Hidden Secrets of the Greats: Jimmy Connors

The brash, tenacious, angry outsider from St. Louis

September 17, 2014 | By Dr. Tom Ferraro
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This marks the fifth installment in the series “Secrets of the Tennis Greats.” I have sought to uncover the one distinctive and overriding character trait that determined the greatness of the top players in the world. Yes, all of the tennis greats have much in common, including natural talent and the ability to work hard, but they were all very different as well. Thus far, I have discussed Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Pete Sampras. This month, we take a look at Jimmy “Jimbo” Connors. What was the one trait that contributed most to his rise to the top?

Well first let’s look at his record. James Scott Connors was born in 1952 in East St. Louis, Ill., home of Miles Davis. His mom was a tennis pro and Jimmy witnessed the savage beating of her and his grandparents when he was just eight-years-old. His mom received more than 100 stitches and never fully recovered from the attack. Connors was clearly affected by this incident and said he often used that memory to destroy his enemies on the court.

His mother moved with him to California and placed him in the hands of Pancho Segura when he was 16-years-old. Connors went to UCLA where he quickly won the NCAA singles title as a freshman. He turned pro the next year and by the age of 22, he had won 15 times, including three Grand Slam titles. He would go on to win eight Grand Slam titles over the course of his career, 109 tournaments and was ranked at number one for a total of 268 weeks.

His contemporaries included Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe who together ushered in the modern age of tennis with all its money and entertainment value. It is clear to me that Connors had an inner rage that made him a great fighter. His mom would tell him “get those tiger juices flowing before you step on court.” These are comments similar to what Tiger Woods mom would say before he left for any tournament. “Go destroy them all,” were her parting words. I think Connors’ inherent shyness, his hardscrabble upbringing and the witnessing of his mother’s violent assault all contributed to his anger and his tenacity. 

But to make sure I was on the right track, I sauntered over to the beautiful tennis courts of the Cherry Valley Club in Garden City, N.Y. and sat down with their tennis staff. Akiko, the assistant director of tennis, told me that Connors was the most passionate player she had ever seen. The director of racquet sports was the blue-eyed Miguel Cobbs who was gracious enough to spend some time with me analyzing Connors. He told me, “Connors was a pure alpha male with an intense merciless desire to dominate all opponents. He had a desire to do more than win … he wanted to be the very best, and in that way, he was very similar to both Nadal and Federer. Connors showed no compassion, no pity and no mercy, and I don’t think he was very well liked on the Tour.” Miguel went on to say that Connors also had an unwavering belief in himself and was intimidating as a result.

Miguel Cobb’s comments reminded me of the time I met Arnold Palmer. Palmer was, at that point, in his mid-70s and one would expect that he would look like a tired and weak old man. But there was nothing tired or weak-looking about Arnold Palmer. He had the steadiest and most powerful gaze I had ever seen in a male. Pure alpha.

So it is easy to pick out the secret trait that got Jimbo to the top. He was pure and unadulterated alpha male. I think this was partly genetic, partly because his mom gave him encouragement to be this was and partly due to witnessing such trauma. In that way, he is similar to Djokovic. Add it all up and what you got was a real crowd pleaser and one of the most merciless ball strikers in tennis history. His game was not flashy, just flat over-the-net punches to the baseline along with a grunt. He also had that odd way of constantly blowing air into his hand. He ushered in all that pumped up testosterone and cursing into the genteel game of tennis. And the game has not been the same since. He was that mop-haired lefty that the crowd loved to hate.

What you can learn from Connors? I think the simplest point to make is that if a parent wants to raise a warrior like Jimmy Connors, you need to give the youngster permission to be that way. Freud called this the “Super Ego,” or the values learned from the parents.

If you want to raise a tennis player with unrelenting drive, all you have to do is give your child permission to do so. What will occur are two things. First, they will become far more aggressive on court. But the negative side of this lesson is that they will lose their popularity and their likability … such is life. One must take the good with the bad. Connors was aware that he was not liked, but said, “I needed to have that tough edge if I was going to dominate and win.”

So buyer beware … you can raise a warrior on the court, but it will unquestionably come with a price.


Dr. Tom Ferraro
Sport Psychologist

For consultations, treatment or on-site visits, contact Dr. Tom Ferraro Ph.D., Sport Psychologist, by phone at (516) 248-7189, e-mail DrTFerraro@aol.com or visit DrTomFerraro.com.

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