John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors’ rivalry was one for the ages as the two Americans competed for the sport’s biggest prizes during the 1970s and 1980s.
Between 1977 and 1991, McEnroe and Connors met 34 times on the ATP Tour.
It was McEnroe who edged the head-to-head 20-14, although Connors had the better of things late on, winning six of their last seven matches.
Tennis players John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors shake hands after McEnroe wins the men’s singles finals at the 1984 Wimbledon in sweltering heat.
Whilst the pair respected each other, it’s fair to say they didn’t get along during their playing days, as they often clashed on tour.
But do they get along today? McEnroe has now shared how he really feels about Connors and suggested what it would take for them to spend time together.
John McEnroe says he and Jimmy Connors have agreed to play golf and have dinner if Andy Roddick is present
Appearing as a guest on the ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, McEnroe revealed what he and Connors agreed to do when they met recently.
“I hadn’t seen Jimmy [Connors] for six years; I just saw him last week. We agreed, Andy [Roddick], as long as you’re there, let’s play golf and have dinner afterwards,” he said.
The American had just explained how poor his and Connors’ relationship was during their careers, sharing an anecdote from the 1984 Davis Cup.
“I did play Davis Cup with Jimmy Connors once, and for nine of the 12 months when we got to the finals and lost, we didn’t speak to each other. So that’s not the team environment you want,” he admitted.
“He definitely started it! I played Davis Cup every year for seven years leading up to 1984. I’d been part of some teams already, and it became apparent to Jimmy and his manager that the only thing he hadn’t won was Davis Cup because he had refused to play.
“But it coincided with what happened to be my best year on the tour, so I was beating him pretty regularly.”
With tensions high, Team USA captain Arthur Ashe tried his best to keep the peace between McEnroe and Connors.
“At one point, the late great Arthur Ashe, who was the captain at the time, says to me, John, the team dinner is on Wednesday, is it ok if you don’t come because Jimmy doesn’t want you there?” remembered McEnroe.
Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images
“It is true, I go, ‘Arthur, you know I love you. But you’re also aware that I’ve played every match the last seven years, and Jimmy’s just come in as it looks good on his resume. Do you think maybe he should be the one who doesn’t go?’
“Then he realised that I was right, so Jimmy ended up not coming to the dinner, but it was sort of awkward that we’re going through the whole year not speaking to each other.”
1984 Davis Cup1R – United States defeated Romania (5-0)QF – United States defeated Argentina (5-0)SF – United States defeated Australia (4-1)
Playing Sweden in the final, McEnroe couldn’t believe what he saw Connors doing when the team was on the verge of defeat.
“We get to the Davis Cup final, we’re in Sweden, Jimmy is all crazed in his head because his daughter Aubree was about to be born, he was worried about that, didn’t want to miss that. I had just met… in a new relationship, with my now ex-wife, so my head was all over the place,” said McEnroe.
“We went out, we lost the first couple of matches, so we’re in big trouble; got to win three in a row to win. We’re playing doubles, me and Peter Fleming and we’re playing [Stefan] Edberg and [Anders] Jarryd, we’re two sets to one down.
“It’s a tiebreaker in the fourth set, we’ve got to win this tiebreaker, all of a sudden I see in the corner, [clapping], Jimmy is cheering for me, I say to hell with that guy!
“I felt terrible, here I am going, screw that man, I’m going to lose this, and I was playing for my country, so I felt horrible in a way.”
Connors’ support didn’t drive McEnroe and Fleming to a victory in the doubles, as the United States lost the 1984 Davis Cup final to Sweden.
MatchWinnerLoserScoreMatch score1Sweden (Mats Wilander)USA (Jimmy Connors)6-1, 6-3, 6-3Sweden (1-0) USA2Sweden (Henrik Sundstrom)USA (John McEnroe)13-11, 6-4, 6-3Sweden (2-0) USA3Sweden (Stefan Edberg/Anders JarrydUSA (John McEnroe/Peter Fleming)7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5Sweden (3-0) USA4USA (John McEnroe)Sweden (Mats Wilander)6-3, 5-7, 6-3Sweden (3-1) USA5Sweden (Henrik Sundstrom)USA (Jimmy Arias)3-6, 8-6, 6-3Sweden (4-1) USA1984 Davis Cup Final – USA vs Sweden
There were some positives to take from the trip to Sweden; however, as Connors and McEnroe had an important conversation after the match.
“Afterwards, Jimmy and I went out and had dinner. All of a sudden, it was like, ‘It’s all good, John,’ he said.
McEnroe and Connors seem to be on better terms now than they were during the early stages of Team USA’s 1984 Davis Cup campaign, but the likelihood is they won’t be calling each other best friends anytime soon.
The two best players in men’s tennis today, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, have a very different relationship…
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are ‘good friends’ off the court
During his post-US Open press conference, Sinner had this to say about his Spanish rival.
“I think we have a good friendship off the court. We see that this is possible, you know. It’s not like you have to be enemies also off the court,” he said.
Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images
“One thing is to be a good tennis player, the other one is to be a good person. Two different things. I think we have both a little bit.”
Alcaraz has spoken openly about the respect he has for Sinner over the years and sent him a heartfelt message when he won his first Grand Slam at the 2024 Australian Open.
“I am so happy for you, Jannik [Sinner],” he said.
“You deserve it more than anyone. Enjoy the moment, my friend.”
Unlike McEnroe and Connors, Sinner and Alcaraz have proven that rivals can maintain a friendship on and off the court.
However, whether their relationship can be maintained as they continue to fight for Grand Slam titles remains to be seen…