"I went on a 2 or 3-year drought, they had me written off" - Jimmy Connors on the pressure athletes face to consistently perform well

Former World No. 1 Jimmy Connors has touched upon the constant pressure athletes face to perform at the highest level throughout their careers.

Connors ruled the ATP Tour in the 1970s and 80s. He held the top spot in the ATP rankings for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks and a career total of 268 weeks. The American won eight Grand Slam titles, five at the US Open (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, and 1983), two at the Wimbledon Championships (1974 and 1982), and one at the Australian Open (1974).

Between his 1978 US Open win and his 1982 Wimbledon triumph, he failed to record any success at the Majors. Connors, however, did reach the semifinals eight times in the said period (twice at the French Open and thrice each at Wimbledon and US Open).

Recalling how his Slam drought saw people call for his retirement, Connors stated that people are always very quick to dismiss a player once he or she encounters a slump.

“I went on a two or three-year drought of not winning a Grand Slam, they had me written off and I should have retired. I was just 30, I wasn't even 30 yet. Isn't it crazy how quick they jump on an athlete and dismiss them?” he said on the latest episode of the Advantage Connors podcast.

“No matter how good, no matter how great they have been for this sport, all the attention that they brought to the game and the excitement they've given to the fans,” Connors added.

Connors further stated that once an athlete wins a few titles, there's constant pressure on them to do better. At the same time, it's not taken into consideration how much effort goes into staying at the top, or the fact that there are other equally good athletes capable of winning titles.

“They're so quick to write off athletes. They think that once you break through, you should be at the top of your game and and then you're a Grand Slam winner and a Major winner. You win five, six, seven, or ten tournaments in a year and that you should just keep going and keep going and keep going,” he said.

“And they never think that to keep going what that costs and what it takes for that. And they also don't take [into consideration] that they're also whether good players out there. That they are coming to take all that away from you,” Connors added.

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"That never leaves you; that feeling, that passion" - Jimmy Connors on his love for tennis

Jimmy Connors has won an Open Era record 1,274 matches.

Jimmy Connors turned pro in 1971 and retired in April 1996. During his time on the ATP Tour, he played 1,557 matches, winning 1,274 of them (an Open Era record) and clinching 109 singles titles.

For comparison, Roger Federer, who retired in 2022, has 1,251 wins to his name. Rafael Nadal, with 1,068 wins, is the active player with the most career matches won right now.

Looking back at his career, Connors recently expressed his love for the sport and stated that he still gets a huge wave of satisfaction whenever he steps onto the court and hits the tennis ball.

"That never leaves you. That feeling, that passion that you've had for so long. Sometimes, age, when it catches up with you or you decide to take a different path, that little feeling that you have is just kind of put on hold," he said.

"Sometimes when I go and play tennis, I hit one shot and I say, 'Aah.' It's just the feeling of such satisfaction of still being able to do something that I did," Connors added.