"Money changes everything... You go out and play until you're dead back in the old days" - Jimmy Connors on how tennis has changed over the years

Former American tennis player Jimmy Connors recently listed out a few changes that he believes tennis has gone through since the old days.

Connors started his tennis career as a professional in the year 1972. He won numerous titles, including eight Grand Slams, before calling it a day in 1996. He remained the World No. 1 male player for a staggering 268 weeks.

After his retirement, he also enjoyed coaching the likes of Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and Eugenie Bouchard. Currently, he is the co-host of the Advantage Connors podcast alongside his son Brett.

During a recent episode of the podcast, the American weighed in on how the dynamics of tennis have changed as a sport. He specifically highlighted the role of money in inducing major changes in the behavior of a player, saying:

"Money changes everything, [it] changes the attitude and guys now before they even go out and win a tournament, they’re making big contracts already. That changes everything, that changes your attitude, sometimes good, sometimes bad. It might make you a more friendly guy if that’s your cause."

Connors fondly recalled the time when he got into trouble for speaking his heart out about the hardships he faced as a tennis player in the late 20th century.

"I made a comment one time, I said, ‘I go out there, they’re trying to take the food out of my kid’s mouth’ and I got criticized for that but I wasn’t fully wrong," he said.

"You go out and play until you’re dead back in the old days. That’s the way I thought about it anyway which is kind of my legacy which I like," Connors added.

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Jimmy Connors: "Tennis is a lot more of a celebration than probably it was back in my day"

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Jimmy Connors further added that a player's attitude towards his/her peers has also changed over the years. He suggested that proceedings on the court are more cordial in today's times as compared to the classic days. He said:

"I think a lot of things have changed since my day. The handshake… you know the way you treat a win. Before, you’d pack your bag up and walk off, that was it. There was no bow and going through all that, at least from my standpoint. But back then it was quicker, you shake and bake."

The 71-year-old concluded that the sport has transitioned into a celebratory activity with add-ons to a player's duties like inscribing autographs and other things.

"Now it seems like more of ‘Take your time! Sign the TV screen! Sign this!’. It [tennis] is a lot more of a celebration than probably it was back in my day," Connors said.