"At this point in time, I can’t fight 20,000 people anymore"- When Jimmy Connors commented on being applauded by crowd after US 1991 SF exit

Jimmy Connors' last appearance at a Grand Slam semifinal came at the 1991 US Open.

Connors entered the tournament as a wildcard and went all the way to the final four after wins over Patrick McEnroe, Michiel Schapers, Karel Novacek, Aaron Krickstein and Paul Haarhuis.

Here, he was up against fourth seed Jim Courier, who went on to beat him 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 to reach his second Grand Slam final.

After the match, Connors was applauded by the New York crowd as he left the court. The American said afterwards that while he loved the crowd being against him, he loved it even more when they supported him since he couldn't "fight 20,000 people" anymore.

"When they were against me, I loved it. And when they are with me, I love it even more. At this point in time, I can’t fight 20,000 people anymore. So for them to be on my team and to push me through a couple of matches like they did the past 12 days, has been unbelievable," Jimmy Connors said.

“You know, I go out there and give it my best, which I have been trying to do for whole career, and they like that. They like the blood dripping and the falling and the stumbling and the showing them how you really feel. My whole career, I wasn’t afraid to show them that," he added.

The 1991 US Open semifinal was the very first meeting between Jimmy Connors and Jim Courier. The two locked horns another couple of times, with Courier coming out on top on each occasion, thus securing a 3-0 head-to-head lead over the eight-time Grand Slam singles champion.

Jimmy Connors won five US Open singles titles throughout his career

Jimmy Connors at the 2012 US Open

Jimmy Connors won the men's singles event at the US Open five times, which is an Open Era record he holds with Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.

The American's first title at the New York Major came in 1974, when he thrashed Ken Rosewall 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 in the final. He then triumphed in 1976, beating Bjorn Borg 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(9), 6-4 in the title clash. Connors beat the Swede again (6-4, 6-2, 6-2) to win his third US Open title in 1978.

His fourth triumph at the New York Major came in 1982 when he defeated Ivan Lendl 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the title clash.He successfully defended his title in 1983 by beating the then-Czech in the final once again.

Jimmy Connors also won the men's doubles title at the New York Major in 1975 with Ilie Nastase as his partner.