"I was upset, crying, telling I didn't mean to" - When Jimmy Connors shocked himself after doing what he had never done before against mother Gloria

Jimmy Connors' mother Gloria has been an integral part of his career, as she was his coach since his childhood days. The American won a set off his mother during his teenage days and felt upset after doing so.

Connors enjoyed an impressive career, during which, he won eight Grand Slam singles titles, two at Wimbledon, five at the US Open and the Australian Open in 1974. His tally at the New York Major is a joint-men's singles record at the tournament in the Open Era.

The American's mother Gloria had previously played tennis herself and later, taught the sport to others, including her son. Connors used to practice with his mother and finally won a set against her on a practice court in Kalamazoo, Michigan, when he was 16 years old.

The tennis great said that he was upset and was crying on taking a set off his mother. However, Gloria Connors responded to this by stating that she had been waiting for the day when she dropped a set against her son.

“I was upset, I was crying, telling her I didn’t mean to. She said: ‘What do you mean? This is the day I’ve been waiting for,'" Connors said, as quoted by the New York Times in 2007.

Jimmy Connors paid a heartwarming tribute to his mother on her 100th birth anniversary

Jimmy Connors at US Open 2012 (Image Source: Getty)

Connors' mother had her 100th birth anniversary in 2024 and the eight-time Grand Slam singles champion penned a heartfelt note for her on X.

"Wishing my Mom a Happy Heavenly Birthday- she would have been 100 years old today— thank you for this life you have given us- @AConnors84, @Brett Connors, @PattiConnors, @JimmyConnors — wishing you were here with us," the 72-year-old wrote.

Jimmy Connors' illustrious career came to an end in 1996 and he still holds a few tennis records to this day. The American has more match wins (1274) and title wins (109) than any other man in the Open Era.

He was among the first World No. 1s when the ATP rankings were introduced and held the position for a total of 268 weeks. 1974 was a memorable year for the American, as he won three out of the four Grand Slams.

Connors also had a pretty decent doubles career as well, winning two Grand Slams at Wimbledon 1973 and US Open 1975. Ilie Nastase was his partner on both occasions.