"They kept me out of the French Open, so come on Messi" - Jimmy Connors picks his favorite for FIFA World Cup final between France and Argentina

Jimmy Connors has picked his favorite between France and Argentina to win the FIFA World Cup title on Sunday. The eight-time Grand Slam singles champion jokingly took a dig at France, stating that he will root for Lionel Messi's Argentina side to win the title only because the French Open once denied him a chance to win the Calendar Grand Slam.

Jimmy Connors was banned from playing at the 1974 French Open, a year in which he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

The American legend said that he would have normally picked France as his favorite to win their second consecutive FIFA World Cup title on Sunday, but his French Open snub back in the day meant his loyalties were with Messi and Argentina.

"I would say I'd be rooting for the French but they kept me out of the French (Open) to win the Grand Slam, so come on Messi," Jimmy Connors said with a chuckle during a chat with his son Brett on the Advantage Connors podcast.

In 1974, Connors was banned from playing at Roland Garros as he had signed up to play in World Team Tennis. The ATP and French Open officials were at loggerheads with World Team Tennis and thus banned all players who played in the tournament from playing in the Paris Major. Had Connors played and won the 1974 French Open, he would have completed the Calendar Grand Slam after winning the US Open.

Jimmy Connors wants Argentina to win the World Cup for the sake of Juan Martin del Potro

Juan Martin del Potro at the Fever-Tree Championships.

During Argentina's nervy World Cup quarterfinal against the Netherlands, a video of Argentine tennis great Juan Martin del Potro did the rounds on social media in which the 2009 US Open champion was extremely tense during the penalty shootout but was thrilled after his national team edged the crucial match.

Brett Connors reminisced about the same before Jimmy Connors chimed in and suggested that he would like for Argentina to win the FIFA World Cup for Del Potro's sake. Connors also expressed his admiration for Del Potro, saying he has "always been a fan" of the former Argentine player.

"That wouldn't be bad (Argentina winning the World Cup for Del Potro)...With everything that he's been through, with his injuries, trying to come back, and to get back to the world stage and everything, I was always a fan of his...I miss him, I hope his life is going well, take care and Merry Christmas to him," Connors said of Del Potro.

Connors, who still holds the record for most titles won on the men's tour (109) in the Open Era, has been closely following the World Cup and earlier expressed his pride in the US Men's National Soccer Team (USMNT) for qualifying for the Round of 16.