• The Outsider

  • A Memoir
  • By: Jimmy Connors
  • Narrated by: Rich Orlow
  • Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (209 ratings)

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The Outsider  By  cover art

The Outsider

By: Jimmy Connors
Narrated by: Rich Orlow
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Publisher's summary

Jimmy Connors is a working-man's hero, a people's champion who could tear the cover off a tennis ball, just as he tore the cover off the country-club gentility of his sport. A renegade from the wrong side of the tracks, Connors broke the rules with a radically aggressive style of play and bad-boy antics that turned his matches into prizefights. In 1974 alone, he won 95 out of 99 matches, all of them while wearing the same white shorts he washed in the sink of his hotel bathrooms. Though he lived the rock star life away from tennis, his enduring dedication to his craft earned him eight Grand Slam singles titles and kept him among the top ten best players in the world for sixteen straight years - five at number one.

In The Outsider, Connors tells the complete, uncensored story of his life and career, setting the record straight about his formidable mother, Gloria; his very public romance with America's sweetheart Chris Evert; his famous opponents, including Björn Borg, John McEnroe, Arthur Ashe, Ivan Lendl, and Rod Laver; his irrepressible co-conspirators Ilie Nastase and Vitas Gerulaitis; and his young nemesis Andre Agassi. Connors reveals how his issues with obsessive-compulsive disorder, dyslexia, gambling, and women at various times threatened to derail his career and his long-lasting marriage to Playboy Playmate Patti McGuire.

Presiding over an era that saw tennis attract a new breed of passionate fans - from cops to tycoons - Connors transformed the game forever with his two-handed backhand, his two-fisted lifestyle, and his epic rivalries.

The Outsider is a grand slam of a memoir written by a man once again at the top of his game - as feisty, unvarnished, and defiant as ever.

©2013 Jimmy Connors (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about The Outsider

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

More humility than bravado

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Anyone who is familiar with the persona of Jimmy Connors on the court will likely be curious to know whether that was the real him or simply a PR stunt. By the end of the book, I concluded that (like most things in life) the answer is somewhere in-between. Connors readily admits to much of the hijinks that many of us witnessed in the 1970s and 80s, but provides some fairly raw admissions of poor decisions and actions. However, peppered in-between are several endearing accounts of the relationships that launched his career and/or accompanied him along the way. Truth is, I wasn't sure of the sincerity part until later in the book, when Mr. Connors spent a considerable amount of time acknowledging all those folks who'd supported him during his heyday: his fellow players, his family, even his dogs. I don't think an ego-maniac would devote so much attention to praising others (and admitting to his own failures) if there wasn't a healthy dose of sincerity and humility in there somewhere. Color me impressed.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Little character arc - but somewhat funny at times.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

The tricky part is that I am a huge fan of autobiographies and I am a tennis nut, so I had high hopes for this one. In all fairness, before this book I read Andre Agassi's 'Open' autobiography, and that is a very, very tough act to follow as it was phenomenal; one of my favorites of all time. So for me, in a way, it was like the Connors v. Agassi match at the US Open, with Connors getting just destroyed, and then hearing Connors complain and take verbal jabs.

What could Jimmy Connors have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Connors was funny at times throughout the book, but he mentions that people don't change. He was notorious for giving the finger to fans during a tennis match, yelling obscenities at the officials and bad mouthing his opponents, so imagine a whole book full of that. Admittedly, I was never a big Connors fan but wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and hear his side of the story, his life, his personal story. However, there was little, if any, character arc.

Have you listened to any of Rich Orlow’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator did a great job.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

You might give up on humanity

Good quality audible, the narration is ok. interesting for tennis players. Its just, u get to realize the inner workings of an arrogant self centered knob. Boring in many places..if he had stopped telling us how great he was all the time it would have made a better listen

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another good one

Where does The Outsider rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was a good audiobook. I am glad I purchased it, I never really had the chance to watch Connors, but I was really curious to listen about that era.

What other book might you compare The Outsider to and why?

It is a sparring partner to Open, he definitely takes some shots at that book and I admire that he says what he feels honestly.

What does Rich Orlow bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He has the attitude to fit the words and capture what Jimmy was going for.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, some funny parts. Hearing about his mother being attacked was definitely alarming. I like Jimmy Connors after listening to this book.

Any additional comments?

If you like sports bios check this one out.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good

Not as good as Agassi's and McEnroe's book, but better then Sampras's. I'd recommend to anybody that loves the legends of tennis.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

There is a Reason for irreverence

If you could sum up The Outsider in three words, what would they be?

Reason my family loved watching Connors so much, Now revealed.

What did you like best about this story?

Honesty, insight to stuff we all watched on the court, mostly thrilled sometimes offended, always getting what we wanted! My parents taught me that to live in a bubble would be to miss what life is all about!! Jimmy Connors was the thrilling enigma we all watched together as a family to cheer and learn. Muhammed Ali was the same.Great stuff Jimmy!

Which character – as performed by Rich Orlow – was your favorite?

His french rendition of an overly "Relaxed" Yannick Noah, talking to Jimmy before an exhibition match.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughed, cried, remembered my father who passed, and all the moments we had to share because we both cheered Jimmy Connors

Any additional comments?

Just great to revisit, and see the perpetuation of great characters like Jimmy Connors.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Better than I expected

Where does The Outsider rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not being a big tennis fan, I was surprised that the book held my attention and made me want to see what would happen next. It's probably as good as any of the biographies I've listened to (with the exception of Rob Lowe's).

What other book might you compare The Outsider to and why?

It reminded me alot of Joe Namath's biography as it chronologically told about the events professionally and personally and how each coincided and affected the other. Professional successes and failures influenced personal behavior and personel events affected professional performance levels, etc. Also told about physical injuries and how they affected life long after the career was ended.

Have you listened to any of Rich Orlow’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but he was fantastic. I often forgot I wasn't listening to Jimmy Connors telling his life story. There was humor and self-deprecation, there was sincerity when dealing with personal conflicts and losses, there was anger when injustices were inflicted. He told the story as if it were his own. Very impressive!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Well, I didn't cry but I did laugh a little. Connors has a good sense of humor and his antidotes about other famous tennis players, family members and even his own problems were told with self-deprecating humor. I found myself liking Connors and wishing I had watched him play more.

Any additional comments?

A few "choice" words but fairly clean all-in-all.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Talking to Jimmy

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the game of Tennis. I never played competitive Tennis and I found the story and history interesting. That history has helped me appreciate the game more today.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how Jimmy wrote the story which is conversational. I imagine myself sitting down in a bar asking questions of Jimmy and he telling me about his life. I enjoyed that very much.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

An honest life.

Any additional comments?

I understand Jimmy Connors much more after reading this book. He is honest and unapologetic which is great in an autobiography. I read Open by Agassi and enjoyed that book as well but what this book has that Open didn't is the history of the game and how the game was played and developed and Jimmy did a great job giving me that history.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brutally honest

Mr. Connors shared the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of his life and tennis.
I followed his tennis career through all the years.
After reading this book I have learned things I never knew.
He is deeply in love with his family and his devotion to his real friends is obvious.
I would recommend this book to everyone even if you aren’t a tennis fan.
It is a study of how hard work and determination can lead to a successful life, with a few stumbles along the way.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great behind the scene stories

very entertaining stories, genuine, hilarious. very easy to listen to. always looked forward to picking up where I left off

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