Five-time U.S. Open champion Jimmy Connors was on a Flushing Meadows indoor practice court Wednesday, hitting with another American great, Jim Courier, as he tries to work himself back into playing shape for his return to competitive tennis—in the Champions Series later this year.
The 59-year-old Connors, whose highlights are aired almost anytime the rain falls at Flushing Meadows, conceded even he still gets nervous.
“I haven’t played in front of a crowd in 10 or 12 years,” he said. “The tennis is OK. I can play. But playing in front of a crowd, what they expect, what I expect of myself. That’s going to be interesting.”
Connors, Courier, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras are among those playing on the 12-city circuit that will raise money for USTA Serves—a developmental program run by the U.S. Tennis Association.
This is the 20-year anniversary of Connors’ magical run to the semifinals. On his 39th birthday, Connors came back from 5-2 down in the fifth set against Aaron Krickstein to force a tiebreaker to decide the match. He won it 7-4. One of his famous lines from that match, spoken directly into a courtside camera: “This is what they pay for. This is what they want.”
Nobody liked to lay it out there for the fans more than Jimbo. No wonder, then, that he gets a kick out of the rain delays that have halted play the last two days at Flushing Meadows and could force the men’s winner to win four matches in four days.
From: http://ping.fm/gXgkn
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