Jimmy Connors reminisces about "unacceptable" first paycheck he received after winning a tournament 

Former tennis star Jimmy Connors recently talked about his first earning upon winning a tournament in Jacksonville, Florida. He recalled receiving a paycheck that was far from satisfactory.

Connors retired from the game in 1996. He holds the record for the most professional matches won by a male player in the Open Era, with a staggering 1,274 victories. Even 27 years after his retirement, this record is still unbroken.

Roger Federer finished his career with an impressive 1,251 wins, just 23 short of Connors' record. This record will remain unbroken for a few more years. Rafael Nadal is now the active player with the most career matches won. The Spaniard has 1,068 wins to his name.

Jimmy Connors recently joined his son Brett and Spencer Segura on the Advantage Connors podcast and discussed his first paycheck, which he received for a match played in a gymnasium with 1500 spectators.

The amount he received was so meager that he deemed it "unacceptable". The eight-time Grand Slam champion earned less than a dollar per person in attendance.

"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," Connors said.

The former World No. 1 stated that he acknowledged the modest compensation he received, however, he expressed that he was dissatisfied with it.

"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."

"That never leaves you; that feeling, that passion" - Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors at the 2012 US Open

Jimmy Connors previously expressed his unwavering love for tennis, stating that he experiences a profound sense of satisfaction with just one shot on the court. He firmly believes that an athlete's passion for the game never truly fades away.

"That never leaves you. That feeling, that passion that you've had for so long," Jimmy Connors said.

"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 added. "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," he added.

Connors achieved an impressive 109 career singles titles, eight of which were Grand Slams. Among these were five US Open triumphs, two Wimbledon trophies, and a solitary Australian Open.