Vitas Gerulaitis
Country (sports) | United States |
---|---|
Born | Brooklyn, New York | 26 July 1954
Died | 17 September 1994 | (aged 40)
Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
Turned pro | 1971 |
Retired | 1986 |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Singles | |
Career record | 510 - 221 (at Grand Prix tour, WCT tour, and Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
Career titles | 25 |
Highest ranking | 3 (27 February 1978) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | W (1977) |
French Open | F (1980) |
Wimbledon | SF (1977, 1978) |
US Open | F (1979) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 164 - 123 (at Grand Prix tour, WCT tour, and Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
Career titles | 8 |
Highest ranking | 43 |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Australian Open | 1R (1983) |
French Open | QF (1980) |
Wimbledon | W (1975) |
US Open | 3R (1972) |
Vytautas Kevin Gerulaitis (July 26, 1954 – September 17, 1994) was a Lithuanian–American professional tennis player. He is known for winning the men's singles title at one of the two Australian Open tournaments held in 1977. Gerulaitis won the tournament held in December, while Roscoe Tanner won the earlier January tournament. Gerulaitis also won two Italian Open titles, in 1977 and 1979, and the prestigious WCT Finals in Dallas in 1978.
Career highlights
Gerulaitis led the Pittsburgh Triangles to the World Team Tennis championship title at Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena in 1975. He also won the men's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1975. He was a singles semi-finalist at Wimbledon in both 1977 and 1978. In 1977 he lost a long Wimbledon semi-final to his close friend and practice partner, Björn Borg 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 8–6.[1] In 1977 Gerulaitis won the most significant title of his career at the Australian Open, when he defeated John Lloyd in the men's singles final in five sets.
In 1978 Gerulaitis won the year-end championship WCT Finals for the World Championship Tennis tour, beating Eddie Dibbs 6–3, 6–2, 6–1.
In 1979 Gerulaitis lost in the men's singles finals at the US Open to fellow New Yorker, John McEnroe, in straight sets. He was a member of the United States team which won the Davis Cup in 1979. He won two singles "rubbers" in the final, as the US beat Italy 5–0.
Gerulaitis reached his third Grand Slam singles final in 1980, when he lost in the final of the French Open to Björn Borg in straight sets.
During his career Gerulaitis won 25 top-level singles titles and 8 doubles titles. His career-high singles ranking was World No. 3 in 1978. He retired from the professional tour in 1986.
Gerulaitis is the subject of a Half Man Half Biscuit song from the McIntyre, Treadmore and Davitt album "Outbreak of Vitas Gerulaitis".
Biography
Gerulaitis was born on July 26, 1954, in Brooklyn, NY, to Lithuanian immigrant parents, and grew up in Howard Beach, Queens.[2] He attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, graduating in 1971. He attended Columbia College of Columbia University for one year before dropping out to pursue tennis full time. By 1978 he was the third-ranked men's singles player in the world.
Gerulaitis was known for his exceptionally quick hands at the net and his outstanding court coverage.[3] With his dash of long blond hair he was a precursor (in style at least) to Andre Agassi. Gerulaitis is considered one of the great "might-have-beens" of tennis.[citation needed]
In 1985 Gerulaitis teamed with Bobby Riggs to launch a challenge to female players after the famous Battle of the Sexes. The stunt, however, was short-lived when Gerulaitis and Riggs lost a doubles match against Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver.
Gerulaitis was a regular tennis commentator on the USA network between 1988 and 1994.
Gerulaitis coached Pete Sampras during the 1994 Italian Open in Rome, when Sampras' coach, Tim Gullikson, was on a family vacation. Sampras won the title by defeating Boris Becker in the final in straight sets.
Gerulaitis died on September 17, 1994, at the age of 40. While visiting a friend's home in Southampton, Long Island, a malfunction in a propane heater caused carbon monoxide gas to seep into the guesthouse where Gerulaitis was sleeping, causing his death. Gerulaitis failed to show up for a dinner at 7pm that evening and his body was found the following day by a maid who went to the guesthouse [4]. Gerulaitis is interred in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 3 (1–2)
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
Winner | 1977 | Australian Open (December) | Grass | John Lloyd | 6–3, 7–6(7–1), 5–7, 3–6, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 1979 | US Open | Hard | John McEnroe | 5–7, 3–6, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 1980 | French Open | Clay | Björn Borg | 4–6, 1–6, 2–6 |
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
Tournament | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | Career SR | Career Win-Loss |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open (Jan) | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 / 0 | 0–0 |
French Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | F | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 0 / 7 | 16–7 |
Wimbledon | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | QF | SF | SF | 1R | 4R | 4R | QF | 2R | 4R | 3R | A | 0 / 12 | 30–12 |
US Open | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 4R | SF | F | 2R | SF | 1R | 3R | 4R | 3R | A | 0 / 15 | 33–15 |
Australian Open (Dec) | - | - | - | - | - | - | W | A | A | 1R | A | A | 2R | 2R | A | A | 1 / 4 | 6–3 |
Grand Slam Win-Loss | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 7–2 | 14–2 | 10–2 | 11–3 | 10–4 | 8–3 | 8–3 | 3–4 | 7–4 | 4–3 | 0–0 | N/A | 85–37 |
Grand Slam SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 1 / 38 | N/A |
– = tournament did not take place at this time
A = did not participate in the tournament
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
Grand Prix, WCT, and Grand Slam singles finals (54)
Wins (25)
Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1. | 1974 | Salt Lake City, U.S. | Indoors | Jimmy Connors | 6–4, 6–7, 3–6 |
Winner | 1. | 1974 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Andrew Pattison | 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2. | 1975 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Marty Riessen | 6–7(1–7), 7–5, 2–6, 7–6(7–0), 3–6 |
Runner-up | 3. | 1975 | Roanoke, U.S. | Indoors | Roger Taylor | 6–7, 6–7 |
Runner-up | 4. | 1975 | Salisbury, U.S. | Carpet | Jimmy Connors | 7–5, 5–7, 1–6, 6–3, 0–6 |
Winner | 2. | 1975 | New York City, U.S. | Indoor | Jimmy Connors | W/O |
Runner-up | 5. | 1975 | Orlando WCT, U.S. | Hard | Rod Laver | 3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 3. | 1975 | St. Louis, U.S. | Clay | Roscoe Tanner | 2–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 6. | 1975 | Bermuda | Clay | Jimmy Connors | 1–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 7. | 1976 | Indianapolis WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Arthur Ashe | 2–6, 7–6(8–6), 4–6 |
Runner-up | 8. | 1976 | Toronto Indoor WCT, Canada | Carpet | Björn Borg | 6–2, 3–6, 1–6 |
Runner-up | 9. | 1976 | Charlotte WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Tony Roche | 3–6, 6–3, 1–6 |
Runner-up | 10. | 1977 | Richmond WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Tom Okker | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 4. | 1977 | Ocean City, U.S. | Hard | Robert Lutz | 3–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 11. | 1977 | Monterrey WCT, Mexico | Carpet | Wojtek Fibak | 4–6, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 12. | 1977 | London WCT, England | Hard (i) | Eddie Dibbs | 6–7(2–7), 7–6(7–5), 4–6 |
Runner-up | 13. | 1977 | Houston WCT, U.S. | Hard | Adriano Panatta | 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–3), 1–6 |
Winner | 5. | 1977 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Antonio Zugarelli | 6–2, 7–6(7–2), 3–6, 7–6(7–5) |
Winner | 6. | 1977 | Brisbane, Australia | Grass | Tony Roche | 6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 7–5 |
Winner | 7. | 1977 | Perth, Australia | Hard | Geoff Masters | 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 |
Winner | 8. | 1977 | Australian Open-2, Melbourne | Grass | John Lloyd | 6–3, 7–6(7–1), 5–7, 3–6, 6–2 |
Winner | 9. | 1978 | Richmond WCT, U.S. | Carpet | John Newcombe | 6–3, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 14. | 1978 | Las Vegas, U.S. | Hard | Björn Borg | 5–6, 6–5, 4–6, 5–6 |
Runner-up | 15. | 1978 | Milan WCT, Italy | Carpet | Björn Borg | 3–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 10. | 1978 | WCT Finals, U.S. | Carpet | Eddie Dibbs | 6–3, 6–2, 6–1 |
Winner | 11. | 1978 | Forest Hills, U.S. - WCT Invitational | Clay | Ilie Năstase | 6–2, 6–0 |
Runner-up | 16. | 1979 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Björn Borg | 2–6, 1–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 12. | 1979 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–0), 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–2 |
Winner | 13. | 1979 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | Pavel Složil | 6–2, 6–2, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 17. | 1979 | US Open, New York City | Hard | John McEnroe | 5–7, 3–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 14. | 1979 | Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | Guillermo Vilas | 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 18. | 1979 | Masters, New York City | Carpet | Björn Borg | 2–6, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 19. | 1980 | Pepsi Grand Slam, Boca Raton | Clay | Björn Borg | 1–6, 7–5, 1–6 |
Winner | 15. | 1980 | WCT Tournament of Champions, U.S. | Clay | John McEnroe | 2–6, 6–2, 6–0 |
Runner-up | 20. | 1980 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Björn Borg | 4–6, 1–6, 2–6 |
Winner | 16. | 1980 | Stuttgart Outdoor, Germany | Clay | Wojtek Fibak | 6–2, 7–5, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 21. | 1980 | Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | John McEnroe | 3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 17. | 1980 | Melbourne Indoor, Australia | Carpet | Peter McNamara | 7–5, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 22. | 1981 | Monterrey WCT, Mexico | Carpet | Johan Kriek | 6–7, 6–3, 6–7 |
Runner-up | 23. | 1981 | Melbourne Indoor, Australia | Carpet | Peter McNamara | 6–4, 1–6, 5–5 retired |
Winner | 18. | 1981 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Jeff Borowiak | 6–4, 7–6, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 24. | 1981 | Masters, New York City | Carpet | Ivan Lendl | 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 6–7(8–6), 2–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 25. | 1982 | Genova WCT, Italy | Carpet | Ivan Lendl | 7–6, 4–6, 4–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 19. | 1982 | Brussels, Belgium - Belgian Indoor | Hard (i) | Mats Wilander | 4–6, 7–6, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 26. | 1982 | Zürich WCT, Switzerland | Carpet | Bill Scanlon | 5–7, 6–7, 6–1, 6–0, 4–6 |
Winner | 20. | 1982 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Stefan Simonsson | 4–6, 6–3, 6–1 |
Winner | 21. | 1982 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Ivan Lendl | 4–6, 6–1, 6–3 |
Winner | 22. | 1982 | Melbourne Indoor, Australia | Carpet | Eliot Teltscher | 2–6, 6–2, 6–2 |
Winner | 23. | 1982 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Guillermo Vilas | 7–6, 6–2, 4–6, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 27. | 1983 | Forest Hills WCT, U.S. | Clay | John McEnroe | 3–6, 5–7 |
Winner | 24. | 1983 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) | Wojtek Fibak | 4–6, 6–1, 7–5, 5–5, retired |
Runner-up | 28. | 1984 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | John McEnroe | 0–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 25. | 1984 | Treviso, Italy | Carpet | Tarik Benhabiles | 6–1, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 29. | 1984 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Eliot Teltscher | 3–6, 1–6, 6–7 |
Grand Prix, WCT, and Grand Slam doubles finals (20)
Wins (8)
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 1. | 1974 | Roanoke, U.S. | Indoors | Sandy Mayer | Ian Crookenden Jeff Simpson |
7–6, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 1. | 1974 | Little Rock, U.S. | Carpet | Bob Hewitt | Jürgen Fassbender Karl Meiler |
0–6, 2–6 |
Winner | 2. | 1974 | Salt Lake City, U.S. | Indoors | Jimmy Connors | Iván Molina Jairo Velasco |
2–6, 7–6, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 2. | 1974 | Oslo, Norway | Indoor | Jeff Borowiak | Karl Meiler Haroon Rahim |
3–6, 2–6 |
Winner | 3. | 1975 | Roanoke, U.S. | Indoors | Sandy Mayer | Juan Gisbert Ion Ţiriac |
7–6, 1–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 4. | 1975 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Sandy Mayer | Colin Dowdeswell Allan Stone |
7–5, 8–6, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 3. | 1976 | Indianapolis WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Tom Gorman | Robert Lutz Stan Smith |
2–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 5. | 1976 | Boca Raton, U.S. | Hard | Clark Graebner | Bruce Manson Butch Walts |
6–2, 6–4 |
Winner | 6. | 1976 | Fort Worth WCT, U.S. | Hard | Sandy Mayer | Eddie Dibbs Harold Solomon |
6–4, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 4. | 1976 | Charlotte WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Gene Mayer | John Newcombe Tony Roche |
3–6, 5–7 |
Runner-up | 5. | 1976 | South Orange, U.S. | Clay | Ilie Năstase | Fred McNair Marty Riessen |
5–7, 6–4, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 6. | 1977 | Masters Doubles WCT, New York | Carpet | Adriano Panatta | Vijay Amritraj Dick Stockton |
6–7, 6–7, 6–4, 3–6 |
Winner | 7. | 1977 | Brisbane, Australia | Grass | Bill Scanlon | Mal Anderson Ken Rosewall |
7–6, 6–4 |
Winner | 8. | 1978 | Birmingham WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Sandy Mayer | Frew McMillan Dick Stockton |
3–6, 6–1, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 7. | 1978 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Sandy Mayer | Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan |
4–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 8. | 1978 | Richmond WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Sandy Mayer | Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan |
3–6, 5–7 |
Runner-up | 9. | 1980 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | John McEnroe | Paolo Bertolucci Adriano Panatta |
2–6, 7–5, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 10. | 1980 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Grass | Brian Gottfried | Peter McNamara Paul McNamee |
2–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 11. | 1981 | Frankfurt, Germany | Carpet | John McEnroe | Brian Teacher Butch Walts |
5–7, 7–6, 5–7 |
Runner-up | 12. | 1985 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Paul McNamee | Pavel Složil Tomáš Šmíd |
4–6, 4–6 |
Quote
"And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row"
- – after beating Jimmy Connors at the January 1980 Masters. Gerulaitis had lost their previous 16 matches.
References
- ^ Classic Matches: Borg v Gerulaitis
- ^ Sports of The Times; 'We've Lost Another of Our Kids', The New York Times, September 20, 1994. Accessed November 3, 2007.
- ^ Finn, Robin (1994-09-20). "Tennis Greats Call Gerulaitis A Friend First". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- ^ Gerulaitis died of Carbon monoxide poisoning, Philly.com, September 20, 1994.
Video
- Wimbledon Classic Match: Gerulaitis vs Borg Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: October 31, 2006, Run Time: 180 minutes, ASIN: B000ICLR8O.
External links
- Vitas Gerulaitis at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- {{ITF profile}} template using deprecated numeric ID.
- Vitas Gerulaitis at the Davis Cup
- Accidental deaths in New York
- American male tennis players
- American people of Lithuanian descent
- American Roman Catholics
- Archbishop Molloy High School alumni
- Australian Open (tennis) champions
- Lithuanian emigrants to the United States
- Lithuanian male tennis players
- Burials at Saint Charles Cemetery
- Columbia Lions tennis players
- Deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning
- Sportspeople from Brooklyn
- Sportspeople from Queens
- Tennis people from New York
- Wimbledon champions
- 1954 births
- 1994 deaths