A former tennis troublemaker from a past generation has little time for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, with Jimmy Connors brazenly backing Novak Djokovic as the best of the once-iconic Big 3.
The 70-year-old original bad boy back in the day said that Federer and Nadal cannot compare to what he considers Djokovic’s fighting genius.
Connors told his own podcast: “Look at all the people that were on the Federer bandwagon and the Nadal bandwagon as the greatest of all time.
“They’re not even the greatest of all time in their own era.”
Connors went on to debunk any suggestion that Djokovic is past his sell-by date at age 36 just 10 days after he lost heavily to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
He has since withdrawn from the Toronto Masters next month ciring “exhaustion” and is off on a Mediterranean yachting holiday with his family.
Connors delivered his harsh message to the Djoko doubters: “It comes to a point where a lot of people think he’s had enough (of tennis). To me that’s bull***t.
“If I was in his place right now, I’d say, ‘play me until you kill me.’ Because there’s only one guy that’s doing it (beating him) right now, and that’s Alcaraz.”
“They (critics) think that maybe he’s had enough and it’s time for somebody else to come up.
“I look at it the other way, I say, ‘Kill it.’ Stay out there and play until somebody just comes up and beats your brains out because you always got a chance to win.”
Main photo:- Jimmy Connors plays Queens Championships London June 1987 Roger Parker Fotosports International
