(This interview with Jimmy Connors was for Tennis Week magazine in August 2006.)

Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors created a record that may never be broken by capturing U.S. Open championships on three different surfaces: grass, har-tru and hard court. And now the five-time U.S. Open champion is launching a comeback of sorts in taking his game to new territory: tennis instruction on DVD.

The 53-year-old Belleville native who crafted a larger-than-life on court persona is back working the small screen both an analyst for the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon and with his own six-DVD set of tennis instruction titled “Jimmy Connors Presents: Tennis Fundamentals” The DVD instructional series can be ordered by TVAtlas.com or by calling (800) 480-8200. The complete set of six DVDs retails for $109.96 or individual DVDs from the series retail for $29.98 plus $5.95 shipping and handling.

The series features appearances by Connors’ former fiancee Chris Evert, as well as Tracy Austin, Pancho Segura and John Lloyd and current pros James Blake, Justine Henin-Hardenne and twins Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. In “Conversations With Champions”, one of the six DVDs in the collection, Connors interviews Rafael Nadal, Marat Safin, Marcos Baghdatis, Sania Mirza, Paradorn Srichaphan, Evert and Henin-Hardenne.

“His passion and his emotion and what he’s trying to get across to the crowd — that’s what it’s all about, in my opinion,” Connors said of Nadal.

The instructional video series includes over ten hours of skills, drills, interviews and on-court instruction, providing viewers a one-on-one learning session from current and future Hall of Famers. Connors offers personal anecdotes as well as insight into the qualities and skills that exhibited by elite players.

“Tennis has been my life,” Connors said. “I’ve been waiting for a project that grabbed my attention and this is it. The DVD series reflects the attitude and passion that I put into the way I play tennis. This DVD not only allows me to share my success with tennis players of all ages and levels, but also includes personal insight, interviews and lessons with many of the world’s best tennis players.”

Connors returned to New York City this week to launch the DVD series.

The owner of a men’s record 109 career singles championships, Connors was to the U.S. Open what Times Square is to Manhattan — an electrifying presence, often at the center of the action, capable of captivating crowds congregating to see something special. During his memorable surge to the 1991 U.S. Open semifinals at a time many had already written his professional tennis obituary, Connors came to life, transforming Louis Armstrong Stadium from a tennis theater into a rock concert atmosphere, pounding his patented two-handed backhand into the corners with controlled fury, running down lobs with such determination he nearly bounced off the back walls at times and whipping the packed stadium crowd into a frenzy with some of the most memorable comebacks in U.S. Open history.

Connors celebrated his 39th birthday (his “I’m 39 years old out here busting my butt and you’re gonna pull that crap?” rant to the chair umpire remains must-see TV when it’s replayed during U.S. Open rain delays) furiously fighting back from a 2-5 fifth-set deficit to defeat his former practice partner Aaron Krickstein, 3-6, 7-5 (10-8), 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in a match that spanned more than four hours on Labor Day, 1991 and concluded with the crowd serenading him with “Happy Birthday”.

Less than two years after that trip into U.S. Open lore, Connors co-founded the Champions Tour with Ray Benton in 1993 and dominated the senior circuit for years winning a senior-record 38 titles. When he sold his share of the tour he reduced the number of events he played each year until he eventually stopped playing completely. In recent years, there has been some discussion about former sparring partners Connors and archrival John McEnroe putting aside their confrontational past and sharing the same side of the court for a doubles exhibition match against Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

“Yeah, it’s not dead. Yet. But I might be before it comes off,” Connors told Tennis Week with a smile. “But I think there’s still a lot of interest to do it. And we’ve got the spot to do it and we’ve got a lot of corporate people that are still interested in being a part of it. I think a lot depends on if I want to go back and train. They can do it without me if they want to. But that’s on their own time. But if I wanted to do it, I’d have to go back and train and work at the tennis and do what I did in the past for a good six or seven months. Just so I can get my game in order, my conditioning in order. Right now, I don’t know if I’m willing to do that. I have to put that on the backburner for a while.”

Mixing the mercurial McEnroe and combative Connors together for a match may sound like a tennis Molotov cocktail, but the pair who often brought out the best in each other on court are two strongly opinionated people who could conceivably collaborate to produce compelling on-court chemistry. Asked to assess the state of their relationship, McEnroe suggested it’s kind of like the Wimbledon weather: fluctuating between stormy and serene.

“It’s sort of similar to when we were playing. There were times when we’d be practicing and the next thing you know we hadn’t spoken for a year,” McEnroe told Tennis Week in an interview prior to the start of the 2005 Wimbledon. “And something similar has gone on. There’s a mutual respect and seemed to be a mutual dislike at times and next thing you know he’d say ‘How you doin? Let’s have a beer’ Believe it or not, I sort of go with the flow a little bit. I’m still trying to figure Jimmy out.”

Connors and McEnroe are two of the most charismatic and controversial characters to ever grace the Grand Slam stage. Together, they helped carry American tennis out of the country clubs and into the public arena. They treated tennis fans to tremendous — and often tempestuous — battles on courts across the world. Together, they helped the game grow to a new level of popularity and their passion for competition created memorable clashes both on and off the court.

“There were times on the court I wanted to beat him so bad I felt like I wanted to strangle him and I’m sure he felt the same way about me,” McEnroe told Tennis Week. “Jimmy is the ultimate battler, the ultimate hustler, the ultimate fighter. He is the only guy I ever played who, I would be trying as hard as I possibly could and I’d look across the net and he would be trying even harder. He hated losing.”

Tennis Week contributing writer Scoop Malinowski caught up with Connors at the ESPN Zone in Manhattan on Tuesday and conducted this one-on-one interview. The photo of Connors and Scoop that accompanies the interview was shot by legendary Tennis Week photographer Melchior DiGiacomo. In the course of this conversation, Connors identifies the greatest competitor he ever saw on the court, offers his opinion on both this generation’s fist-pumping left hander who plays with passion, Rafael Nadal, and the all-court artistry of World No. 1 Roger Federer, discusses his new DVD collection and reflects on his time away from tennis spent largely with his family at his California home.

Tennis Week: These DVD’s are high quality. What was it like shooting the footage used in the DVDs?

Jimmy Connors: I don’t think there’ll be anything like it anymore. No, I can’t say that [smiles], but it’s the first of its kind really, with the way it was shot. We had five cameras on the court at all times. So they could get every angle possible, so that you could really see everything that we were doing — from the grip, to the drills, and just everything. And it was shot in high-definition — it’s the way they’re shooting movies now. And that’s the way the DVD was shot. And also with my friends and the new players we have on there. It’s just amazing that — Chrissie (Evert) and Tracy (Austin) and John Lloyd, Pancho Segura, the Bryan Brothers, Justine Henin-Hardenne, James Blake, Nadal, Srichaphan — the mixture of old and new — so you get an opportunity to take what you like from all of this and go out and incorporate that into your game. But the shooting of it was a ball, I must say. You think it’s gonna be, Oh, it’s a lot of work. It was work. But with everybody that was involved sure made it a lot easier.”

Tennis Week: Where did you meet Nadal?

Jimmy Connors: Nadal — we saw him during the Palm Springs event. Very, very shy…very…he’s a very interesting young man. Very strong. It was interesting for me just to see somebody 18, 19-years-old with a build like that, that goes out and take that to the tennis court. And shows his athleticism when he plays. But very shy, very reserved, laid back. Almost nervous to be around, and be a part of it. But very interesting.

Tennis Week: A guy like you must appreciate his intensity levels. What do you think of his intensity?

Jimmy Connors: Oh, I like it [smiles]. I wish a lot more of that would be around. To show what you’re feeling and your abilities and the way you go about trying to use your abilities. His passion and his emotion and what he’s trying to get across to the crowd — that’s what it’s all about, in my opinion [smiles].

Tennis Week: What was the greatest moment of your career?

Jimmy Connors: The end [smiles]. The end of it [laughs]. I say that with a laugh because you go through and you sacrifice and you give so much that there comes a point in time when you just can’t do it anymore. And you have to also remember: I played not only the regular tour until I was 40. But then I played and started the senior tour until I was 46, 47. So my career never really had a time where I got away and took a break and cleared my mind, got healthy, then went back and started again. I just kept rolling it over into doing something else. When I stopped, it was a necessity, as far as I was concerned. And I say that rather jokingly. The best part of my career was the other way — the beginning. Just being a part of tennis. And everything I was able to get out of tennis, as far as, not only the sport itself, but the way I lived my life, what it’s given me and, hopefully, what I’ve given back in return — has made it just the greatest experience.

Tennis Week: Last time we spoke, you told me the greatest moment in the beginning was that big win against Roy Emerson…

Jimmy Connors: Yeah, when I was 17. That’s really what gave me the feeling that I could go out and play against the great players in the world at the time. But I also know Roy Emerson’s position at that time. He was a little bit older. He just came off the semis or finals of the U.S. Open. And it was the next week. And his intensity level might have been a little bit down. And thought he was just gonna run into a kid that he was just gonna walk over. But I was the way…I was the willing to do anything to get through that match and to win. Because I knew what it meant to me. So I was the young gun at one time playing the older player. And then I felt that on the other side too. So I’ve had a good career, it was fun.

Tennis Week: Your most painful tennis moment?

Jimmy Connors: Well. I don’t know if painful is the right word. Physical pain — I’ve had a number of those. But as far as losing matches being painful — I don’t think that ever entered into my thinking. I always got back up, went out and worked harder. And tried to recoup what was necessary for me to go out and win. So, as far as in tennis, I don’t think I’ve had any painful moments. There’s losses that I didn’t quite stomach so well, but that wasn’t pain. That was disgust in my own performance.

Tennis Week: You inspired a lot of people. Who inspired you?

Jimmy Connors: There’s a lot of great athletes and great people that I admired. My real inspiration in tennis came from my mom and my grandmother, who taught me how to play. There’s a lot of athletes and great people that I admired and was able to take a little bit from each of them. And try to incorporate it into me, as far as what I wanted to do and try to project when I was on the court and playing. And without thinking any of them as a hero. Because if I did, I probably would have taken too much. And then I would have been the product of somebody else. I wanted to try to be more myself, and natural, and do it my way. With the ability to take from others, as I wanted it, piece by piece. So, so many people that I admired. Pete Rose, for instance, for me, was the ultimate competitor. Willing to give everything and lay it on the line, no matter what or where he was, during the course of the game. Whether it was an exhibition game or the All-Star Game. Even if it didn’t mean anything at the time, but he was willing to lay it all on the line. To understand that and to feel that I tried to do the same thing — pretty good.

Tennis Week: You and Pete must have met a few times.

Jimmy Connors: I met him a few times, yeah.

Tennis Week: Just out of curiosity, did you hit it off?

Jimmy Connors: Well, you meet in passing. And you go on — you’re at events where you go and do your own thing, and then so forth. Just the intensity of knowing when he’s around and knowing what he gave, that’s enough for me [smiles].

Tennis Week: Who were the toughest competitors you encountered on the court?

Jimmy Connors: Tennis-wise, Pancho Gonzales. I was just breaking into it — 18, 19, 20-years-old. And was able to play him a few times. And understood what he was then compared to what he was in his prime must have been unbelievable. McEnroe’s a great competitor. Lendl. Borg, of course. I could go down the line. And Vilas — in his own way was a great competitor. And Nastase in his own way. Within all of us there are flaws. And no matter what we were willing to give — and it was the idea from my standpoint, that I was always trying to hide my flaws. Even about my competitiveness. And throw in a bluff here and there [smiles]. But so many great competitors. That’s what made my era so much fun to be a part of. Knowing that when you walked out on the court that you had to bring your best game, all the time. And no matter what you had to give, you had to bring out the best on that day. And if not, you’re gonna be sitting on the sidelines.

Tennis Week: This era now — with so much depth of talent and the different personalities has a lot of people excited and tennis is doing well. Do you enjoy this era? Like your own era?

Jimmy Connors: Yeah, I do. I like it. It’s certainly a different style of game that they play now, more of a power game. But that’s the way the kids are taught now. They’re taught growing up with big racquets, and to play one way, which is to hit the ball hard. And if that doesn’t work, they try to hit the ball harder [smiles]. That’s why I kind of like watching Federer. He’s an old school player with a modern day game. And he’s able to mix his game up and change gears if need be, to try to offset his opponent when one thing doesn’t work. To do that and have the results he’s had the last four, five years is pretty strong.

Tennis Week: Are you in accord with all the other tennis experts and legends of the game who believe Federer could be on his way to become the best ever?

Jimmy Connors: Well, what does that mean, ‘best ever’? I mean, best ever of this time. And the best ever, is that a…how do you figure out what the “best ever” is when you haven’t played against…I haven’t played…I didn’t play Laver in his prime. I didn’t play Pete in his prime. He didn’t play me in my prime. McEnroe didn’t play Gonzales in his time. So how do you know what the “best ever” is? I think a lot depends on who you’re brought up with, what kind of rivalries you’ve had, and who you played along the way, that’s gotten in your way from winning. I mean, if I was Federer, I’d be very pleased with the position that he’s in. Because his counterparts seem to be feeling that they’re happy enough just to tag along on the number one’s tail [smiles]. And so instead of stepping up and putting forth the right kind of effort, to try and overtake him and beat him and move him down, as opposed to just let him run away with it. I wish I would see more of that. That’s why I like Nadal. He’s stepped up and beat Federer the last couple of times (actually three in a row). So maybe that’s the making of a good rivalry.

Tennis Week: Who are your closest friends from tennis?

Jimmy Connors: Eddie Dibbs. We’ve been friends since we were kids. I went down and played the Orange Bowl and ran into Eddie when I was seven, eight-years-old. And continue to be friends to this day. John Lloyd — we’ve been good friends for a long time. Outside of that, really, as far as the guys that I’ve stayed in touch with, that’s really about it, since I left the senior tour. And I got away from tennis. Those are the two guys I’ve stayed in touch with the most.

Tennis Week: Who were the funniest players you encountered?

Jimmy Connors: Well, Nastase, for sure. As rough as he was on the court, he was just the opposite in the locker room, with the fun and what he brought into it. A lot of guys had good attitudes. Dibbs had a good attitude. And was willing to do what it took to kind of take a lot of the pressure off. Then a lot of guys who weren’t actually players, who were around the game, like (trainer) Bill Norris, for instance. To go in the locker room — he’d take care all of the players, would always have something to say. And want to be a part of things. Sort of take the pressure off. It was a good time. We had a lot of characters. A lot of guys that had more to say than just the every day tennis talk. And were willing to put their reputations on the line, day after day. Good time.

Tennis Week: Do you have any lasting funny Nastase memory?

Jimmy Connors: I’ve got a lot of funny memories from Nastase. You gotta remember, he was my first friend when I was 15. He not only took me under his wing tennis-wise, he took me under his wing in a lot of different ways. And he was a big part of my breaking into the game. And so a lot of the funny stories are about him I could tell you, but I better not [laughs].

Tennis Week: Can you recall an embarrassing tennis memory?

Jimmy Connors: I don’t know. I’m sure there’s some out there. But I’ve been kind of good about leaving the past behind. So maybe that’s part of the past that I don’t think about so much [smiles].

Tennis Week: What are some of your hobbies and interests these days?

Jimmy Connors: Well, lately I’ve just been taking it easy outside of tennis. I’ve gotten into golf. Been spending more time around the house with my family. And my kids are grown and out doing their thing. So trying to help them get their direction going and what they really want to do. And then kind of get their feet grounded. And so I’ve been able to do that. And, basically, I needed some time away. I was burned out with tennis and with everything that I’ve put into it. And I needed a break to get away, to kind of clear my mind and to really do nothing [smiles]. And that’s why the opportunity to get back and do this DVD is getting me back, and breaking me into tennis again, at my own pace. With a feel of the ability to do what I’ve done but also with a feel of wanting to do more. But taking it slowly.

Tennis Week: Will you be commentating at Wimbledon again this summer?

Jimmy Connors: Yep. I’m gonna do the BBC this year again for Wimbledon, and I enjoyed it last year. For me, the commentary is not so much about the tennis but who I do it with. If I feel comfortable in the booth — I did it with John Lloyd, I did it with Boris Becker, and I did a little work with Tracy Austin — I did a couple of women’s matches with her — the rapport that we had in the booth made it a lot easier for me to get back into tennis and to be around the tennis again. And also made for a better broadcast.

Tennis Week: We almost got to see that big doubles match of you and John McEnroe against Pete and Andre a few years ago…

Jimmy Connors: Yeah, it’s not dead [smiles]. Yet. But I might be before it comes off [smiles]. But I think there’s still a lot of interest to do it. And we’ve got the spot to do it and we’ve got a lot of corporate people that are still interested in being a part of it. I think a lot depends on if I want to go back and train. They can do it without me if they want to. But that’s on their own time. But if I wanted to do it, I’d have to go back and train and work at the tennis and do what I did in the past for a good six or seven months. Just so I can get my game in order, my conditioning in order. Right now, I don’t know if I’m willing to do that. I have to put that on the backburner for a while.

Tennis Week: Who are your favorite players to watch today?

Jimmy Connors: Well, I certainly like to watch Federer. I like to watch Nadal, because he’s an emotion…he shows me the thrill of being a part of what’s going on out there. And one thing I probably like best about that is he’s not afraid to show it. So I enjoy watching him. And there’s a lot of good kids out there that have shown me some good stuff. And I would like for them to be a little bit more — but you can’t give them personality — either they have that or they don’t — but I think they can show that they have passion for the game a little bit more. Which would bring the fans more into what they’re doing.

Tennis Week: You must like Lleyton Hewitt too (Come on!).

Jimmy Connors: Yeah, well, yeah, as a grinder. Any time I say grinder, that’s kinda my kind of guy [smiles]. But he really, at one time was able to be in every match, and I’ve seen the last — he’s struggled a little bit. Maybe that’s due to some of the interests he’s gone through off the court. But his attitude is one that when he’s out on the court, that’s his business and that’s what he wants to do. And he’s willing to put it all on the line. And day after day, that’s a hard job.

Tennis Week: What were your favorite tournaments to play?

Jimmy Connors: French. I loved to play the French — once I got back into it, in the late ’70s. Just the atmosphere, and being in Paris. I enjoyed doing that. I enjoyed going to Tokyo to play. South America was fun. But my favorite tournament was right here in New York (the U.S. Open).

Tennis Week: Why did you like Tokyo so much?

Jimmy Connors: I like the food. I liked the people. I liked the crowds. I just liked the atmosphere. I felt comfortable there. And also from the first time I went over there, I made a lot of friends. And it was always good to go back and be a part of that, and to see them. And their interest was in tennis. And they also got involved in seeing a lot more of Japan than just the stadium and the hotel. Which is a lot of fun.

Tennis Week: Which South American tournaments did you like?

Jimmy Connors: Argentina was good. And nothing wrong with going to Rio and playing down in Rio [smiles]. And went down to Bogota and played. Actually, one of the best things for me with tennis was the travel. To be able to have gotten around — I’ve met a lot of nice people. I’ve met a lot of not so nice people. But the end result was, my lasting memories were the people that I met, the places that I’ve been to, and the kind of tennis that I played when I was there. So I kind of feel like I took care of all of my jobs at the same time. And tried to get the most out of every place that I went.

Tennis Week: What are your favorite movies?

Jimmy Connors: I think my favorite movie over the last couple of years was an indy movie called “The Cooler” with Alec Baldwin and William H. Macy. Independent film that was just my kind of movie. It was about gambling in Las Vegas, and a cooler, that was, back in the old days a cooler was somebody that worked for the casino that brought bad luck to people around the tables that were hot. So you have to see it to…but it was one of my favorite movies.

Tennis Week: What are your favorite TV shows?

Jimmy Connors: Now I like CSI. I like Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t watch much TV, but when I do I maybe watch one program a night. I’d rather be outside and running my dogs and doing something outside, as opposed to sitting in front of a television. But I like something that creates a little interest. I like Forensic Files. Where you dive deep into opportunities to go back and recreate and do things like that. But television is not my thing.

Tennis Week: What are your musical tastes?

Jimmy Connors: I’m an oldies guy. And, actually it’s interesting — both my kids, 26 and 21, every time an oldies song comes on there — they’re members of the oldies family, I mean, they know every word to all the oldies songs. With everything that’s going on today, for them to understand what that meant is kinda cool [smiles].

Tennis Week: Do your kids play tennis?

Jimmy Connors: No tennis. Well, a little bit of tennis. But no amount of tennis that puts them in the category of ‘working at it’ [smiles].

Tennis Week: What is your favorite vacation spot?

Jimmy Connors: Floating on a boat in the Caribbean. And me and my wife went on a cruise last year. Where we started in Athens and spend some time with friends there, then seven or eight days on a boat, and ended up in Rome. But it was the most amazing 14 days that I’ve ever had. Because that’s something I would have never done — was actually go on a cruise. And it was a boat with a maximum of 300 people. So you had the abilities to move around and be as involved or as aloof as you wanted to. And just everything we saw from the start to the finish was pretty amazing.

Tennis Week: What is a people quality you most admire?

Jimmy Connors: Integrity.