Editing Jimmy Connors (section)

===Later years (1984–1996)===
In 1984 Connors had made both the finals of Wimbledon and the WCT finals with semifinal appearances at the French Open, the US Open, and the Masters Cup. He won five tournaments<ref name=":connatp" /> and finished the year as the No. 2 ranked player after McEnroe. In 1985, he made the semifinals of the three majors he entered and finished No. 4 for the year, a ranking he would again obtain in 1987, at the age of 35.

In the fourth round of the [[1987 Wimbledon Championships]], Connors defeated [[Mikael Pernfors]], ten years his junior, in five sets from two sets down and having trailed 1–4 in the third set and 0–3 in the fourth set.<ref name=":conper1987">{{cite news|date=1 July 1987|title=Connors Grinds Out One to Remember : Down 6-1, 6-1, 4-1 to Pernfors, He Battles Back for Vintage Win|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-01-sp-530-story.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> In July 1988, Connors ended a four-year title drought by winning the Sovran Bank Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C.<ref name=":connatp" /> It was the 106th title of his career. Connors had played in 56 tournaments and lost 11 finals since his previous victory in the Tokyo Indoors against Lendl in October 1984. He also won the title at Toulouse.<ref name=":connatp" />

In 1989, Connors won the final tournaments of his career at Toulouse<ref name=":connatp" /> (beating his old rival McEnroe, who was then ranked No. 4 in the world) and Tel Aviv.<ref name=":connatp" /> He still holds the Open era record with 109 men's singles titles. At the 1989 US Open, Connors defeated the third seed (and future two-time champion) [[Stefan Edberg]], in straight sets in the fourth round, in a match in which Connors accumulated fines of $2,250 for three code violations, was penalized a game in the second set and was one more code violation from being defaulted. Afterwards Connors said "I went out and played a match everybody dreams will happen and he played one of those matches you hope you have only one time in your career.”<ref name=":conedb1989">{{cite news|date=5 September 1989|title=Up to his old tricks, Connors stuns Edberg|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-05-sp-1749-story.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> Connors pushed sixth-seeded [[Andre Agassi]] to five sets in the quarterfinals before losing. He ended 1989 ranked 14 in the world.

Connors' career seemed to be at an end in 1990, when he played only three tournament matches and lost all three, dropping to No. 936 in the world rankings. However, after surgery on his deteriorating left wrist, he came back to play 14 tournaments in 1991. An ailing back forced him to retire from a five-sets match in the third round of the French Open against [[Michael Chang]], the 1989 champion. Connors walked off the court, after hitting a service-return winner against Chang on the first point of the fifth set, having just levelled the match by winning the fourth.<ref name=":concha1991">{{cite news|date=1 June 1991|title=Connors Goes Out Like No One Else : French Open: Back pain forces him to quit at the beginning of the fifth set against Chang after he receives several ovations.|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-01-sp-2374-story.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref>

Connors recuperated and made an improbable run to the [[1991 US Open – Men's singles|1991 US Open semifinals]] which he later said were "the best 11 days of my tennis career".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2015/02/10/connors-krickstein-turn-back-the-clock-with-reunion-match/23190289/|title=Jimmy Connors faces Aaron Krickstein in reunion match|publisher=[[USA Today]]|date=February 10, 2015|access-date=May 12, 2015|archive-date=February 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221150114/http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2015/02/10/connors-krickstein-turn-back-the-clock-with-reunion-match/23190289/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the first round, Connors was two sets and 3-0 down against Patrick McEnroe before winning in five sets.<ref name=":con1991">{{cite web|url=https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2018-07-31/2018-07-31_50_moments_that_mattered_connors_incredible_1991_semifinal_run.html|title=50 Moments That Mattered: Connors' incredible 1991 semifinal run|publisher=[[US Open (tennis)|US Open]]|date=July 31, 2018|access-date=September 29, 2024}}</ref> He then had straight sets wins over Michiel Schapers and 10th seed Karel Novacek.<ref name=":con1991" /> In the fourth round, on his 39th birthday, he defeated 24-year-old [[Aaron Krickstein]] in five sets, in 4 hours and 41 minutes, coming back from a 2–5 deficit in the final set.<ref name=":con1991" /> Connors then defeated [[Paul Haarhuis]] in the quarterfinals in four sets after Haarhuis had served for a two sets to love lead.<ref name=":con1991" /> He lost to [[Jim Courier]] in the semifinals, in straight sets. 22 years later, [[ESPN]] aired a documentary commemorating Connors's run.<ref name="30for30"/>

In 1992, Connors beat world No. 3, Michael Stich, at Memphis. Afterwards Stich accused Connors of being "very unfair on the court,” saying "he talks to the crowd between your first and second serves and he talks to the crowd as you are preparing for your serve. If that’s his idea of winning... I think it’s ridiculous what he’s doing."<ref name=":consti1992">{{cite news|date=14 February 1992|title=Tennis roundup: Stich has some words for Connors|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-14-sp-2129-story.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> Connors lost in the semifinals to Mal Washington. He beat 20 year old world No. 12, Wayne Ferreira, to reach the quarterfinals at Indianapolis, before losing to Boris Becker. Connors participated in his last major tournament, in the 1992 US Open, where he beat 22 year old [[Jaime Oncins]] in straight sets in the first round on his 40th birthday,<ref name=":cononc1992">{{cite news|date=3 September 1992|title=U.S. OPEN '92; Connors's Birthday Gift Is Same as Last Year's|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/03/sports/us-open-92-connors-s-birthday-gift-is-same-as-last-year-s.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> before losing to Lendl (then ranked No. 7) in four sets, in the second round.

In September 1992, Connors played [[Martina Navratilova]] in the third [[The Battle of the Sexes (tennis)|Battle of the Sexes]] tennis match at [[Caesars Palace]] in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]]. Connors was allowed only one serve per point and Navratilova was allowed to hit into half the doubles court. Connors won, 7–5, 6–2 and won an estimated $1 million.<ref name=":connav1992">{{cite news|date=26 September 1992|title=A Grand Non-Slam Victory : Tennis: Connors beats Navratilova, 7-5, 6-2, in a match in which the only speed involves money changing hands.|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-26-sp-959-story.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref>

In February 1993, Connors reached the semifinals of the [[San Francisco]] tournament, beating Richard Matuszewski, Bryan Shelton (in an ill-tempered match in which Shelton afterwards accused Connors of disrupting his concentration by stalling, yelling obscenities and playing to the crowd)<ref name=":conshe1993">{{cite news|date=6 February 1993|title=Tennis: Connors accused|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis-connors-accused-1471354.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref> and 21 year old Chuck Adams, before retiring against Brad Gilbert due to bone spurs in his right foot.<ref name=":congil1993">{{cite news|date=7 February 1993|title=Tennis roundup: Agassi flies into final vs. Gilbert|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-07-sp-1573-story.html|accessdate=29 September 2024}}</ref>

However, this would not be the end of his playing career. As late as June 1995, three months shy of his 43rd birthday, Connors beat 22 year old [[Sébastien Lareau]], in straight sets, and 27 year old [[Martin Sinner]], in straight sets, to progress to the quarterfinals of the Halle event in Germany. Connors lost this quarterfinal in straight sets to [[Marc Rosset]]. His last match on the ATP Tour came in April 1996, when he lost in three sets to [[Richey Reneberg]] in Atlanta.<ref>ATP World Tour, Official Website. Player Information Jimmy Connors. Main Website http://www.atpworldtour.com/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824223750/http://www.atpworldtour.com/ |date=August 24, 2017 }}</ref>

Connors endorsed [[Converse (brand)|Converse]] but wore [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] Air Tech Challenge IV low's at one time.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNgNAQAAMAAJ&q=jimmy+connors+nike+air+tech+challenge | title=Adweek's Marketing Week | date=1991 }}</ref>