"I had a great run" - Jimmy Connors jokes as fan hopes for him to come back

Jimmy Connors recently joked about the chances of him playing tennis again after a fan expressed his desire to see the legend back on tour.

Connors had a glittering career, spanning two and a half decades from 1972 to 1996. The American clinched a staggering 109 titles in his career – the most by any man in the Open Era. He also claimed the most scalps (1274) and played the most matches (1557) - a record that is yet to be challenged.

Jimmy Connors, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, won the US Open a record five times. He also has one Australian Open title and two Wimbledon titles to his rich list of accomplishments. He dominated the World No. 1 position for an impressive 268 weeks, which currently ranks as the fifth-best reign by a man.

The prolific athlete’s stellar achievements earned him a myriad of admirers and a devoted fan base. One such fan got nostalgic about Jimmy Connors’ on-court legacy, when a question was posed, asking:

"What’s something from the past that we need to bring back?"

The fan responded:

"James Scott Connors."

Jimmy Connors hilariously responded to the fan’s tweet, saying that while he had a remarkable career, he won’t return.

“I had a great run— thanks for being a part of it — but once is enough- lol - stay well. !!!,” the 70-year-old joked in a tweet.

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"I would love to have experienced playing Jimmy Connors" – Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Novak Djokovic, who is a part of the ‘Golden Era’ of men’s tennis alongside legends such as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, recently opened up about his desire to have played the legends from the past as well.

“We all compare ourselves to the champions of the past. Many of these champions are still very active in our sport – McEnroe, Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl et cetera,” Novak Djokovic said in one of his press conferences at the ongoing Wimbledon Championships.

The 23-time Slam winner stated that he would have loved to have shared the court with Jimmy Connors in front of the American’s home crowd at the US Open.

“I would love to have experienced playing Jimmy Connors at a night session in New York – the way he played and the buzz around the stadium, it was awesome,” he reminisced.

The Serb also acknowledged 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras, whose historic achievements inspired him to pursue the sport as a child.

“I am very sorry I didn’t have a chance to play Pete, since he inspired me to pick up a racquet,” he said.

Novak Djokovic is currently in pursuit of his own history at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. The Serb will be contesting the final against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, July 16. He is vying for a record eighth men’s title at the event and an Open Era record of 24 Grand Slam titles.