US Men’s Clay Court Champions

The US Men’s Clay Court Championships has been well supported by some of the biggest names in the game. Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier and Mats Wilander have all been regular contenders over the years. We have selected two players who, in their careers, have stunned the world of tennis with their skill and prowess. Both these players have lifted the US Men’s Clay Court Championship on more than one occasion.

Jimmy Connors

American Jimmy Connors was a household name in the 1970s and 80s. He loved playing to the crowds and was often involved in fierce arguments with the umpire or linesmen. His boorish behaviour earned him the nickname “Brash Basher of Belleville”.

With all his antics aside, he was one of the most remarkable US Men’s Clay Court champions, and enjoyed a professional career of 26 years. He won eight Grand Slam titles and was the number one player in the world for an incredible 160 consecutive weeks! He raised the ire of the facilitators of the ATP when he refused point blank to join the newly formed ATP Tour. Instead, he played in and dominated a series of far smaller tournaments organised by manager, Bill Riordan.

Connors was a worthy adversary to all past and future champions. Early in his career he caused waves by taking on and beating the likes of Ken Rosewall, Roscoe Tanner, Guillermo Vilas and Arthur Ashe. In the 1980s when Connors was already in his thirties, he defeated the next generation of tennis stars - John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Andre Agassi and Michael Chang.

Jimmy Connors won the US Men’s Clay Court Championships on four occasions, and was runner-up twice - and this was not on his preferred surface!

Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi, like Jimmy Connors, will be remembered as one of the most successful professional tennis players of all time. Many gurus of the game have named Agassi in the top four, together with Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg and the current number one, Roger Federer.

In his career he picked up eight Grand Slam singles titles, an Olympic gold medal at the 1996 games in Atlanta, 17 ATP Masters Series Tournaments and the Tennis Masters Cup.

What made him all the more remarkable is that he pulled off a major comeback to pro tennis in 1998 after his failed marriage to Brooke Shields. His game had been badly affected by both injury and intense media speculation over his private life. Agassi proved his resurgence by taking his second US Men’s Clay Court Championship in 2003, 14 years after his first success at the event!

Andre Agassi’s career coups:

In his second year as a professional he was ranked no.3 behind Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander.
He surpassed $2 million in prize money in year two, having played in only 43 tournaments.
In 1994 he became the first man to win the US Open as an unseeded player.
He joined the ranks of Rod Laver, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson and Don Budge by winning all four Grand Slam titles.
He made history when he won all four Grand Slams on three different surfaces - clay, grass and hard courts.
He is the only one of the US Men’s Clay Court tennis champions to have been ranked in the world top 10 in three different decades.

Why not check out the top contenders of the current US Men’s Clay Court Championship to be held at River Oaks Country Club in Houston in April 2008.

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