Connors Gets Better of McEnroe

Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, a pair of thirtysomething left-handers heading in the same direction, crossed rackets Friday night, but each one could have spun his like a compass.

Where are they going with their tennis? How much they still will play, is becoming something of a preoccupation for Connors and McEnroe, who played an exhibition at the Forum, the Forum Tennis Challenge, which Connors won, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, before 11,986.

Winners of 15 Grand Slim titles between them, Connors and McEnroe are both planning to scale back the amount they will play next year.

“If I play eight, that will be a lot,” said Connors, who turns 40 Sept. 2, and hinted he might even pull out of this year’s French Open and Wimbledon.

“Well, right now, I’m entered,” said Connors, ranked No. 38.

McEnroe, 33, and ranked No. 35, said this is quite possibly his last year.

“Even if I get into the top 10 again, it’s not enough for me,” said McEnroe, who has planned a full tournament schedule in addition to Davis Cup the rest of the year.

“I wanted to be completely assured I’d be sick and tired of tennis,” he said. “I want to be sure I’ve had enough.”

In the meantime, McEnroe is finding new ways to spend his time. He will work as an analyst for NBC on the French Open and Wimbledon. McEnroe is replacing . . . Connors, who wanted to spend more time concentrating on his tennis, according to NBC.

“Well, that’s about 10% right,” Connors said.

The percentages may be more favorable for McEnroe in his quest to captain the Davis Cup team, possibly as soon as next year, once Tom Gorman steps down. McEnroe said he thinks he can rise above the politics of the United States Tennis Assn., which runs the U.S. Davis Cup.

Connors’ quest is to persuade the ATP Tour to allow McEnroe and him to earn a ranking on only a few tournaments instead of the best-of-14 mandated by the ATP.

Connors said the ATP is reluctant to make any allowances and has pointed him and McEnroe to the Senior Tour, a suggestion that made Connors smile.

“The problem is, if we go to the Senior Tour, then the Senior Tour will be better than the regular tour,” he said.