"Proud of you everyday" - Jimmy Connors sends heartfelt birthday wishes to his son Brett

Former World No. 1 Jimmy Connors sent a heartfelt message to his son Brett on the occasion of his 44th birthday, expressing gratitude to his son for making the family proud.

Brett was born to Connors and Patty McGuire on Aug 1, 1979. He is the producer of Tennis Channel and is a host of the Advantage Connors Podcast. The father-son duo often engages in light-hearted conversations on tennis through their podcast.

Taking to social media on Tuesday, Connors sent birthday wishes for the 44-year-old and thanked him for a 'great dinner'.

"Happy Birthday to my son- Brett- a great dinner tonight and of course, a 'chocolate chip pound cake' for dessert- many more to come! Love you and proud of you every day @brettconnors," Jimmy Connors wrote in his tweet.

Brett Connors has 14 years of experience in live tennis production. Having traveled with his father on tour in the 1980s and 90s, he has vivid views on different aspects of the sport.

In a recent conversation on the Advantage Tennis Podcast, Brett strongly advocated for Aryna Sabalenka on the political issue of the Russo-Ukraine war. He expressed his displeasure at intermixing sports and politics.

"All the stupid stuff with the politics and the flag. You can take her [Aryna Sabalenka] flag away, you can try and say she can't be proud of where she's from and all that shit. But in the end, the best tennis players are going to win the f***ing tournament," Brett stated.

Apart from Brett, Jimmy Connors has a daughter named Aubree. The family of four including his wife McGuire, live in Santa Barbara, California.

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"They're so quick to write off athletes" - Jimmy Connors on the constant pressure players face to remain on top

Jimmy Connors at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open

Jimmy Connors recently expressed resentment about the constant pressure that fans and critics impose on athletes to do better and remain on top of their game.

During the latest episode of the Advantage Connors Podcast, the eight-time Grand Slam champion stated that the critics lay unrealistic expectations on players and quickly write them off once they drop down.

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

Jimmy Connors retired from professional tennis in 1996. He held the top spot in the ATP rankings for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977. With 109 titles and 1,274 match wins, the American is regarded as one of the most celebrated names in the Open Era.