Jimmy Connors is one of the most iconic figures in tennis. An eight-time Grand Slam champion with a career spanning decades, his legacy is unmatched. He dominated the sport with 109 singles titles, a record still unbeaten, and 8 major titles. However, Connors’ stories extend far beyond the court, and during a recent podcast with his son, Brett Connors, he opened up about a chaotic yet humorous moment that perfectly encapsulates his colorful career—and his life as a father.

Brett Connors is a producer for Tennis Channel and has worked in live tennis production for 14 years. On their ‘Advantage Connors’ podcast the father-son duo discuss all things tennis and more. In a recent edition of their podcast on December 14, Jimmy Connors recalled an incident when he played Boris Becker in Germany. He recounted, “You had to be 7, 6, 8 years old, and you were traveling with me. And we went to Germany to play against Becker. We flew overnight. We had one day, and then the next day, I mean, you know, the jet lag got you. You were in a coma.”

Talking about what happened next, Jimmy Connors said, “And we go to the match, and I see you, and I said, Don’t go away. You stay right here. And the next thing you know, after about the first four or five games, you’re nowhere to be seen. Nobody can find you. So I go to Ian Tyriac, who was from Romania, who put on the event, who was a great player along with our friend Ili Nastassi. I said I can’t find my son. I said this match is going to end in about one second if I can’t find him.”

And where was Brett found? “So the whole arena is looking for you. And you were under the bench where I was sitting, sound asleep. Passed out, sound asleep. I’m going, hey, you are right under there,” Jimmy added.

Though the match in question was an exhibition, Connors and Becker’s on-court rivalry was anything but light-hearted. The two clashed in high-stakes matches throughout the 1980s and on a total of 6 occasions that they went head to head, Becker won all encounters, giving him a perfect record of 6-0 against Connors. While Connors had more notable rivalries with players like John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl, his encounters with Becker highlighted the generational shift in tennis.

Talking about his rivalry with Ivan Lendl, there is an interesting incident where the American veteran’s hot temper got him in trouble against Lendl.

Did you know Jimmy Connors was shockingly defaulted against Ivan Lendl?

On February 21, 1986, the tennis world witnessed one of the most dramatic moments in the sport’s history. Jimmy Connors, known for his fiery temperament and competitiveness, got defaulted during a match against Ivan Lendl in the semifinals of the Lipton International Players Championships (now the Miami Open).

The incident occurred after Connors, trailing 6-3, 3-1, got into a heated dispute with chair umpire Jeremy Shales over a call. It happened when the ex-American tennis player thought that the Czech’s volley was at least six inches out. Frustrated, Connors hurled profanities and refused to continue the match, despite warnings. He refused to resume the match for which he received a point penalty for a time violation that put Lendl 4-2 in front.

This caused the supervisor of officials Ken Farrar and the tournament referee Alan Mills to appear on the court and convince the 8-time U.S. Open victor to continue playing. After 3  hours and 43 minutes the officials had no choice but to default him, awarding the match to Lendl.

Interestingly, this was his career’s first default. He was fined $5,000 for not completing the match and was handed a ten-week suspension, missing all the tournaments in April and May before returning at Wimbledon. The Connors- Lendl rivalry only grew from there with their career head-to-head stat being 22-13 with Connor’s leading behind.

Connors’ stories remind us why he remains one of tennis’ most unforgettable personalities. Whether on the court or off it, his legacy continues to captivate generations even today.