"Besides him being a complete a******e?" - When John McEnroe joked about why he didn't like Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe are two of the greatest tennis players of all time, and they shared a fierce rivalry from 1977 to 1991.

Both the Americans were very competitive and were known for their fiery temper. McEnroe and Connors were far from pals though, and did not have the most cordial relationship off the court.

While appearing on In Depth with Graham Bensinger back in 2018, McEnroe spoke about his rivalry with Connors and how the pair did not like one another. But McEnroe did first say that the two had a lot of respect for each other, while also claiming that Connors tried harder than any tennis player apart from Rafael Nadal.

"We don't like each other and I think if we were in a room now, we could talk. We always had respect for each other. I always respected Jimmy Connors. The only guy's that ever tried on a tennis court harder than Jimmy Connors is Rafael Nadal in my book, and he's (Connors) not far behind," John McEnroe said.

"Everytime I look in the mirror before I play him or someone else, I say to myself 'Am I trying as hard as Jimmy Connors?' I hope that I made him better and I know he made me better," he added.

Bensinger then asked McEnroe the reason behind the two not liking each other, and the former World No. 1 said:

"Besides him being a complete a*****e?" Obviously, we sort of have some, sort of Irish, sort of ancestry that, you know, we might be somewhat volatile, get a little upset maybe more easily than other. From his perspective, I can understand and I'd be the same if some 18-year-old kid and I'm the No. 1 or 2 in the world and he's trying to take my mantle or become the No. 1 American, I could see why he would not like that and would want to do everything in his power to make sure that didn't happen. So, from a competitive aspect, I understand that."

"And we're not out there like 'Let's have dinner afterwards', so we only see what's happening on the court," he added. "So it's difficult to be able to sort of take a step back and say 'We're human beings', you get all worked up, crazed."

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Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe faced each other 34 times

John McEnroe pictured at the 2021 Laver Cup.

Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe have had one of the fiercest rivalries in tennis history. The two locked horns on 34 occasions, with McEnroe leading 20-14.

They met in two Wimbledon finals, with Connors winning in 1982 and McEnroe returning the favor in 1984.

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