You might have heard about the ‘Battle of Sexes’ but have you heard about the infamous ‘Battle of the Champions’ clash? The fixture that took place in 1992 was the final episode of the battle that was started by Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. But now, 31 years after Jimmy Connors’ face-off with Martina Navratilova, he looked back to the day and talked about the epic encounter where he found himself in a palpable anxious situation.

Even though the 8-time Grand Slam champion won the match, he revealed that he was quite serious about the match. Along with that, he also talked about how Bobby Riggs’ defeat created a lot of pressure and nervousness in him at the same time.

Jimmy Connors revisits his clash with Martina Navratilova 

After witnessing Riggs lose the famous battle against Billie Jean King, the men’s tennis side had high expectations from Connors, who played the last round of the Battle of Sexes. Although he won the match, winning was not that easy. In a recent podcast episode of ‘Advantages Connors’, he revisited the day when he was filled with anxiety, as a lot was at stake from his side.

He said, “But Riggs was there. And I was down 3-1 in the first set. And he was up, you know, doing some TV up there. And, also, there’s some noise up there. And Riggs got so nervous that I was down three, one; he almost passed out, you know? And I’m saying, Well, what? Wait a minute; don’t be putting that pressure on me. You already screwed it all up. It’ll be fine.” 

Subsequently, he also addressed how interesting the face-off was, being the second clash after King defeated Riggs. But at the same time, he revealed how, during the first set, there was a situation when Riggs almost passed out, creating a lot of pressure at the beginning of the match.

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In addition, he revealed how he was not nervous before the match, but as things started to heat up, he took the match quite seriously and finally won the match. Nevertheless, last year, in a candid interview, the 59-time Grand Slam champion who was fighting from the other side of the battle shared how somewhere down the line she was also shared during the match.

When Martina Navratilova shared her similar feeling 

While Navratilova was not an easy opponent, the clash was also tough for her. She said, “I’m glad it’s over. I was more nervous than for any match I’ve ever played. 14,000 people and a pay-per-view audience.” As of 1992, she was someone who has won 31 Grand Slam titles in doubles and six mixed doubles as well.

In addition, she also created a record by winning six consecutive major titles between Wimbledon in 1983 and the US Open in 1984. But apparently, she has never experienced the anxiety she faced during the Battle of the Champions clash. She listed how the audience made her more nervous and anxious at the same time.

Nevertheless, what do you think about the clash? Post your comments in the space provided below.

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