May 28, 1980: The day Connors defeated the Parisians after winning two sets to one against a Frenchman…
This day, May 28, 1980, saw the French public turn against local player Jean-Francois Caujolle, then ranked 76th in the world, when he squandered a two-sets-to-love and 5-2 lead against world No. 3 Jimmy Connors at Roland-Garros. For Caujolle, the match remained an enormous letdown; he was loudly jeered by the spectators and ultimately eliminated from the tournament with scores of 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, and 6-1. The loss is also well-known in tennis history as an illustration of how erratic the Parisian public could be, even when it came to its own players.
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Born in 1952, Jimmy Connors was one of the best tennis players of his time. One of the first players to hit the ball flat off both wings, mostly from the baseline, was Connors, who was coached by his mother Gloria. Future generations of tennis players would be greatly influenced by Connors’ game as he made contact on the rise, taking time away from his opponents. In 1972, “Jimbo” went pro, and by 1974, he was the world’s top player. Connors really won all three of the Grand Slams that year, despite being barred from Roland-Garros by an ongoing lawsuit with the ATP.
In spite of the diversion, Connors ruled the game in those years. From 1974 to 1977, he held the top rank in the ATP Rankings for an unprecedented 160 weeks in a row. On August 23, 1977, Connors relinquished his crown to Bjorn Borg for a mere week. However, he promptly regained it and held it for a another 84 weeks, until the spring of 1979. He won five Grand Slam championships in this time span, including the US Open (1974, 1976, 1978), Wimbledon (1974), and Australian Open (1974).
When it came to his performances from 1979 until his appearance at Roland-Garros in 1980, Connors had fallen short of his best. Despite his lack of Grand Slam success since winning the US Open in 1978, he remained ranked third in the world.
