"It's like pulling teeth...He doesn't play like he used to"- When Jimmy Connors expressed frustration with Ivan Lendl after losing in their last clash

Jimmy Connors took a dig at Ivan Lendl's playing style after losing to him in the second round of the 1992 US Open. It was the last of the 35 matches between the two greats of the game.

Connors made his last Grand Slam singles appearance at the 1992 US Open, and booked his place in the second round with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 win over Brazil's Jaime Oncins. There, he faced Ivan Lendl, who was the ninth seed.

Connors took the first set but Lendl bounced back to register a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 win and book his place in the tournament's third round.

The American was asked about the number of unforced errors he committed during the match and he replied that he was the only one "forcing the action" as Lendl was "bunting the ball back."

"Nobody is perfect. I was the one forcing the action. He just stayed out there and bunted the ball back. I was the one that was being aggressive and forcing the action. So I guess when you do that, then you are going to make a few more errors. I don't think I played too badly," Connors said.

Jimmy Connors also likened Ivan Lendl's playing style to "pulling teeth," claiming that the latter did not budge from the baseline. Connors added that that was not something he did before.

"It is like pulling teeth. He just refuses to come in. He doesn't play anything like he used to. Before, he used to come over that backhand. Now, you know, talking to Vitas (Gerulaitis), he said he almost plays with fear now, just to bunt the ball back. He is satisfied with bunting the ball back, which is different than the way he used to play," Jimmy Connors said.

"He used to come over the ball and whack it from the baseline. I don't think he does that much anymore. But pulling him in, I was hitting balls short enough with some angle only to bring him in. He refuses to come," he added.

After the win over Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl defeated Chuck Adams and Boris Becker to reach the quarterfinals, where he lost to eventual champion Stefan Edberg.

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The 1992 US Open second-round clash was the fifth match between Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl at the New York Major

Jimmy Connors in action at the 1991 French Open (Image Source: Getty)

The second-round match at the US Open 1992 was the last encounter between the two tennis greats at the New York Major. Their first match at the hard-court Grand Slam came in the 1982 final, which Connors won 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

They locked horns in the following year's title clash too, with Connors registering a 6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-0 win.

The two then faced each other in the semifinals of the 1985 US Open. This time, Lendl triumphed 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to reach the final, where he beat John McEnroe to win his first title at the New York Major.

The fourth match between Connors and Lendl at the US Open took place in the final four of the 1987 edition, with Lendl triumphing 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the title clash. He then beat Mats Wilander to win his third successive title at the New York Major.