It was okay for Wayne Gretzky's dad, for instance, to give him a hockey stick, or Joe Montana's dad to give him a football, or Larry Bird's dad to give him a basketball, but it wasn't okay for Gloria Connors to give her son a tennis racquet.

I always insist on my jeans being ironed. Is that a problem?

Bjorn was a different breed, I threw my best material at him, but he would never smile, but that added to the charm when he played me and Mac. We were going nuts and losing our mind and he was sitting back like he was on a Sunday stroll.

I was raised by two women, and that laid the groundwork for the way I treat 'em: with the utmost respect and admiration.

I was never part of the crowd.

Back in East St. Louis, tennis wasn't the real thing. If you weren't playing baseball, basketball, football, you were kind of on the outside.

I like any title with the letters U.S. in front of it. To me, the U.S. Open is the most important tournament in the world.