"If somebody passes me, you better be pretty freaking good": Jimmy Connors honest on Novak Djokovic breaking long standing record
ATP
Novak Djokovic can't eclipse Jimmy Connors yet, but is seemingly on the road to doing so before the end of his career in terms of titles won and the 71-year-old tennis legend would welcome it, he admitted earlier this week.
Djokovic currently sits on 97 after winning the Paris Masters, but will now have his sights set on reaching 109 which is the mark set by Connors. Albeit the Serbian would likely have to play a few more seasons.
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This due to his smaller schedule compared to most of the rest of the ATP tour albeit usually when he does turn up to play, it usually results in victory.
Speaking on his podcast Advantage Connors, he believes in the adage that as long as they are good, records and especially long standing ones are there to be broken.
"I've had a good run. I don't know what it is, the number, you know, 109 has stood. And if somebody's going to come up and beat that, God damn, good luck to him! Sometimes being in the finals ain't a bad thing. I finished a long time ago, 35 years ago with 109, it has stood a long time and if somebody passes me, you better be pretty freaking good, you know? And if that happens, on you go," Connors said on the Advantage Connors podcast.
"I'm a Djoker fan. I am because I like the way he plays, he takes the ball early, he's kind of an old-schooler. The way he plays and gets in there and tries to be aggressive on their returns and move forward and so forth. I like that because he's an old-schooler.
And for him, go far it. If you play another two or three years or whatever and bypass me. Do I like the record? Yeah, but records are made to be broken, right? And if somebody comes up and does it, go for it. Good on you,"
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Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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