Connors vs. McEnroe — One of Tennis's Most Contentious Rivalries

Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe played 34 official matches between 1977 and 1991. McEnroe won the series 20-14 — but the scoreline was never really the point. This is remembered as one of the most genuinely contentious rivalries tennis has produced, between two of the sport's most combative on-court personalities.

Two finals, two opposite outcomes

Connors won their 1982 Wimbledon final in five sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 — a match that went the distance both in games and in tension. Two years later, McEnroe reversed it completely, dismantling Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in the 1984 Wimbledon final — one of the most lopsided Grand Slam finals either man ever played, against each other or anyone else.

Split by surface, split by temperament

Connors held the edge on grass, 4-3. McEnroe dominated hard courts, 6-3, and indoor matches even more decisively, 10-4. Both men reached world No. 1. Connors finished his career with 8 Grand Slam singles titles; McEnroe finished with 7.

A mark that stuck

Decades later, Connors reflected on the rivalry without much softening: "Something like that never goes away, especially between Mac and myself." He added that the length and intensity of their competition proved they'd "made our mark somewhere." Neither man needed to explain what that meant.