The Tactics Of Tantrums

For some athletes, getting mad is a way to do better than get even

Over the years, Jimmy Connors has treated spectators to phenomenal displays of tennis and temper -- and at the U.S. Open last week, he exhibited both again. In the second set of a match against Aaron Krickstein, Connors flared up when the umpire overruled a linesman and called one of his passing shots wide. In a one-minute tantrum, the 39-year-old, five-time Open winner called the offending official "a bum," "a son of a bitch" and "an abortion." From then on, Connors played brilliantly, and he took the 4-hr. 41-min. match in a tempestuous tie breaker, before advancing again three days later.

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