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Wimbledon 2002
Wimbledon results Wimbledon news

 Classic Matches 

 Legends 

 Venue Guide 

1969 - 1st Round
Gonzales v Pasarell
1969 - Ladies Final
Jones v King
1977 - Men's Semi-final
Borg v Gerulaitis
1980 - Men's Final
Borg v McEnroe
1987 - Men's 4th Round
Connors v Pernfors
1993 - Women's Final
Graf v Novotna
1994 - Women's Final
Martinez v Navratilova
1995 - Women's Final
Graf v Vicario
1997 - Men's 3rd Round
Henman v Haarhuis
2000 - Men's Semi-final
Rafter v Agassi
2001 - Men's Final
Ivanisevic v Rafter

Jimmy Connors
Connors - king of the comebacks
1987 - Jimmy Connors (US) beat Mikael Pernfors (Swe)

Men's Singles Fourth Round



1-6, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2


If anyone needed proof that Jimmy Connors was the greatest fighter ever to step on to a tennis court, they need only look at this match.

At the age of 34, it looked as if time had finally run out on the two-times champion who had not won a tournament for four years. The Swede raced into a 6-1 6-1 4-1 lead as the light started to fade on Centre Court. If Connors needed an excuse to lose, he could have pointed to a leg injury. But he wasn't made like that.

Probably the first to employ the fist-clenching exhortations so common in today's stars, Connors never-say-die attitude came into full flow as he worked the crowd into frenzy. The tide turned and Perfors was swept away, Connors winning 18 of the last 25 games.

The Swede, whose other great claim to fame was that he was at the other end when John McEnroe was disqualified at the Australian Open, did not know what had hit him.

The American said afterwards: "My ego was hurt. I had to do something. So I decided to fight even harder."

Connors continued his swansong until the semi-finals, where he lost to eventual champion Pat Cash in straight sets.

He played another four Wimbledons, still causing the occasional upset. His last came in 1992 when he went out in the first round at the age of 39.

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