Jimmy's Story

James Scott (“Jimmy”) Connors is an icon. You and I know him as a legendary tennis player, a fiery and passionate competitor, often the underdog, who fought opponents such as Björn Borg and John McEnroe vigorously. Never giving up, and frequently finding himself standing tall at the top of the tennis charts, Jimmy won more tournaments than any other male player in history, holding a record 109 men’s singles titles. Jimmy won the Australian Open, two Wimbledons, and five US Open tournament titles and also holds the record for the longest streak at the top of the men’s singles’ rankings, ranking No. 1 for five consecutive years.

And, even at age 39, Jimmy was fiercely in the hunt for yet another US Open title. You may remember the spectacular season of 1991 which holds some of Jimmy’s finest moments in the sport, as he battled hard and left everything he had on the court, under the lights, in Flushing. Unfortunately, Jimmy’s career on the main tour had come to an end.

Not wishing to remain idle, Jimmy immediately joined the senior’s tour and kept playing until the age of 47. Now, at the age of 54, it was impossible for him not to notice that his body was beginning to betray him. He wondered if he hadn’t pushed it beyond its limits with all the years of aggressive play.

At first the pain started small. As a professional athlete, dealing with at least a little pain had been a part of his life for quite a while. It was easy for Jimmy to assume that it was his back that was troubling him and he could easily write it off as an irritation, an annoyance. If he could just get someone to attend to it through massage, or through work-outs, the pain would go away and everything would be fine.

Slowly the pain began to chip away at his life, robbing him of his active lifestyle, until tennis and golf were no longer possible. Running with his dogs was an impossibility. Even the most basic of daily activities, such as climbing stairs and driving his car, became unbearable.

Eventually the pain was all-consuming, until the Jimmy Connors that you and I are used to seeing rifling cross-court winners and jumping tennis nets … could barely walk, even with a cane. Jimmy could no longer ignore the problem and as he researched a solution with his doctors, it became clear that he had to face the facts. He needed a hip replacement.