The Connors–Lendl rivalry was a tennis rivalry between

Jimmy Connors James Scott Connors (born September 2, 1952) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 2 ...

and

Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl (; born March 7, 1960) is a Czech-American former professional tennis player and coach. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, he was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis ...

. They met 35 times, with the head-to-head finishing at 22–13, favoring Lendl. Their rivalry transitioned significantly over time: Connors (who is 7 and a half years older than Lendl) won their first 8 matches, while Lendl won the last 17. Lendl and Connors were both world No. 1s and

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

champions, with each winning eight major titles. At the majors they met seven times, with Lendl winning the final four meetings and Connors winning the first three. The rivalry between the two, as well as their rivalries with fellow player

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ...

, have been described as "spikey." The rivalry was first noted in the 1982 US Open final when Connors dared Lendl to drive the ball past him. Connors subsequently won the final in four sets. In a rematch in 1983, Connors was rushed to the locker room late in the second set before coming back out to defeat Lendl once again in four sets. The final match between the two was also at the

US Open U.S. Open or US Open are open championship sporting tournaments that are hosted in the United States and in which anyone, especially amateur and professional, or American and non-American, may compete. The term may also be applied to non-sporting ev ...

, in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, where Connors led for a set and a half before falling to his 17th defeat in 8 years to Lendl.

Head-to-head

Official matches (35)

Connors 13 – Lendl 22 *Note: The ABD 1984 Rotterdam final with Lendl leading 6-0, 1-0, was abandoned due to a bomb scare. There was no result.

Head-to-head breakdown

* All matches: (35) Lendl 22–13 * All finals: (7)* Connors 4–2, *(1 No Result) **

Grand Slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

matches: Lendl 4–3 ** Grand Slam finals: Connors 2–0 ** Masters matches: Lendl 4–1 ** WCT Finals matches: tied 1–1 ** Clay court matches: tied 2–2 ** Grass court matches: Connors 2–0 ** Hard court matches: Lendl 14–5 ** Indoor carpet matches: Lendl 6–4

Other matches

Invitational matches

Connors–Lendl (3–8)

ATP rankings

Note: Connors was active in 1970–1972, but the

ATP rankings The PIF ATP Rankings (previously known as the Pepperstone ATP Rankings) are the merit-based method used by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for determining the qualification for entry as well as the seeding of players in all single ...

started in 1973.

Year-end ranking timeline

ATP Year-end ranking timeline by age

Age at end of season

References

External links

ATP Connors vs Lendl Head to Head
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connors-Lendl Rivalry Jimmy Connors Tennis rivalries Sports rivalries in the United States