"I knew he simply didn't want to give me the satisfaction of beating him" - When John McEnroe opened up on his first win over Jimmy Connors

John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors forged one of the fiercest rivalries in tennis history during the 1970s and 1980s.

McEnroe lost the first four encounters against his compatriot before finally getting a win at the 1978 Masters, which took place at Madison Square Garden, New York. He was adjudged the winner after Connors was forced to retire due to a bleeding callus on his foot.

John McEnroe wrote about the match in his book 'You Cannot be Serious'. He suggested that Connors may have retired because he did not want to give him the satisfaction of defeating his big rival.

"I went to the Masters, at Madison Square Garden, and beat Connors for the first time, although he didn’t finish the match. I was up 7–5, 3–0, and he retired, claiming a bleeding callus on his foot. He did have a blister, but I still felt gypped: I knew he simply didn’t want to give me the satisfaction of beating him," McEnroe wrote.

McEnroe also claimed that Connors did not like the fact that he was rising up the ranks. He stated that defeating him was a "big deal," especially in front of his hometown crowd in Madison Square Garden, who went wild.

"I’m sure Jimmy didn’t like the fact that I was coming on. In retrospect, I can’t say I blame him. My beating him was a big deal, and in those days, the Masters was a huge event: Only the top eight singles players in the world, and the top four doubles teams, could play," John McEnroe wrote.

"The crowds in the Garden were amazing — there was all the electricity of a championship boxing match. I was really excited to have beaten Connors in front of my hometown crowd, in Madison Square Garden: On my way off the court after the match, I raised my arms in victory, and the crowd went wild," he added.

John McEnroe won 20 out of 34 matches against Jimmy Connors

John McEnroe at the 2021 Laver Cup

Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe locked horns on 34 occasions, with the latter leading 20-14 in the head-to-head. Connors came out on top in the first four meetings between the two before McEnroe began dominating the rivalry.

15 out of their 24 matches between 1980-1991 came in finals. However, they only met in two Major finals, both coming at Wimbledon. Connors came out on top 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 in 1982 while McEnroe won the 1984 final 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.

The last meeting between the two came in the semifinals of the 1991 Swiss Indoors in Basel, where McEnroe won 6-1, 6-3.