Jimmy Connors

During the mid-1970s, no one ruled tennis more than Jimmy Connors. Connors had a stunning 99-4 record in 1974, winning all three Grand Slam events he contested. He also became just the second tennis player in Open Era history to earn three Grand Slams just in one single year, despite being refused admittance to the French Open owing to his affiliation with World League Tennis. He proceeded to win 8 Grand Slam singles championships (five at the US Open, two at Wimbledon, and one at the Australian Open), as well as two Grand Slam doubles wins.

Connors still retains the ATP Open Era records for most total matches (1557), most championships (109), and most matches wins (1274) in 1974. Additionally, the guy maintained the world no. 1 position for 160 consecutive weeks between 1974 and 1977, and led the ATP rankings for a combined 268 weeks during his 24-year career.

In 1974, Jimmy Connors was barred from the French Open owing to his connection with World League Tennis, preventing him from completing a probable Grand Slam sweep. Despite his 1970s peak, Connors retired in 1996 after a lengthy and excellent tennis career.

Date of birth: 2 September, 1952

Career Titles: 147

Prize Money: ~$8.6M