JIMMY CONNORS: King of the Courts

Complaining that ""Jimmy's nicer side was usually ignored,"" Sabin defends Mrs. Connors from charges of ""forcing"" tennis on her sons, cites Mr. Connors' pride in Jimmy's ""obsession,"" and chides ""Jimmy's many critics"" for forgetting ""that a huge ego is just another way of saying that he believed in himself."" Throughout, as Jimmy blazes his way to the top, his friendlessness, his mother's following him to California, and his aggression on the courts are similarly explained, and a 1973 slump is blamed on his trying to be a gentleman. As in Sabin's 1976 Chris Evert bio, the character touch-up is all woven into a chronology of games, sets, and matches, ending with Connors' ""very satisfying"" 1976 US Open Championship--in a chapter perhaps prematurely titled ""Number One in the World.