The magic missing from his game and the enthusiasm drained from his heart, Jimmy Connors left his 20th and probably final Wimbledon as a pained loser.
Connors, who thrilled crowds at the All England Club last year with a display of guts and great tennis, was listless on court Monday and downright depressed after a loss to Luis Herrera."I get to a point in a match where things just get too painful," said Connors, who produced moments of brilliance but lacked bite against Herrera. "My hips go and my knees get too sore and my back stiffens up.
"I hurt every day. I just don't hurt as bad two out of three sets. Three out of five is rough," he said. "I don't enjoy being around the tennis anymore. I basically come with a bad attitude."
Today, women's seventh seed Mary Joe Fernandez quickly moved into the second round with a 6-1, 6-0 defeat of Sarah Bentley. All 16 seeds that played Monday also advanced with ease.
The biggest loser Monday was crowd favorite Connors, who showed little of the enthusiasm that carried him through a series of Grand Slam match victories in 1991.
Last year was a joyride for Connors and his fans. He reached the third round at the French Open and Wimbledon and then rode a serious of incredible comebacks to the U.S. Open semifinals.
But 1992 has been a downer for Connors, who turns 40 in September. He lost to Michael Stich in the first round of the French Open last month and was defeated 6-2, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 by Herrera in Wimbledon's first round.
"My tennis is way past disappointment," said Connors, a two-time Wimbledon champion who said his chances of returning next year are less than 50-50. "I've been through all that, and got through it without ever crying and shedding tears."
Connors, who has won more singles matches than any other man at Wimbledon, was knocked out in the first round for only the second time in his 20 years on the grass courts.
Connors provided moments of high drama in his match with Herrera, saving three set points with lunging shots before losing the third set and then saving four match points in the next-to-last game of the match.
It was the only whiff of excitement on an opening day on which all the top seeds won with surgical-like precision.
Top men's seed Jim Courier, halfway to the Grand Slam after victories in the Australian and French opens, defeated Markus Zoecke 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to win his 24th straight match.
Second seed Stefan Edberg, a two-time Wimbledon winner, joined Courier in the second round with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 defeat of American Steve Bryan.
Defending champion Michael Stich, the third seed this year, swept to a 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Stefano Pescosolido. Fourth seed Boris Becker, a three-time champion, defeated Omar Camporese 7-5, 6-3, 7-5.
Fifth seed Pete Sampras had 10 aces in a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Andrei Cherkasov and sixth seed Petr Korda won 7-5, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 over Christian Bergstrom.
Other seeded men advancing were Goran Ivanisevic (eighth seed), Ivan Lendl (10th), Brad Gilbert (13th), Wayne Ferreira (14th) and Alexander Volkov (15th).