Gerulaitis tennis player

American tennis player. Vytautas Kevin Gerulaitis.

After finally getting the better of Jimmy Connors in , the flamboyant New Yorker joked: "Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row! Gerulaitis was one of tennis' great entertainers both on and off the court in the late s and early s thanks to his long, curly blond hair, hilarious post-match quotes and dynamic playing style. The Lithuanian Lion won 27 singles and nine doubles titles, and was ranked as high as No. Yet for all his efforts on the court, Gerulaitis' larger-than-life personality overshadowed his tennis game. He frequently partied with celebrities at Studio 54 in New York City, drove a Rolls-Royce, dated beautiful models and needed treatment for a serious drug habit. Gerulaitis was making his name as a broadcaster and coach when he tragically died in September at just Staying in a guest house in Long Island, Gerulaitis died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning due to an improperly installed pool heater.

Gerulaitis tennis player

Starting in the mids, Vitas Gerulaitis was recognized as a top American tennis player with a flamboyant style and a funny-sounding name. After retiring from competitive action in , he worked as a tennis commentator until That same year tragedy struck when he unexpectedly died in a bizarre incident of carbon monoxide poisoning. Vitas Gerulaitis arrived on the scene when World TeamTennis was becoming popular, increasing the profile and the prize money for the sport. The season was the best of his career. Gerulaitis had a near-miss at Wimbledon, losing in the semifinals in a five-set thriller to Bjorn Borg. Later that year, he won his first and only singles title at the Australian Open, defeating John Lloyd in five sets. Vitas Gerulaitis had a couple of other opportunities to capture Grand Slam singles titles but came up just short, losing in the finals to John McEnroe at the U. Open and again to Borg at the French Open. In addition to his long-flowing locks, Vitas Gerulaitis had something else that made him stand out amongst the competition. Gerulaitis was unique in that he could set aside those competitive juices, disconnect from the game, and befriend his competition like no one else.

Luxenberg, a lawyer for gerulaitis tennis player Gerulaitis family, gerulaitis tennis player, stated that Gerulaitis' mother and sister believed the verdict to be fair, and he went on to state that the testimony at the trial "confirmed to us what we always knew: that there were a lot of other people involved in this matter. He was both a great player and a great person. He was just much better at it.

By Scoop Malinowski. John McEnroe and the Roland Garros final vs. Bjorn Borg. Gerulaitis won 26 overall ATP singles titles and eight more in doubles including Wimbledon doubles title with Sandy Mayer. His highest career ranking was ATP no.

US Open. Published Aug 21, Vitas Gerulaitis was a fine player who had the misfortune, in terms of tennis achievements, to play in a golden age dominated by Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Nobody, however, contributed more to making tennis the coolest sport in town. He also did cocaine, was treated for addiction and named in a federal grand jury investigation for drug-dealing, later cleared of any wrongdoing. We thought we would go back one day, but we never did.

Gerulaitis tennis player

Appealingly confident and charismatic, he was popular with crowds and colleagues because he brought so much flair and imagination with him to his stage on the courts. He could often be cantankerous and vulgar with officials, exploding with rage and expletives, revealing his darker side in the harsh glare of the public spotlight. But he was an engaging personality: bright and frequently buoyant, energetic and enterprising. At the time of his death at the age of 40, Gerulaitis seemed to be quite comfortable with his life and with himself.

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He was Gerulaitis won only one Grand Slam event singles title, the Australian Open, but reached the final in two others, losing to McEnroe in the U.

Accessed November 3, Contents move to sidebar hide. September 20, ITF player ID before archived. Nationale Thesaurus voor Auteursnamen ID. Wikiquote 2 entries edit. Sport Tennis Bob Williams. In other projects. Later that year, he won his first and only singles title at the Australian Open, defeating John Lloyd in five sets. I remember I really played okay. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Just against the very best. Vitas Gerulaitis becomes top player and wins Australian Open. Retrieved March 1,