The Jimmy Connors Tennis Fantasy Experience

I had a chance to speak this afternoon with former No. 1 tennis player Jimmy Connors, who is self described as someone with “passion and fire and not afraid to show it.”

While it’s hard for Connors to match the competitiveness that he felt during his run at being the best tennis player in the world, he hasn’t lost his spirit for the game.

This weekend, tennis fans will get a chance to spend time with Connors, on the court and off, in the Tennis Fantasy Experience hosted by the Boca Raton Resort & Club.

Attendees will experience playing tennis with Connors, instruction from Connors and other tennis legends, networking and social events with Connors, among others in an action-packed and entertaining weekend package.

Before the event’s start this afternoon, Connors shared thoughts and feelings on his successful career and why he’s excited for this weekend’s event.

“It’s about the experience of playing tennis with fans,” Connors said. “I was down on the court and saw (the fans) up in the stands and didn’t know them. This is a chance to get to know some people who love this game like I do.”

There’s no denying the tennis landscape has changed. Connors recalls barely being able to get onto a court to play when he was younger. People around here are still filling up the courts, he said, but it’s an older crowd.

It’s been a long time since an American man has won a Grand Slam tournament—more than a decade. The last year with an American winner was 2003, when Andre Agassi won the Australian open and Andy Roddick won the US Open. Thanks to Serena Williams and Venus Williams, the American women have enjoyed a Grand Slam tournament victory in nine of the last 10 years.

“Everything is so structured now,” Connors said. “Kids show up at 3 for a lesson and are out of here by 4. When I was a kid, I was dropped off at the park and told ‘see you at 5 o’clock.’ You don’t see that anymore. There’s too much computers and video games.”

With respect for players of every era, it’s hard to single out any single decade and call it the “Golden Era.” Connors agrees that there was something special and fun about playing with wooden rackets and having an extra layer of strategy, since players of that era had to constantly change equipment.

But, “if I was playing in this era I’d think it was the greatest of all time,” Connors said, referring to the progress and advancements in the sport.

Before the action started, Connors gave a parting note about the importance of family and how it affected his upbringing, and the upbringing of his children.

“I started playing when I was so young. My mother and grandmother taught me. I wasn’t given tennis and told to go make millions because there wasn’t millions in it. I was given tennis to have something to work at and enjoy. Now, it’s a different story. It’s a different mindset now (with some parents). Some parents now look at the money (in tennis) and forget about the kid along the way. They push the kid too hard. My kids play tennis to a certain level, only because I wasn’t going to push them. It was more important to me to have a relationship with them instead of running them away,” he said.

This is the first year of the Jimmy Connors Tennis Fantasy Experience, and Connors hopes it can continue in years to come.