"Wishing you were here with us" - Jimmy Connors remembers late mother and coach Gloria on her 100th birth anniversary

Jimmy Connors recently wished his late mother and coach Gloria a happy 'heavenly' birthday. Gloria, who passed away in 2007, would have turned 100 on January 24 this year. Connors thanked his mother for the life she had given him and his family and expressed his wish that she was still with them.

Gloria coached Jimmy for most of his career. She was a former tennis player herself, who competed at the US Championships in 1942 and 1943.

Connors posted a heartfelt message on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, January 24.

"Wishing my Mom a Happy Heavenly Birthday- she would have been 100 years old today— thank you for this life you have given us - Aubree Connors, Brett Connors, Patti Connors — wishing you were here with us !!- ❤️❤️🙏🏻🙏🏻🎾🎾" Connors wrote.

Jimmy, who retired in 1996, won eight Grand Slam singles titles, including a record five US Opens (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983), two Wimbledon Championships (1974, 1982), and one Australian Open (1974). He won 109 singles titles, the most in the Open Era, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998.

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"My mother would be proud of my book, she'd be very proud of the result of what she made or helped make" - Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors at the 2012 US Open

Jimmy Connors said that his book 'The Outsider', published in 2013, would make his late mother, Gloria, very proud.

In a recent episode of his podcast 'Advantage Connors,' former World No. 1's son, Brett, questioned whether his late mother would be proud of the book. The 71-year-old said:

"I think she'd be proud of it. I think she'd be very proud of it, not because of the way I talked about her but I think she'd be very proud of the result of what she made or helped make. And I keep going back and saying that my mom gave me everything, gave me. She didn't make me, I made me and I think that's what she would be most proud of."

Connor said that he was sure his mother was proud of him, based on the talks they shared before she passed away in 2007.

"She gave me the tools to go and to try to be the best player and have the guts and attitude and the fighting spirit and the never give up, which I got from my grandfather and grandmother," Jimmy Connors said.

"I think she'd be very proud of the result and I know she was because before she passed, we had some very in-depth and very deep-down conversations before she passed. Her thoughts, even though sometimes jumbled, were very clear to me," he added.