From Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s rivalry, there is no denying that the racket game has come a long way. Even the American tennis veteran Jimmy Connors believes so, as he recently opened up about how tennis veterans have paved the path for tennis growth. However, as he hailed the yesteryear legends, the Hall of Famer also brutally lashed out at the younger generation on the men’s tour.

Saud Arabia’s partnership with the ATP Tour has become a huge talking point for everyone in the tennis community. Talking about the whopping deal, Connors recently heaped praise on the former tennis pros that many young people may be unaware of, according to his candid assertions.

In the latest episode of the ‘Advantage Connors’ podcast show, the 8-time singles Grand Slam champion opened up about how the growth of tennis started a long time ago, even before the period he arrived on the tour. Connors said, “I came in 72, 82, 92, 102, 12, so how long has it been to take it to this point? Fifty, right? There you go. If you got the time, and you got the patience. You know, the guys who made it, made all this happen. You know, way before me. It started a way long time ago, way before Sampras, way before…”

As the yesteryear legends carved out a remarkable legacy, the American tennis veteran asserted that the baton was eventually passed to him and Pete Sampras. He said, “This is been going on and growing for a long time, and you know the history of this game, and what the players went through to keep this party going. You know, that’s the only way I can say it, You know what they did, you know, to hand it off to me, hand it off to Sampras.”

While calling it a ‘pretty amazing story,’ the former world No. 1 player claimed that the younger generation on the men’s tour is not even aware of these tennis veterans.

“I think these guys don’t know….”- Connors takes a harsh jab at the young tennis stars

During the honest conversation, the Hall of Famer mentioned the likes of Bobby Riggs and Tony Trabert while asserting that the younger generation might be unaware of these yesteryear legends. He said, “It is a pretty amazing story if you wanna sit down and try to understand what it’s meant, you know, for these guys to get to this point. And to be honest with you, I think these guys don’t know who the F**k anybody is.”

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Connors added, “I hate to say that, you know, but I wonder If you come up with, let’s say, you know who Bobby Riggs is, you know who Tony Trabert is, do you think they know? That’s an interesting story.”

What do you think of the American tennis veteran lashing out at the younger generation on the tour? Let us know in the comments section.

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