominated Connors in straight sets at Wimbledon." Borg was suffering from an infected callous on his thumb but said "it was little bit tender earlier today, but it did not bother me during the match. Jimmy was just too good today."<ref name=":conborg1978">{{cite news|date=11 September 1978|title=Connors, Evert Are Back on Top At Least for Now|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/newspage/384604245/|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> Connors reached the final of the US Open in five straight years from 1974 through 1978, winning three times with each win being on a different surface ([[1974 US Open – Men's singles|1974]] on grass, [[1976 US Open – Men's singles|1976]] on clay and [[1978 US Open – Men's singles|1978]] on hard). Connors won ten tournaments in 1978, including the U.S. Pro Indoor.<ref name=":connatp" /> While he retained the ATP No. 1 ranking at the end of the year, the ATP and most tennis authorities rated Borg, who also won the French Open, as the player of the year.

Connors reached the ATP world No. 1 ranking on July 29, 1974, and held it for 160 consecutive weeks, a record until it was surpassed by [[Roger Federer]] on February 26, 2007. He was the year-end No. 1 player from 1974 through 1978 and held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 268 weeks during his career. Connors relinquished his initial grip (160 weeks) on the No. 1 ranking for only one week, from August 23 to 30, 1977, before resuming as No. 1 for another 84 weeks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.atptour.com/en/rankings/singles |title=ATP Singles Rankings |publisher=ATP Tour |access-date=July 21, 2021 |archive-date=May 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506010842/http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Singles.aspx/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

From 1979 to 1981, Connors lost in the semifinals of the three top Grand Slam events every time except the 1981 French Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals. He reached the semifinals at the Masters in 1979 and 1980, but he did win the WCT Finals in 1980. He was generally ranked third in the world those years. He won eight tournaments in 1979,<ref name=":connatp" /> six in 1980<ref name=":connatp" /> and four in 1981.<ref name=":connatp" />

In 1982, Connors experienced a resurgence as he defeated John McEnroe in five close sets "that varied from boringly slow to fiercely brilliant" to win the Wimbledon final.<ref name=":conmce1982">{{cite news|date=5 July 1982|title=Connors wins Wimbledon final|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/05/sports/connors-wins-wimbledon-final.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> Connors beat Ivan Lendl in the US Open final when Lendl was unable to cope "with Connors' penetrating, sharply-angled groundstrokes into the corners, or his net-charging attacks".<ref name=":lencon1982">{{cite news|date=14 September 1982|title=Connors 'may quit'|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/116470003|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> After the US Open, Connors reclaimed the ATP No. 1 ranking. He also reached the semifinal of the Masters Cup and won five other tournaments for a total of seven.<ref name=":connatp" /> After trading the number-one ranking back and forth with McEnroe, he finished the year ranked No. 2 in points earned, but he was named Player of the Year by the ATP and was ITF World Champion due to his victories at Wimbledon and the US Open.

In 1983, Connors, McEnroe and Lendl traded the No. 1 ranking several times. Connors won the US Open for a record fifth time beating Lendl in the final in four sets, where he "blunted Lendl's power with defensive strength and spectacular volleys". It was his 100th tournament victory and fourth of the year.<ref name=":lencon1983">{{cite news|date=13 September 1983|title=Connors blunts Lendl in four set final|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/116406351|accessdate=28 September 2024}}</ref><ref name=":connatp" /> He finished the year as the No. 3 ranked player.