John McEnroe beat Jimmy Connors 6-2, 6-3 in the Canadian Open semi-final, 1985 on hard court in Montreal
McEnroe was the defending champion and would go onto beat Ivan Lendl in the final. Connors was ranked 4th at the time
McEnroe won 62 points, Connors 39
McEnroe serve-volleyed off all but 1 first serve and occasionally off seconds
Serve Stats
McEnroe...
- 1st serve percentage (29/52) 56%
- 1st serve points won (26/29) 90%
- 2nd serve points won (13/23) 57%
- Aces 13 (2 second serves)
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (21/52) 40%
Connors...
- 1st serve percentage (39/49) 80%
- 1st serve points won (20/39) 51%
- 2nd serve points won (6/10) 60%
- Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (10/49) 20%
Serve Patterns
McEnroe served...
- to FH 25%
- to BH 67%
- to Body 8%
Connors served...
- to FH 55%
- to BH 36%
- to Body 9%
Return Stats
McEnroe made...
- 38 (22 FH, 15 BH, 1 ??), including 1 runaround FH & 2 return-approaches
- 9 Errors, comprising...
- 5 Unforced (2 FH, 3 BH), including 4 return-approach attempts
- 4 Forced (3 FH, 1 BH)
- Return Rate (38/48) 79%
Connors made...
- 31 (7 FH, 24 BH), including 1 runaround BH
- 8 Errors, comprising...
- 1 Unforced (1 BH)
- 7 Forced (2 FH, 5 BH)
- Return Rate (31/52) 60%
Break Points
McEnroe 3/4 (4 games)
Connors 0/1
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
McEnroe 8 (3 FH, 1 BH, 2 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 OH)
Connors 7 (4 FH, 1 FHV, 2 BHV)
McEnroe had 2 first volleys from serve-volley points (1 FHV, 1 BHV), the FHV was a stop
- the other FHV came from a return-approach point. The OH can reasonably be called a FHV
- 2 FH cc passes (1 at net), 1 FH dtl and 1 BH dtl
Connors' FHs - 3 passes (1 cc, 1 dtl, 1 inside-out) and 1 non-pass cc
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
McEnroe 22
- 11 Unforced (4 FH, 5 BH, 1 FHV, 1 OH)
- 11 Forced (3 FH, 5 BH, 1 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 1 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 47.3
Connors 32
- 19 Unforced (10 FH, 7 BH, 2 BHV)
- 13 Forced (4 FH, 9 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 44.7
(Note 1: All 1/2 volleys refer to such shots played at net. 1/2 volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke numbers)
(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented for these two matches are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
McEnroe was...
- 23/34 (68%) at net, including...
- 18/23 (78%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 14/17 (82%) off 1st serve and...
- 4/6 (67%) off 2nd serve
---
- 1/2 return-approaching
- 0/4 forced back
Connors was...
- 9/12 (75%) at net, including...
- 0/1 serve-volleying, a first serve
Match Report
There is scarcely a single thing John McEnroe does not do better than Jimmy Connors in this straight forward match
McEnroe holds to start the match. In the 2nd game, he returns all 4 serves, settles into baseline rallies... and Connors makes 4 routine errors to hand over the break. There are some tough games that follow on both men's serves but both continue to hold serve til the 8th game, when Mac breaks a second time to take the set 6-2
Second set is similar in that Mac breaks immediately to go up 2-0. Again, Connors makes 3 routine errors in a row, following a double fault to hand over the break. Its dissimilar in that the remaining games are mostly easy holds. Especially for Mac - who loses just 3 points in 5 service games
Serving & Returning
McEnroe has a good day serving - banging down 13 aces (2 of them second serves). Connors, as is normal for him but unusual for most players, makes fewer return errors (8) than he concedes aces. The serving is just too good for him. Usually, he tries to get the line-lickers back. Here, he just watches them go by as often as not. 40% unreturned serves with 0 double faults is good for McEnroe
On the flip side, Connors has an above average unreturned rate of 20%. He serves reasonably well - there are a few serves strong enough to go unreturned - but this is mostly due to McEnroe missing attacking returns Its not at all uncommon for McEnroe to have a significantly higher return rate even when he's returning as aggressively or even more than he did in this match)… so you'd have to say Connors relatively high unreturned rate is down to Mac not returning particularly well. Note the 4 return-approach attempt errors Mac makes, while he can only make 2. As often as not, he goes for this against the first serve
Note Connors being more successful on second serve (won 60%) then first (51%)…. less unusual for him than just about anyone else
Playing Dynamics
Not serve-volleying much of the second serve (just 6 times) and getting such a large unreturned serve percentage (40%), this match has more baseline battles than most of the pairs matches.
If you thought this might favour Connors, think again. McEnroe is comfortably the better baseliner in the match and his plan is simple. He just keeps hitting FH cc's, and Connors FH usually coughs up the error. You hear a lot about Connors' weakness on the low FH... but its not just low balls that draw errors from this wing. Hit there enough and you'll likely get an unforced error - unlike the BH, where he tends to be more reliable. Mac for his part, his FH cc's exceptionally cleanly
Mac dominates the net. When Connors can make the return, Mac's on point with his first volley - sending it to corners and leaving his opponent with very difficult passes to make. He also hits a picture perfect stop BHV winner. Even the good returns are deftly volleyed deep and distant from the older player... Connors doesn't look like he has much chance on the pass because he doesn't
A point that keeps coming up again and again in Connors matches in this period... why does he not approach the net more? He only comes in 12 times all match, and 6 of those are in the last 4 games (wins 5 of them)
Against Lendl, its obvious Connors is the worse baseliner and with Lendl staying back, there's plenty of scope for Connors to come in. In that dynamic, he tends to do so less than he could.
Against McEnroe, there's less scope to come in since Mac himself is often at net. And one imagines Connors might feel he's the better baseliner, so why should he come in? (one obvious answer is that if he doesn't, Mac will, but that doesn't apply to this particular match)
Only in this match, he isn't the better baseliner - and its obvious. So he hangs about the baseline, losing FH cc duels. A stubborn and slow to learn cuss, Jimmy Connors
Another thing that puzzles me is he seems less keen to approach to McEnroe than he does Lendl.... why? Surely Lendl was the better passer of the two?
Summing up, a controlled showing from McEnroe. Serving up a storm, volleying as well as can... and the more commanding from the baseline. Connors not really in the match, outdone on all fronts
McEnroe was the defending champion and would go onto beat Ivan Lendl in the final. Connors was ranked 4th at the time
McEnroe won 62 points, Connors 39
McEnroe serve-volleyed off all but 1 first serve and occasionally off seconds
Serve Stats
McEnroe...
- 1st serve percentage (29/52) 56%
- 1st serve points won (26/29) 90%
- 2nd serve points won (13/23) 57%
- Aces 13 (2 second serves)
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (21/52) 40%
Connors...
- 1st serve percentage (39/49) 80%
- 1st serve points won (20/39) 51%
- 2nd serve points won (6/10) 60%
- Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (10/49) 20%
Serve Patterns
McEnroe served...
- to FH 25%
- to BH 67%
- to Body 8%
Connors served...
- to FH 55%
- to BH 36%
- to Body 9%
Return Stats
McEnroe made...
- 38 (22 FH, 15 BH, 1 ??), including 1 runaround FH & 2 return-approaches
- 9 Errors, comprising...
- 5 Unforced (2 FH, 3 BH), including 4 return-approach attempts
- 4 Forced (3 FH, 1 BH)
- Return Rate (38/48) 79%
Connors made...
- 31 (7 FH, 24 BH), including 1 runaround BH
- 8 Errors, comprising...
- 1 Unforced (1 BH)
- 7 Forced (2 FH, 5 BH)
- Return Rate (31/52) 60%
Break Points
McEnroe 3/4 (4 games)
Connors 0/1
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
McEnroe 8 (3 FH, 1 BH, 2 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 OH)
Connors 7 (4 FH, 1 FHV, 2 BHV)
McEnroe had 2 first volleys from serve-volley points (1 FHV, 1 BHV), the FHV was a stop
- the other FHV came from a return-approach point. The OH can reasonably be called a FHV
- 2 FH cc passes (1 at net), 1 FH dtl and 1 BH dtl
Connors' FHs - 3 passes (1 cc, 1 dtl, 1 inside-out) and 1 non-pass cc
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
McEnroe 22
- 11 Unforced (4 FH, 5 BH, 1 FHV, 1 OH)
- 11 Forced (3 FH, 5 BH, 1 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 1 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 47.3
Connors 32
- 19 Unforced (10 FH, 7 BH, 2 BHV)
- 13 Forced (4 FH, 9 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 44.7
(Note 1: All 1/2 volleys refer to such shots played at net. 1/2 volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke numbers)
(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented for these two matches are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
McEnroe was...
- 23/34 (68%) at net, including...
- 18/23 (78%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 14/17 (82%) off 1st serve and...
- 4/6 (67%) off 2nd serve
---
- 1/2 return-approaching
- 0/4 forced back
Connors was...
- 9/12 (75%) at net, including...
- 0/1 serve-volleying, a first serve
Match Report
There is scarcely a single thing John McEnroe does not do better than Jimmy Connors in this straight forward match
McEnroe holds to start the match. In the 2nd game, he returns all 4 serves, settles into baseline rallies... and Connors makes 4 routine errors to hand over the break. There are some tough games that follow on both men's serves but both continue to hold serve til the 8th game, when Mac breaks a second time to take the set 6-2
Second set is similar in that Mac breaks immediately to go up 2-0. Again, Connors makes 3 routine errors in a row, following a double fault to hand over the break. Its dissimilar in that the remaining games are mostly easy holds. Especially for Mac - who loses just 3 points in 5 service games
Serving & Returning
McEnroe has a good day serving - banging down 13 aces (2 of them second serves). Connors, as is normal for him but unusual for most players, makes fewer return errors (8) than he concedes aces. The serving is just too good for him. Usually, he tries to get the line-lickers back. Here, he just watches them go by as often as not. 40% unreturned serves with 0 double faults is good for McEnroe
On the flip side, Connors has an above average unreturned rate of 20%. He serves reasonably well - there are a few serves strong enough to go unreturned - but this is mostly due to McEnroe missing attacking returns Its not at all uncommon for McEnroe to have a significantly higher return rate even when he's returning as aggressively or even more than he did in this match)… so you'd have to say Connors relatively high unreturned rate is down to Mac not returning particularly well. Note the 4 return-approach attempt errors Mac makes, while he can only make 2. As often as not, he goes for this against the first serve
Note Connors being more successful on second serve (won 60%) then first (51%)…. less unusual for him than just about anyone else
Playing Dynamics
Not serve-volleying much of the second serve (just 6 times) and getting such a large unreturned serve percentage (40%), this match has more baseline battles than most of the pairs matches.
If you thought this might favour Connors, think again. McEnroe is comfortably the better baseliner in the match and his plan is simple. He just keeps hitting FH cc's, and Connors FH usually coughs up the error. You hear a lot about Connors' weakness on the low FH... but its not just low balls that draw errors from this wing. Hit there enough and you'll likely get an unforced error - unlike the BH, where he tends to be more reliable. Mac for his part, his FH cc's exceptionally cleanly
Mac dominates the net. When Connors can make the return, Mac's on point with his first volley - sending it to corners and leaving his opponent with very difficult passes to make. He also hits a picture perfect stop BHV winner. Even the good returns are deftly volleyed deep and distant from the older player... Connors doesn't look like he has much chance on the pass because he doesn't
A point that keeps coming up again and again in Connors matches in this period... why does he not approach the net more? He only comes in 12 times all match, and 6 of those are in the last 4 games (wins 5 of them)
Against Lendl, its obvious Connors is the worse baseliner and with Lendl staying back, there's plenty of scope for Connors to come in. In that dynamic, he tends to do so less than he could.
Against McEnroe, there's less scope to come in since Mac himself is often at net. And one imagines Connors might feel he's the better baseliner, so why should he come in? (one obvious answer is that if he doesn't, Mac will, but that doesn't apply to this particular match)
Only in this match, he isn't the better baseliner - and its obvious. So he hangs about the baseline, losing FH cc duels. A stubborn and slow to learn cuss, Jimmy Connors
Another thing that puzzles me is he seems less keen to approach to McEnroe than he does Lendl.... why? Surely Lendl was the better passer of the two?
Summing up, a controlled showing from McEnroe. Serving up a storm, volleying as well as can... and the more commanding from the baseline. Connors not really in the match, outdone on all fronts