"I was driving when we were kids and learning how to do that" - Jimmy Connors on his first car

Former tennis star Jimmy Connors recently shared nostalgic memories of the first car he had driven.

Connors, a tennis icon, won an astounding 109 career singles titles throughout his career, with eight of them being Grand Slams. He won five US Open titles, two Wimbledon trophies, and a single Australian Open title.

Speaking to his son Brett Connors during a recent episode of the "Advantage Connors" podcast, Connors was asked about the first car he had ever driven. In response, the 71-year-old revealed that his first driving experience was in his grandmother's 1955 Chevrolet, a manual shifter with three forward speeds.

"I’ll go back to let's see it was a 1955 Chevy I think, that had a three on the column. Three shifters on the column. That was your great grandma’s," Jimmy Connors said.

Jimmy Connors also stated that during his younger days, things were quite different, and he found himself behind the wheel at a young age. He revealed that this early experience allowed him to master the art of driving a manual car.

"Back then it was a different time. I was driving when we were kids and learning how to do that then. I think it was a 1955 Chevy. I’m pretty sure but I would have to look it up because I know I have a picture of it somewhere. That was how I learned how to drive a manual at a very young age and I still like it. I still love a manual shift," he added.

Jimmy Connors on the first paycheck he received after winning a tournament: "I said this is unacceptable"

Jimmy Connors at the 2012 US Open

Jimmy Connors had previously joined Brett and Spencer Segura on the podcast where he shared an anecdote about his first paycheck, which he earned from a match held in a bustling gymnasium in Jacksonville, Florida.

Surrounded by a crowd of 1500 spectators, Connors recounted playing six matches just to secure a meager sum of $1200 which he deemed "unacceptable".

"When I turned pro my first tournament that I won was in Jacksonville, Florida in a gymnasium with 1500 people. I won $1200. It was like a root tournament but I had to win six matches to do that. And as excited as I was, in my heart I said this is unacceptable. 1500 people in a gymnasium," Jimmy Connors said.

The eight-time Grand Slam champion revealed that he had accepted a minimal amount of money, but he wasn't satisfied with the sum. He mentioned that other players from his era, such as Bjorn Borg, Ilie Nastase, and Vitas Gerulaitis also shared the same sentiment of dissatisfaction regarding the meager financial compensation.

"I accepted that but I wasn’t satisfied with that. So what was it going to take? I had the guys that I grew up with - Nastase and Gerulaitus and Borg. Those guys were you know whether they’ll say it or not had the same feeling – that it was unacceptable playing for $1200. I didn't like that," he added.