"I was hungry and it was getting late" - When Ilie Nastase left Jimmy Connors' US Open clash against John McEnroe's brother Patrick

Ilie Nastase once left a US Open match between Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe's brother Patrick because he felt hungry.

The year was 1991 and Connors, who was 39 at the time, entered the tournament as a wildcard, and faced Patrick McEnroe in the opening round. He came back from two sets down to win 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 and reach the second round. Nastase attended the match but was not present during its entirety.

The day after the match, Connors met the Romanian and said he was greeted with excitement.

"Jimmy, Jimmy the king," Nastasie said to Connors.

The American told Nastase that he knew the Romanian had left the match last night.

"I know you left last night," Connors said as per the New York Times.

Nastase responded by claiming that he was hungry and it was getting late at the time.

"I was hungry and it was getting late," the Romanian said.

Connors reiterated that he saw the whole incident play out.

"I saw you walk out. I see everything, you know," Connors told Nastasie.

Nastase then said that he later turned on the TV and saw Connors' comeback.

"But then we put on the TV later, and saw the whole comeback," said Nastase. "We were laughing so hard. I said: 'He must be careful. his heart is going to explode'. I should have known better. Jimmy you can never count out."

Connors went on to reach the semifinals of the 1991 US Open with further wins over Michiel Schapers, Karol Novacek, Aaron Krickstien and Paul Haarhuis. Here, he lost 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 to eventual runner-up Jim Courier.

Jimmy Connors won two Grand Slam doubles titles partnering Ilie Nastase

Jimmy Connors in action at Wimbledon 1976

Jimmy Connors won two Grand Slam doubles titles and Ilie Nastase was his partner on both occasions.

The pair's first Major came at the 1973 Wimbledon Championships when they beat the Australian duo of Neale Fraser and John Cooper in the final. Their second Grand Slam title came at the 1975 US Open where they triumphed over Tom Okker and Marty Riessen in the title clash.

In singles, Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase locked horns on 27 occasions, with the Romanian leading 15-12 in the head-to-head. Their first encounter came in Salisbury in 1971, with Nastase winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

They squared off just twice in Grand Slams, with the Romanian winning in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 1972 while Connors triumphed in the fourth round of the 1982 US Open. The last encounter between the two came during a Davis Cup tie between USA and Romania in 1984, with Connors winning 6-4, 6-4.