The world of tennis has spread its effect among people from all across the globe. People from different nationalities enjoy watching the game and picking sides consisting of either their favorite tennis icon or their countrymen. Besides a strong fanbase around the world, the appeal of this sport appears to be diminishing in the United States over the years. With this, fans of the sport in the country still have hope in the form of an unlikely name: The yesteryear star of America, Jimmy Connors.

The US, a nation where sports like baseball and basketball take up the major attention, tennis, in recent years, has been reserved the backseat. The question that arises from the overall situation is: will tennis be able to regain its lost popularity among Americans? Tennis legend Jimmy Connors, a name that took the country’s name to unparalleled heights during his prime, appears to be a factor that the game misses now.

The era of tennis led by Jimmy Connors

Tennis as a sport has been facing a drowning presence in America during the last few years. While players like Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe still prove to keep up the nation’s participation in the sport, the era of legends like Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe back in the 1970s and 80s was remarkable. The current scenario of tennis in America, according to tennis journalist Joel Drucker, is the impact of what legends like Jimmy Connors created.

Joel Drucker, known for his excellent knowledge of the game and his love for the legend Jimmy Connors, talked about the American tennis surge era in the latest episode of the Tennis Channel Inside-in podcast. As the famous journalist talked about the 1970s era, he mentioned, “Everything we want tennis to be now has its roots in Jimmy Connors, with his emotions, with his connection to the crowd, with his passion”. 

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His praise for veteran players didn’t just stop there. He also added, “That was the first time I saw that tennis matches aren’t just about hitting balls better, it’s personal”. The words from him highlighted the strong impact made by legendary American tennis players. While the journalist talked about many other players, his obsession with Connors has always been incomparable.

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Joel Drucker’s connection with Connors

Joel Drucker’s words of praise for the 71-year-old legend are not exclusive to this particular podcast. The journalist has also written a book titled “Jimmy Connors Saved My Life”, which is a biography of the 71-year-old American tennis legend. The podcast was just another medium through which Drucker presented his thoughts on how Connors was responsible for initiating the big era of tennis in America.

As Joel’s comments highlighted the impact of players like Jimmy on the image of tennis in the nation, young aspirants of the sport would surely look up to these legendary careers to gain motivation and a dream to change the game again.

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