Tennis legend John McEnroe had a rather dramatic career on the court. During his time as a tennis player,  the 7-time Grand Slam champion, also known as “Superbrat,” had numerous outbursts. His rivalry with Jimmy Connors is widely considered to be one of the greatest of all time.

However, when we consider the past, we realize that not all rivalries resulted in friendships such as this one. Their competition was like seeing fire and ice compete against one another. One was really hostile, whereas the other was very composed. Almost a decade ago, Jimmy Connors was seen criticizing modern-age tennis and how the dynamics have changed.

Jimmy Connors on his rivalry with John McEnroe and the modern-age tennis

Jimmy Connors is often considered one of the most divisive public figures in the sport of tennis. Back in 2013, during an interview with ESPN, Connors spoke about the new-age friendships amongst the players. 

“The game now is what it is. I’ve been criticized for saying it, but the rivalries are soft. I can only compare it to what I did. To me, they were real, not only on the court but off the court, too.” he said.

READ MORE: ‘He Has Nothing To Do With New York. He’s B*llsh*tting Here’ – John McEnroe Says He Hated When People Cheered for Jimmy Connors in New York City

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He further went on to state that “I don’t see Mac [John McEnroe] coming up and putting his arm around me and consoling me. Maybe it’s because tennis has become such big business, that they’re all making their fair share. Back in my day, it was all about the winning.”

The other notable rivalries in tennis history 

The sport of tennis encourages legendary rivalries between players by providing them with multiple opportunities to play against each other. This, in turn, increases the pressure on players to perform at their very best. And one such rivalry that comes to mind is between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. 

Their rivalry will go down in history as the most famous of its kind. They’ve played each other 80 times, out of which Navratilova won 43 times.

READ MORE: “He Blew Me Off”: John McEnroe Was Totally Intimidated by Jimmy Connors in the Wimbledon 1977 Semifinals

And on the other hand, there is Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, whose battles have also been a treat for tennis fans. The Spaniard came out on top when these two players faced off in the quarterfinals of the French Open last time. However, the Serb has a 30-29 advantage in their head-to-head matchups.

WATCH THE STORY: When Billie Jean King slammed ‘superbrat’ John McEnroe over his controversial Serena Williams statement

Tennis fans around the world are counting on the next generation to keep up the exciting rivalries of the past.