“I can't say that I was my happiest on court, but I felt completely free. Free from family obligations, free from my own torment. In a real sense I was a different person. It was a place where I could not tolerate the idea of being beaten. I psyched myself up into a state where I felt something close to hatred towards my opponent, a state where I detested the idea of someone making his name at the expense of Jimmy Connors. I was in my element on court, measuring myself against someone else. I was not competitive for show. It came from deep within.” PersonsI CanIdeasDifferentRealStatesShowsNamesFeltMy OwnElementsHatredCourtObligationOpponentsTennisExpensesTolerateBeatenTormentJimmyMeasuringDeep WithinMotivational Tennis Author:Jimmy Connors
“[In the modern game] you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist or a hard court specialist... or you're Roger Federer...” HardGamesModernCourtGrassClayRogerSpecialistsFederer Author:Jimmy Connors
“I had true rivalries. Not only did I want to beat my opponent, but I didn't want to let him up, either. I had a rivalry with Mac, Lendl, Borg. Everybody knew there was tension between us, on court and off. That's what's really ingrained in my mind: 'This is real. This isn't a soft rivalry.' There were no hugs and kisses.” WantMindRealKissingBeatsCourtOpponentsTensionHugRivalryMacsAnd OffBorg Author:Jimmy Connors
