And a lot has changed. Shea Stadium is now gone and the Mets welcomed in Citi Field by playing like the teams that opened the Polo Grounds and the 1964 version of their erstwhile ballpark.

But 1969 will always be there and the memories will always remain. As will those of the 1969 Jets and 1969-70 Knicks, both of which won their respective championships, as well.

Over the years, plenty of books have been published on each team, especially the Mets, and they all pretty much tell the same story. But Art Shamsky’s The Magnificent Seasons towers above other historical accounts, not only because it’s by a participant, but also because it covers all three teams during that period.

Starting with the Jets, Shamsky – who played right field for the Mets in 1969 and then later worked as a sports television reporter for 10 years on WNEW Channel 5 – goes from the early days of the club to the magical 1969 season. He interviews all the major players on each club to paint the word picture accurately.

Although the Mets are heavily covered, the Jets and Knicks sections are very interesting in their own right, because of the lack of coverage those teams received over the years compared to the Miracle Mets. As someone who was born right after the 69 championships happened, the book provides a excellent reference for a person who didn’t live through the era.

Shamsky doesn’t just interview the players, he also speaks with various famous fans, including Ray Romano, since Shamsky has a relationship with the television star from his time on Everyone Loves Raymond.

Because he was a player, Shamsky is able to get the reader into the clubhouse and delve into areas only a former athlete would know. Yet, he was a journalist as well and due to this, the work is researched very accurately and presented in an intelligent way.

That’s why The Magnificent Seasons works so well. First published back in 2005, the book is still very timely and a good read for not just fans of those three teams, but everyone who is interested in New York sports.

Visit ArtShamsky.com to order your autographed copy.

Ht: 5-10 Wt: 206

DOB: May 23, 1976  In: Florida

College: Michigan.

Football Inspiration: “Walter Payton. I had a picture that he signed and gave to me, it said: ‘Life in athletics requires total effort for success.’ Then he signed it, Walter Payton. I had it in my room all the time. So he’s definitely one of them.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Love to play golf. Play any time that I can. And I play with my kids. I have three kids. And I love playing with them.”

Nicknames: “Jay is. Actually my name is Thomas James Feely IV. So, my grandpa was Tom, my father was T.J., so I went with Jay [smiles].”

Favorite Movies: “Shawshank Redemption is my favorite movie of all time. Then Braveheart, Gladiator.”

Favorite TV Shows: “The old ones. There’s no good shows out now. I loved Cheers and Seinfeld.”

Musical Tastes: “My favorite group is Third Day. Good friends with Mac Powell, lead singer. Then U2 for sure. I got their Greatest Hits always going in my car.”

First Football Memory: “Well, my first memory is I almost stopped playing. We had practice on Labor Day weekend. And I had a soccer tournament that same weekend. And coach said we could go to the game. There was a group of six of us. Then other five got back ’cause their team got knocked out. But we were on a great team, we won the tournament. I got back and the next day he chewed me out so bad that I almost quit football as a freshman and jayvee [laughs].”

First Job: “Working as a camp counselor. My mom owned a summer camp.”

First Car: “I had a white Ford Taurus, which is exactly what all the undercover cops had in Florida. So in high school whenever I went to a party, I’d always bust the party. And everybody’d be, It’s just Jay Feely [laughs].”

Favorite Meal: “I’m supposed to say anything my wife cooks, right? No, I’d say lasagna and steak.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Total Raisin Bran.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “I love ice cream. Everything, any flavor [laughs]. You name it, I’ll eat it.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “I just want to have fun. And enjoy the position that I’m in and the opportunity that I have to play football. And enjoy the moment.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “I’d say either winning the national championship at Michigan, that was a phenomenal moment. And actually, even after that, I got to sit down with a little kid who was ten-years-old with an inoperable brain tumor. His mom found me in the lobby of the hotel afterwards, thousands of people around. She came up to me and I didn’t know him. And I got to talk to him about my brother who had a terminal condition as well. And just encourage him. And that meant more to me than winning the national championship.”

Most Painful Moment: “Missing a game-winner. Any time you miss a game-winner. People always say it’s a team win, it’s a team loss. But when we have an opportunity at the end of the game to win a game for your team – you don’t come through – that sticks with you and it hurts.”

Dream Position: “I played wide receiver in high school. I kinda pretend I’m a wide receiver still [smiles].”

Funny Football Memory: “Well, Jim Mora, when he took over the team in Atlanta, they had a rule in the first meeting: Not to supe up your golf carts. And he came up to me after like the third practice. And he’s like, Come here. And I walked over. Is your cart suped up? Did you change the governor? I didn’t want to lie to him, so I was, Yeah, a little bit. And he said, You want to race [laughs]? So we lined up our golf carts and drag-raced back to the apartments [smiles].”

Embarrassing Football Memory: “I won’t tell you who. It didn’t happen to me. One of the older players got hit and fell down and ruptured a hemarroid. And we had white pants on. So he had blood just all over coming out. And one of the teammates went up to him, Your ass is bleeding! So he ran in and had to change his clothes. That was pretty funny. We had a good time with him on Monday, with Preparation X up in the locker. And Maxi Pads, you name it.”

Favorite Vacation: “Hawaii. We love going there. So peaceful. And just bliss.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I like honesty. And I like when people act the way they purport to be. The person they put out there, I like when they have integrity.”

Scoop’s book “Heavyweight Armageddon! The Tyson-Lewis Championship Battle” is available at www.amazon.com

Ht: 5-11  Wt: 178

DOB: May 25, 1986 In: Warren, Ohio

College: Michigan.

Football Inspirations: “Probably Jerry Rice and Charles Woodson.”

Nicknames: “People call me Rio, obviously for Super Mario.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Play video games, I like to read Sports Illustrated, shoot around, I love basketball, I like to shoot around basketball a little.”

Favorite Movies: “Life – Eddie Murphy and Martin.”

Favorite TV Show: “Martin.”

Musical Tastes: “Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy.”

Last Book Read: “Can’t remember the name of it. I had to do this essay in college.”

First Football Memory: “When I had four touchdowns against Madison, Ohio, back in high school – Shawn Crabel’s team. He plays for New England, went to Michigan.”

First Job: “I worked for the Scrappers, it’s a baseball team. I would be at the concession stand.”

First Car: “I just got my first car this year – it’s a GL 550 Mercedes Benz (white).”

Favorite Meal: “Chicken.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Cap’n Crunch. Berries.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Vanilla.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “Just butterflies, every game, whether it’s a sorry team or not.”

Favorite Web Site: “You Tube.”

Favorite You Tube Video: “Tight Eyez – he’s a dancer, Cali, out west.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Just putting on a Giants uniform, just believing that I’m here, not believing that I’m going through this experience.”

Most Painful Moment: “I got hit in practice my last year at Michigan, when I was a junior. I got hit by Ryan Monday, he plays for the Steelers, he got drafted last year. I thought I broke my jaw. Couldn’t eat for a couple days.”

Favorite Uniforms: “Giants. The red jerseys.”

Funny Football Memory: “It was a game in eighth grade. It was loud. We played in the stadium – Paul Brown Stadium. It was packed. We came out at halftime like the kids did, of a Browns game. I was in motion. I thought he said, Hut. I took off running, I turned around and the rest of the team is still right there, in their three-point stances [smiles]. And everything felt kinda stupid.”

Funniest Giants: “Jonathan Goff. Jonathan Goff being himself. He’s funny. He don’t even know but he’s funny [smiles].”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “That I played against? Probably AJ Hawk. He be everywhere where the ball be. He be right there.”

Favorite Players To Watch: “I like Ahmad Bradshaw run the ball. Because he still already to the ground, hard to tackle. He run the ball hard. He’ll make you miss or he’ll run through you. Pick their poison, whatever they want. Get shook or get run through.”

Last Vacation: “Last summer, went to South Carolina. Went to Myrtle Beach.”

Interesting Fact: Mario ranks #4 in Michigan history with 27 TD catches, surpassed only by Braylon Edwards (39), Anthony Carter (37) and Desmond Howard (32).

People Qualities Most Admired: “I like to see people who keep it real. Just up-front, honest.”

Ht: 5-10 Wt: 130

DOB: July 11, 1990 In: Odense, Denmark

Tennis Inspirations: “Yeah, Martina Hingis, one of my role models, growing up I was always looking at her game. And I was trying to play like her.”

First Tennis Memory: “Playing with my mom and dad and brother in a small town. And they didn’t want to play with me [smiles] because I was so bad, so I was standing against the wall just hitting for three, four hours every day. One day I beat them and that was so good.”

Favorite Movies: “Titanic, I have so many, Lord Of The Rings, National Treasure, White Chicks, Wedding Crashers. A lot, I have a lot.”

Last Book Read: “The Girl Who Played With A Fire, the writer is Dee Larsen.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Orange County, Grey’s Anatomy.”

Musical Tastes: “All different kinds, I like Mariah Carey.”

Pre-Match Feeling: “Just relaxed, you know, I like to read a book before. Just to think about anything, just clear my mind.”

Current Car: “No, I don’t have one.”

Favorite Meal: “Tacos [smiles].”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Cookies.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning New Haven and winning my first WTA and winning junior Wimbledon.”

Most Painful Moment: “I’m trying to think…I don’t know.”

Favorite Tournaments: “All the Grand Slams. I really like the US Open and I like Wimbledon a lot. I have good memories playing Wimbledon – winning juniors there – so I like going back. And I like the grass and the atmosphere.”

Closest WTA Friends: “Sorana Cirstea, the Polish ones.”

Funniest Players Encountered: “Vince Spadea. I met him at an exhibition in Liverpool and he was just hilarious.”

Toughest Competitors: “I don’t know if there is one that I fear the most. (Toughest to play?) They can all be tough. I just go out and play my best against all opponents.”

Favorite Players To Watch: “I like watching Federer play.”

Funny Tennis Memory: “I think you have to see this point. Chakvetadze, she hits a shot, she gets an easy overhead. The opponent is standing far behind the baseline and not even going for the shot. She hit the overhead – she mis-hit it. And she goes for the backhand and she hits it in. She won the point anyways.”

Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “That’s a tough one. I don’t know. I lost love and one in doubles in French Open (to Sugiyama/Srebotnik). I didn’t think that was fun.”

Last Vacation: “After Wimbledon I went to Copenhagen for a few days my birthday.”

Favorite Sports Outside Tennis: “I like soccer and basketball.”

Best You Ever Felt On Court: “I think my first final in Stockholm last summer. I felt like every ball was just sitting there and then taking the trophy and winning, that was great.”

Personality Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty, polite, nice, smart.”

That first set was one of the strangest I’ve ever played. I should have won it and deserved to lose it. I got what I deserved and Tony took it 9-7, just took it right away from me after I’d been serving for the set at 5-3. He did it with beautiful backhands. I was sloshing and slipping around, and a couple of times I had asked referee Mike Gibson for permission to put on my spiked shoes. I’d wanted to begin the match in them, but he’d refused. After that game, Mike said all right. It meant all the difference to me.

Tony immediately won his serve in four points, but I felt surer on my feet and I knew I’d get going. Especially when I stopped him two points short of the set to keep even at 6-6. But I wasn’t so sure when I lost that first set anyway. I’d had a lot of luck during the year, and I wondered if it had run out at last. Although I’d worn spikes here and there throughout my career, the occasions were so rare during my professional days that they took some getting used to. You consciously changed your movements at first. Picked up your feet. No sliding. It was a new sensation until you were re-accustomed to them.

The slight uncertainty of moving in spikes was gone for good in the first game of the second set when I came through with a big serve at the crucial point of the match. With the first set his, and the pressure on me, Tony got me down 30-40 on my serve. One more point and he’d be up a set and a break, a pretty good edge in that mush.

We both knew this was a huge point. He took his time getting ready to return, and I did the same lining up—not overly so, maybe not even noticeable to the crowd, but we had to be right for this one. I was righter. I threw myself into the serve, and sliced it wide to his forehand. It didn’t come back. He barely touched it, and I could tell it pained him to miss the opportunity. You don’t get too many break-point chances on grass—and he didn’t have another.

It wouldn’t be apparent for a while, but the match turned upside down right there. I won the game and began hitting harder and harder as I got surer of my footing. Then I won the next and the next—five straight. From that break-point chance in the first game, Tony managed to win only five of the last 23 games. He came all apart as I wrapped him up, 7-9, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Not even a rain delay of a half-hour at the beginning of the third set could rust my concentration or help him pull his together.

Unlike 1962, I had control of myself all through the final match of the Grand Slam. I was never dazed as I had been against Emmo seven years before during a brief case of nerves down the stretch.

Serving match game, I opened with an ace. I knew what I was about, and wasn’t going to let Tony breathe. It was 40-0 when I did try to end with a grand-slamming flourish on a forehand volley. I blew it. A minor disappointment not to be able to score with a put-away as I had on the championship point at Wimbledon.

It fell to Tony to lose it with a forehand that he hit long. Both of us were glad it was over. Afraid to use spikes, he’d been victimized in sneakers, unable to counteract my better shots, including a number of very good lobs. It was one of my best days with the lob, always a useful shot, but even more damaging that day when running was tough.

Not enough ordinary players realize the value of the lob, and I guess I didn’t until I became a seasoned pro. It’s much more than a desperation measure. As an amateur, even if the odds were against my making a shot, I’d usually let fly anyway. When I became a pro, I couldn’t risk throwing away points like that because the opposition was equal or better.

This meant I had to be realistic. If my chances of making a shot from a difficult position were doubtful, I found you seldom get hurt with a lob.

But there were no more lobs to be hit. Not one more stroke on a chase that began God knows how many strokes ago in Brisbane when I hit the first serve to a fellow I wouldn’t know if he walked into the room, Massimo di Domenico. The others I knew pretty well . . . Andres . . . Arthur . . Emmo . . . Tony . . . Newc . . . Dennis . . . Kenny . . . Okker . . . Smith.

There were 1,005 games in 26 Grand Slam matches, and now it was all over.

Laver captured 11 major singles titles during his career, including Wimbledon in 1961, 1962, 1968 and 1969. After joining Don Budge as the only man to win a Grand Slam by sweeping all four majors in 1962, Laver turned professional where he, along with fellow pros Hoad, Rosewall and Gonzalez, were banned from playing the “amateur-only” major tournaments. When the “Open Era” of tennis began in 1968, Laver netted another five major singles titles, including his Grand Slam sweep of all four in 1969. Laver won nearly 200 singles titles during his career and was inducted into the International Tennis of Fame in 1981.

I am delighted that THE EDUCATION OF A TENNIS PLAYER is back in circulation and available for a new generation of tennis fans,” said Laver. “Winning the Grand Slam for a second time in 1969 seems just like yesterday and this book brings back a lot of memories of the great matches and exciting times. I hope people enjoy reading my story.

Collins, himself a 1994 inductee in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, first met Laver in 1956 at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston during the U.S. National Doubles Championships. Thirteen years later, the two collaborated on the book that was only to be published if Laver won the Grand Slam. Collins is best known for his colorful television commentary – and his colorful wardrobe – as well as his columns in the Boston Globe. Collins currently works as a commentator with ESPN2 and Tennis Channel.

Rod Laver is one of the greatest treasures we have in tennis and THE EDUCATION OF A TENNIS PLAYER is one of our sports most important literary works,” said Collins. “Rod was always so humble and gracious, but he could play tennis like a hurricane. He was as a great a champion as we have ever had in tennis and one of the all-time nicest guys.

New Chapter Press is also the publisher of THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS by Bud Collins, THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION by Rene Stauffer and BOYCOTT: STOLEN DREAMS OF THE 1980 MOSCOW OLYMPIC GAMES by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli among others. More information on New Chapter Press can be found at www.NewChapterMedia.com.

The following is an excerpt from the new Skyhorse Publishing bookFaith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History of the New York Mets by Greg W. Prince.

If you’re a Mets fan, you know me. How could you not? I’m you. Maybe a little older or perhaps younger, probably a bit heavier, no doubt substantively more weighed down by facts, figures and occasionally accursed memory, but I’m essentially you.

That is if you’re a Mets fan. ‘Cause that’s what I am. And that’s what I’m here to talk about.

I can talk about being a Mets fan from the moment they open Gate C for batting practice (if, in fact, we still have a Gate C) ’til the tarp covers the field. I can talk about being a Mets fan through an entire homestand and a couple of road trips. I can talk about being a Mets fan when I’m supposed to be talking about or thinking about anything else. I don’t know if it’s something to brag about, it’s just what I do.

I’m you. I’m a Mets fan. What the hell else are we going to talk about? And this is my life, see? There are other aspects to it, but when disconnected from the Mets, few of them are significant to me, not really. Don’t pity me, however. I like being this guy. Actually, I like being “That Guy.” You know …

That guy from work who has all that Mets stuff on his desk and who you can’t stump on baseball trivia and always remembers who was traded for who and when.

That guy from down the block who’s always going to or coming back from Shea; I swear he must have like ten different Mets jackets.

That guy at that thing who we thought was hard of hearing and wore an amplification device. Turned out it was an earplug for a radio. He was listening to WFAN the whole time.

That guy. The Mets fan. He’s the biggest Mets fan I know.

I don’t mean to declare myself a bigger Mets fan than you. That would be impolite and unknowable on my part. I’ll give you yourself. You wouldn’t be doing your job if you didn’t think you were the biggest Mets fan you know. But if you exclude yourself, I think you’ll find I’m decent Met company.

Yes, I have my share of bobbleheads and tchotchkes, enough overpriced licensed Mets crap to pay for at least one of Johan Santana’s warmup tosses. I could probably arrange to function an entire day and never go without seeing orange or blue. But it’s not my merchandise that makes me a big Mets fan. Other people have more stuff.

And I am pretty good at remembering the obscure Mets and Mets happenings, partly from a memory which I’m told is exceptional (I wouldn’t know; it’s the only memory I’ve ever had), partly from my conviction that nothing about the Mets should be considered obscure. But it’s not the knowledge that makes me a big Mets fan. Other people know more stuff.

Can’t even say it’s because I’ve been to more games than most Mets fans. I’ve been to a lot, but I’ve never been a season ticketholder. I do go out of my way to keep up, pitch by pitch, but it’s not my commitment to staying current that makes me a big Mets fan. Other people have seen more stuff.

Yet after forty years as “That Guy,” I can’t believe anyone takes it more personally than me; that anyone embraces it more fervently than me; that anyone gives it more thought than me; that anyone, even after the final loss of 2007 yielded its mass quantities of devastation upon my psyche, was less willing to disavow it than me. I may grow tired of the Mets at the nadirs when they are less than Amazin’, but I never tire of being a Mets fan. And I do love to talk about it with other Mets fans, other baseball fans, anybody who’ll listen.

If I’m true to my own self, it’s my life. It’s how I interact with those I care about most, whether it’s my family, my friends, my cats sometimes. It’s what I do. It was the case when I was six; it’s been the case throughout the long season that’s been in progress ever since; it’s the case right now. I never got the memo that I was supposed to outgrow these Amazin’, Amazin’, Amazin’ Mets.

I guess I’m just easily amazed.

You can order a copy of Faith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History of the New York Mets by Greg W. Prince (foreword by Jason Fry; afterword with Gary Cohen) from Amazon. You can read more about the Mets from Greg and Jason at their blog, Faith and Fear in Flushing.

The Yankees open the stadium on April 3rd and 4th for two preseason games against the Chicago Cubs. The first official home game is April 16th against the Cleveland Indians.

Click on the video to take a closer look.

The Mets open Citi Field for two preseason games against the Boston Red Sox on April 3rd and 4th and then the official opening day will be nine days later on April 13th versus the San Diego Padres.

Click on the video to take a closer look.

According to some of the workers at the site, Shea should be entirely gone by Feb. 20. As you can see by the pictures and video below, only the infield sections remain – Gates B, C, and D on the outside -at the old stadium and now, workers are taking down the upper deck on the third base side.

With this type of progress, it looks like there will be plenty of parking at Citi Field on Opening Day.

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Childhood Heroes: “Joe Namath, Rod Laver, Mickey Mantle.”

Early Tennis Memory: “Playing Tommy Buford – the tournament director’s son – in a 12 & under in Tennessee. I won 6-3, 6-2 in three and a half hours. After he started moon balling me.”

McEnroe Playing for NY Sportime (Photo by Brett Weinstein)

Favorite Movies: “One Flew Over The Cuckoos’ Nest, On The Waterfront, Rebel Without A Cause.”

Musical Tastes: “Rock, blues, guitar, Rolling Stones.”

Pre-Match Feeling: “Be prepared. In condition. Have a number of different game plans. For me, it’s preparation to be ready to play. To be ready right at the beginning. It’s actually going back to basics. Making sure you have things in order. I used to take little cards out – very basic things. I might look at to keep my mind focused…ball toss, to keep the wrist firm on the volley.”

First Job: “Paperboy for the local Queens paper. Don’t remember the name actually. You stumped me [smiles].”

First Car: “Early 1970’s orange Ford Pinto. Cost me $100, sold it for $50.”

Favorite Meal: “I’m pretty flexible actually. But I think Italian is my favorite. Pasta. But I eat everything.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Wheaties. Not that I’ll be on the (box) cover real soon or anything. I don’t know if I deserve to give it to them that, but Breakfast of Champions.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Cookies ‘n cream.”

Funny Tennis Memory: “I guess playing Nastase at the U.S. Open 27 years ago (‘79). Funny now, when I look back on it. It wasn’t funny at the time. Just having the referee default him and then have (the umpire) thrown out of the chair, and someone else come out. And people throwing stuff on the court and it was just complete chaos [smiles]. That’s sort of the way I liked it, so it was fun.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “I don’t think I could pick one. It’s a combination of the obvious – Wimbledon, Davis Cup and The Open. The basics. (Your favorite wins?) Connors in ‘84 at Wimbledon, I felt like it all came together, I mean he didn’t play his best, but I felt like that year and particularly that match it all came together. In ‘92 a very emotional time for me at Davis Cup final when we played Switzerland, (I was) in the process of going through my separation and subsequent divorce from my first wife, very difficult emotionally for me to even be there, but probably to me is the greatest team ever assembled: Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and myself. Pete and I played doubles, and we were down two sets to love, and I try to rally Pete to get him going so something good could happen. And it did, and we turned it around and ended up winning in five sets. Pete, he may not admit this, but he hugged me and he told me he loved me [smiles].”

Most Painful Moment: “Losing the French in ‘84. That definitely was. I was totally outplaying Lendl on clay. Up two sets to love. And I let my emotions slip away from me. Cost me the match (6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 5-7, 5-7 – Lendl’s first major). It turned around his career. He won six or seven (actually eight) majors. What I did was make someone I basically despised, a great champion.”

Mac On Federer: “Federer plays tennis the way I dreamed of playing.”

Mac On Nadal: “His energy level and intensity are incredible.”

Mac On Roddick: “He has a personality. He enjoys being out there. The key – to me – it’s the energy of the crowd. And how into it the players are. Because a lot of guys can play. The key is to bring something extra to the match. Not enough people are doing that – to make a lot of exciting matches. That separates the people that people want to see and the people that are just good tennis players.”

Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “Playing the Stockholm Open, semifinal against Anders Jarryd. Late in the third set, there was a line call that didn’t look so great. I went ballistic. Called the umpire a jerk. Whacked a ball into the stands. Then smacked a soda can with my racket, and got soda all over the King of Sweden who was sitting in the front row.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “In general, people – it’s not easy to go out there and give 100%. And run the risk of losing. I respect that the most in athletes. The guys that go out there and play hard. They don’t give up on it. You can’t be a loser if you go out there and give it your best. You’re a winner if you go out and do that. Most people can’t do that, shockingly enough. They find ways to quit. To me, that’s the biggest quality. And the other one would be honesty. To be honest.”

On the current state of professional tennis: “I think tennis is on the upswing, particularly in the men’s side. I think you’re seeing signs of allowing the players to be more themselves and to encourage actually, God forbid, personality on the court. Which was discouraged because of guys like myself and Connors and Nastase. Tennis has a lot of players now who will show their personality on the court – Nadal, Hewitt, Venus and Serena, Roddick, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic.”

Career Accomplishments: Former world No. 1; Three Wimbledon titles; Four U.S. Opens; 41 singles and 18 doubles victories in Davis Cup play; 31-20 career record vs. Connors; 10 Major doubles titles; 77 career singles titles; 77 career doubles titles.