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Connors conspiracy Your Take: Who should have made the Top Eight
Posted: Sunday June 27, 1999 12:58 PM
CNN/SI asked users to tell us who we left off the Top Eight list for the Century's Best tennis players. An overwhelming number of you raised your voice to protest the exclusion of Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl. This wasn't a move designed to irk folks or create controversy, it was simply a close call. Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim actually ranked both Connors and Lendl in a tie for 10th spot on his list. Here's a sampling of your responses... Jimmy Connors is probably the greatest player of all time. He won well over 100 tournaments, far more than anyone else, on all surfaces -- hard, clay, and grass. Furthermore, his enthusiasm for the sport is unmatched. He is the "Arnold Palmer" of tennis, popularizing his sport in America and worldwide. Like Palmer, Jimmy Connors is the "people's choice." -- Chet Levine, Potomac, MD Ivan Lendl should be there. After all, he was No. 1 for 270 weeks, the most in men's tennis. He won three French Opens, three U.S. Opens and two Australian Opens. He just hasn't got the media attention like John McEnroe, Bjorn Bjorg, etc. -- Balu Sastry, Los Angeles, CA
Arthur Ashe changed the face of tennis forever and his battles off court will keep him forever in our hearts. -- Heather, Mequon, WI Jimmy Connors deserves to be listed every bit as much as Borg or McEnroe, five U.S. Open Titles, Wimbledon and years as the No. 1 player in the world. He dominated world tennis for a decade and still continues to play at high level on the Senior Tour (beating McEnroe and Borg). -- Sam Weber, Salt Lake City, UT Ivan Lendl, definitely should be on this lest. He was undoubtedly the dominant player of his era. His ruthless efficiency was unmatched in the sport, and his style and determination ushered in a new era in tennis. -- David Edery, Toronto, Canada I think Andre Agassi should be included in the Top Eight tennis players in the history of the game. My reason is that Andre Agassi has proven to all that old soldiers never die. And that was proven when he won the French Open early this year and claimed a place in tennis history as one of the few to win all four grandslam titles. This great achievement cannot be claimed by the likes of Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg. -- Widmark Busano, Dumaguete City, Philippines I know this may seem a little biased, as they are both from my era, but where is Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg. These two were grass gods! If not for the other, both would have an unreal amount of Wimbledon Championships. Even today, the only reason "Boom Boom" won't win is cause Sampras is the true grass god. -- Ryan May, Vancouver, British Columbia Don Budge, first person to win the Grand Slam. He dominated tennis in the 1930's. What more can be said! -- Kirk Burgess, Wichita, KS Andre Agassi: the only man to ever win each of the Grand Slam events and the Olympic gold medal! -- Paul Kelman, Atlanta, GA Ivan Lendl was a robot, but you have to admit the guy could play. He won the French five times I think and the U.S. Open and Australia a few times. The only thing Lendl didn't win was Wimbledon and I think that is the main reason people don't put him in that Pete Sampras category. But, Sampras has never won the French which is by far the toughest major to win, so shouldn't that be held against him the same way no Wimbledon title is held against Lendl. Also, I think Boris Becker and Jimmy Connors deserve some consideration. Becker won Wimbledon I think 3 times, and he won the U.S. Open and Australia. Jimmy Connors definitely deserves some consideration. I never saw Fred Perry or Roy Emerson play, but I would question them over at least Lendl and Connors. -- Sean Claycamp, Overland Park, KS I'm sorry, but no Jimmy Connors, then no vote from me. No more participation in the rest of your Century's Best feature. How could you leave him out of the Top Eight? You must be doing this on purpose in an attempt to create controversy, but this is too obvious. -- William Farley, Cincinnati, OH I believe the consistently high level on all surfaces, combined with the incredible longevity, of Ken Rosewall puts him ahead of Roy Emerson and possibly Pancho Gonzales on the list of the Top Eight best tennis players. The fact that Rosewall was playing at age 39 against Jimmy Connors for the U.S. Open Championship long after contemporaries his like Laver and Emerson had hung 'em up is a tribute to his durability and innate skill. Think of today's tennis landcape and try to imagine a 39-year-old playing in the finals of a Grand Slam. No way. Rosewall was a freak of nature (he also had the prettiest one-handed backhand stroke the game has ever seen) and as such deserves a spot in the Top Eight. -- Randy Snow, Las Vegas, NV Jimmy Connors should be included. He was one of the first to raise the hype of the game to a more exciting level similar to what Muhammad Ali did in boxing. His super aggressive style of competing, two handed back-hands and the "grunt" after every stroke were famous if not firsts -- and I'm sure he influenced thousands of tennis players to imitate if not adopt some of his styles and level of play -- Jun Madrid, Manila, Philippines Ivan Lendl belongs to this category too. Agreed he never won Wimbledon but his record there is an impressive one. His 150 weeks as No. 1 is worthy of recognition too. He wasn't dashing but consistency should also be recognized. -- Sraboni Ghose, Cuttack
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