James Scott Connors is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. Connors grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, and was raised Catholic.
During his childhood he was coached and trained by his mother and grandmother.
He played in his first U.S. Championship, the U.S. boys’ 11-and-under of 1961, when he was nine years old. Connors’ mother, Gloria, took him to Southern California to be coached by Pancho Segura, starting at age 16, in 1968. He and his brother, John “Johnny” Connors, attended St. Phillip’s grade school.
He held the top Association of Tennis Professionals ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977 and a career total of 268 weeks.
Did Jimmy Connors win the French Open?
Connors won eight Grand Slam singles championships: five US Opens, two Wimbledons, and one Australian Open. He did not participate in the French Open during his peak years (1974–78), as he was banned from playing by the event in 1974 due to his association with World Team Tennis (WTT).