Jimmy Connors Loses Mother, Friend, and Coach

Gloria Connors, herself a former tennis pro, died Monday at the age of 82. She lived in Belleville, Illinois, and apparently died peacefully of natural causes at home. She was her son Jimmy’s only coach for much of his remarkable career as a world champion tennis player.

In a statement released by the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Connors described his mother thusly: “She had an unwavering passion for tennis. All my life, she taught me, made me a world champion. She always got me to do things without my even realizing. She instilled passion, excitement, and enthusiasm into me that was contagious to everyone around me. And yet separately, she was my mother and my friend.”