Stats for 1987 Queen's Final(Becker-Connors)

[Moose Malloy]

Becker d Connors 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4

my stats

Becker served at 54%(54 of 105)
Connors served at 77%(74 of 96)

Becker won 41 of 54 points on 1st serve(76%)
He won 20 of 51 on 2nd(39%)

Connors won 40 of 74 points on 1st serve(54%)
He won 12 of 22 on 2nd(54%)

Becker had 28 non service winners: 10 fh, 7 bh, 7 bhv, 4 ov
Connors had 32: 10 fh, 11 bh, 6 fhv, 5bhv

Becker had 12 passing shot winners (5 fh, 7 bh)
Connors had 20 (9 fh, 11bh)

Becker had 13 aces, 10 df's
Connors had no aces, 1 df

Becker had 18 unreturned serves, 5 were on 2nd serves, 1 was a service winner
Connors had 14, 4 were on 2nd serve, 2 were service winners

Becker was 7 of 9 on break points, Connors made 1st serves on 5 of them
Connors was 5 of 10, Becker made 1st serves on 4 of them

Becker was 40 of 77 at net(52%) He was 38 of 68 on S&V pts(56%)
Becker stayed back on 11 serves the entire match, all 2nd serves.
Connors was 24 of 41 at net(58.5%) He was 13 of 20 on S&V pts(65%)

Taking away aces, df's, & return errors, this is how the players fared on serve(meaning how they fared when the return was put in play)

Becker 1st serve pts - 15 of 28(54%)
Becker 2nd serve pts - 15 of 36(42%)

Connors 1st serve pts - 30 of 64 (47%)
Connors 2nd serve pts - 8 of 17 (47%)

Connors had a point for a double break lead in the 2nd & a 4-1 lead. Becker hit an ace on that point.

 

[BTURNER]

Becker won 41 of 54 points on 1st serve(76%)
He won 20 of 51 on 2nd(39%)

Connors won 40 of 74 points on 1st serve(54%)
He won 12 of 22 on 2nd(54%)

Did Becker tried to chip and charge on Connors second or stay back?

 

[jrepac]

Any footage of this one out there on YouTube? It was a very good match....Connors had it in his grasp, but let it get away. Becker really had to fight to get this win from the "old man" (he was pushing 35, if I am not mistaken).

 

[juan guzman]

I do have the match on DVD.Its fantastic really.

Awesome groundstrokes from both players and the return of serve by Connors out of this world.

Connors should have won but maybe not winning a tournament since 84 took its toll and he got nerves on crucial stages of the match.

The last point is the best of the match.

 

[SusanDK]

I also have this match on DVD. It's one of my favorite matches, very entertaining. Connors really should have won it. Becker was having difficulty with his footing as I recall. There was a brilliant long rally with both players covering the whole court, volleying, lobbing, retreating, etc. that Connors won. While they both were catching their breath, with chests heaving, Connors yelled over to Becker, "want to go again" to which Boris replied, "not with me." Good sportsmanship and spirit in that match and obvious mutual respect.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Good sportsmanship and spirit in that match and obvious mutual respect.

True, but Becker did hold up Connors before his 2nd serve on break point at 3-3 in the 3rd(which would be the decisive break)
Guess Connors must have been in a good mood that day (saw Becker do the same vs Curren in '85 & Curren was not pleased. also read that Becker did this on a crucial point vs Edberg at '88 Queen's, & Edberg promptly double faulted)

Connors complained about the footing on the baseline early in the match after taking a fall & the groundskeeper swept the baseline on the next changeover.

It is one of the most entertaining grasscourt matches I've seen(esp for its time, long rallies in a Becker grasscourt match were rare. not to mention the numerous service breaks)

I also have the match they played in '86 Chicago on dvd. Connors most certainly was not in a good mood that day, surprised he wasn't defaulted.

 

[krosero]

In '86-87 Connors always pushed Becker to decisive third sets on fast surfaces: http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=B028&oId=C044

With 15 years in age difference you have to wonder how the H2H would have looked with both at their peak. I could see peak Connors beating Becker at Wimbledon, tho Becker might come out ahead in a series.

Becker won 41 of 54 points on 1st serve(76%)
He won 20 of 51 on 2nd(39%)

Connors won 40 of 74 points on 1st serve(54%)
He won 12 of 22 on 2nd(54%)

As I mentioned in the other thread, this is the fifth time we've seen Connors get a higher success on 2nd serve than on 1st serve. All five have been losses. The others were 1975 AO (Newcombe), 1978 Wimbledon (Borg), 1984 RG (mac) and 1985 Wimbledon (curren).

Becker stayed back on 11 serves the entire match, all 2nd serves.

I don't remember Becker staying back on any serves at Wimbledon.

His success on 2nd serve was only 39% so you have to wonder if it was a good choice. Maybe he did it out of respect for the Connors return?

Becker was 7 of 9 on break points, Connors made 1st serves on 5 of them
Connors was 5 of 10, Becker made 1st serves on 4 of them

Still haven't seen Becker make a good service % when facing break points. At least he threw in an ace on that double-break opportunity for Connors in the third set.

 

[jrepac]

In '86-87 Connors always pushed Becker to decisive third sets on fast surfaces: http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=B028&oId=C044

With 15 years in age difference you have to wonder how the H2H would have looked with both at their peak. I could see peak Connors beating Becker at Wimbledon, tho Becker might come out ahead in a series.

Their matches on the fast surfaces were really quite compelling...Connors, IMHO, tended to be under-rated as a fast court player (relative to other contemporaries). I saw that Masters match; Connors was sick, but still pushed Boris to the wall that day. But, perhaps one could argue that Boris had trouble with the great baseliners since he did have an awful record against Andre, whose style is somewhat similar to Jimmy's?

 

[jrepac]

deleting an accidental repeated message

 

[juan guzman]

Connors was leading 7 6 3 1 and a break point on Beckers serve.If he had converted he would have won the match.Becker saved the break point with an ace.

 

[krosero]

Connors beat Cash in the Queens semi, 7-6 6-4 and ended up winning their H2H (though he lost the big one at Wimbledon): http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=C044&oId=C023

Connors and Edberg tied at 6 matches apiece (but 3-0 to Jimmy in Slams): http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=C044&oId=E004

 

[jrepac]

Connors beat Cash in the Queens semi, 7-6 6-4 and ended up winning their H2H (though he lost the big one at Wimbledon): http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=C044&oId=C023

Connors and Edberg tied at 6 matches apiece (but 3-0 to Jimmy in Slams): http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=C044&oId=E004

That loss to Cash at Wimby had to hurt...Jimmy just came out horribly flat in that semi and Cash was on a tear thru the draw, having just clobbered Wilander.

For whatever reason, Connors was just an awful matchup for Stefan, it was really shocking at times (USO '89). Even though Connors was past his prime, he gave Edberg all kinds of fits. Never could quite pin down why exactly....Connors service return could really hurt him, but it was more than that, mental perhaps.

 

[krosero]

That loss to Cash at Wimby had to hurt...Jimmy just came out horribly flat in that semi and Cash was on a tear thru the draw, having just clobbered Wilander.

I didn't see him as coming out flat, exactly. He was in the first set, and only lost his serve at 4-5. And he won 11 straight service points (http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=2153053#post2153053).

I got the sense that if Connors had won the first set it would have been a good match. But Cash picked up his ground game after the first set and by the end it was no contest. Not a surprise considering how much energy Jimmy had already expended, at his age, in getting there. And then there was Cash's level of play during those two weeks. IMO it could have beaten even peak Connors.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Not a surprise considering how much energy Jimmy had already expended, at his age

tough schedule for Jimmy, he played his 4th round with Pernfors(5 sets) & QF with Bobo(close 3 sets) on consecutive days. Then had a day off before the SF Cash.

Wish I could see that Queens SF.

 

[jrepac]

I didn't see him as coming out flat, exactly. He was in the first set, and only lost his serve at 4-5. And he won 11 straight service points (http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=2153053#post2153053).

I got the sense that if Connors had won the first set it would have been a good match. But Cash picked up his ground game after the first set and by the end it was no contest. Not a surprise considering how much energy Jimmy had already expended, at his age, in getting there. And then there was Cash's level of play during those two weeks. IMO it could have beaten even peak Connors.

Yeah, the first set was closer, but the old Connors spark really wasn't there. I think he had to be tired after all the effort he put into the earlier matches...he put out a tremendous effort against Pernfors and "Bobo" to get there. I think Cash got confident after the first set and his game really took off from there. To your point, if Jimmy got on top early, it might've been different. I do think in that tourney, Cash played the best tennis I ever saw from him, consistently from QF to Final. He beat 3 of the all time greats, with minimal effort, really.

 

[kiki]

Connors and Becker genuinely liked each other.It is interesting.Like Mac and Wilander and Lendl and Edberg.

 

[SusanDK]

Connors and Becker genuinely liked each other.It is interesting.Like Mac and Wilander and Lendl and Edberg.

I don't know that Lendl and Edberg necessarily 'liked' each other. It was more a case that no one disliked Edberg, and Edberg genuinely didn't dislike anyone.

 

[kiki]

I don't know that Lendl and Edberg necessarily 'liked' each other. It was more a case that no one disliked Edberg, and Edberg genuinely didn't dislike anyone.

No, Lendl and Edberg liked each other´s sarcastic sense of humor.

And, I tell you, Lendl disliked everybody, except Fibak,Gomez,Edberg and Scanlon ( in this case, both shared their hate of Mc Enroe)...oh¡ and for a while, Lendl and Clerc were on good terms.

 

[Stuart S]

True, but Becker did hold up Connors before his 2nd serve on break point at 3-3 in the 3rd(which would be the decisive break)
Guess Connors must have been in a good mood that day (saw Becker do the same vs Curren in '85 & Curren was not pleased. also read that Becker did this on a crucial point vs Edberg at '88 Queen's, & Edberg promptly double faulted).

Yes, I definitely recall the incident with Edberg. Edberg was in the middle of his service action when becker put his hand up and with a smirk, said he wasn't ready to receive.

This seemed to be a frequent trick of Becker's. I must say I never took to the guy.

 

[Waspsting]

All comments below are replies to the content - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...ker-vs-connors-queens-club-final-1987.665137/

Material which was moved here, without my knowledge, let alone consent

 

[Waspsting]

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[WCT]

No, 84 is not about him not going full blown s/v. I think it was about Connors specifically. Check out th 83 semi vs Mcenroe. He s/v on every serve. That is pretty much how Lendl played at Wimbledon 1983 on. Well, by my memory of the matches I've seen. You weren't seeing all the matches back then. Far from it. It was awhile before we got to the almost round the clock coverage.

Personally, I was always surprised by how well Lendl volleyed. For me, it's not about looking pretty or comfortable. Lendl was not a pretty player to watch, period. Perhaps somewhat robotic, but ruthlessly efficent at it.

Hey, I didn't tell you that he volleyed like Mcenroe or Edberg, but I thought pretty damn well. It's not like he had no success, either. A couple finals and a bunch of semis. What I always felt hurt him just as much was that he simply did not return as well on grass. Well, noone really did. However, guys like Connors and Agassi I believe had the hand/eye to better adjust to the low/bad bounces and still return reasonably close to their best. Lendl did not. Nobody thinks of it because he's known for his groundstrokes.

Mind you, this is anecdotal. I don't have concrete stats to back this up, but I don't remember Lendl breaking much in most of his losses. That's the other guy s/v, not him. That's about how well he returns.