Gerulaitis tennis player

By Scoop Malinowski.

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.

Gerulaitis tennis player

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. This is Vitas' room. US Edition. UK Edition. Scottish Sun. Irish Sun. My Account. Sign in.

Gerulaitis and her brother teamed up at the US Open to make the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles.

In , he won the men's doubles title at Wimbledon , partnering with Sandy Mayer. He won the men's singles title at the latter of the two Australian Open tournaments held in December ; [1] Roscoe Tanner won earlier in January. He attended Columbia College of Columbia University with the class of for one year, then dropped out to pursue tennis full-time. Gerulaitis was nicknamed "The Lithuanian Lion". Gerulaitis played for the Triangles from until He also played for the league's Indiana Loves franchise in Gerulaitis was coached by Fred Stolle from until

Every day Tennis Majors takes you back in time to celebrate a significant moment in tennis history. Today, we go back to , to the day tennis great Vitas Gerulaitis died at the age of 40 from an accidental case of carbon monoxide poisoning. Vitas Gerulaitis was born in in New York to Lithuanian parents who had fled their country during the war. Gerulaitis attended Columbia College of Columbia University for one year in , before dropping out of college to dedicate his life to tennis. In , he lost the final of the Masters Cup, after having missed a match point and seeing Ivan Lendl coming back from two-sets-to-love down , , , , It was during that final that Lendl famously aimed a passing shot straight at Gerulaitis to save a break point in the third set, almost knocking him out. Throughout his career, Gerulaitis accumulated 26 titles and lost 30 finals. Although Gerulaitis was known for partying more than any other professional athlete, his success on-court relied on great work ethic, as sportswriter Steve Flink explained on ATPTour. But that was only a part of who he was. He also was a top of the line professional who worked very hard at his craft and competed with a lot of integrity.

Gerulaitis tennis player

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. He knew that he would have been killed by the Russians. We went to Vienna for about six months and then to Germany because of the bombing.

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Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row. My lasting memory of Vitas… his huge heart, incredibly generous, always upbeat, a real zest for life, a real concern for inner-city youth and how took great care of his family. Gerulaitis, the daughter of Lithuanian immigrants , grew up in New York City. Wikibooks 0 entries edit. Ian Crookenden Jeff Simpson. Namespaces Item Discussion. Jimmy Connors. Vitas Gerulaitis. Munzinger Sport number. F ,

The undeniable legacy of Vitas Gerulaitis: How to be a better human He did this with his spirit, a Pied Piper-like capacity for inclusion, generosity and empathy—be it donating thousands of racquets to at-risk children, to treating numerous friends and newly met acquaintances for meals. By Joel Drucker.

He was a member of the U. Sydney Indoor , Australia. Find a Grave. 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. January 1, He learned that from me. ATP player ID. The day after the match, Gerulaitis sought out Borg, who was about to start practicing for the finals. Broke my heart when he died. They wanted to see HIM play the next day, not the other poor sap. Wimbledon men's doubles champions. Read Edit View history. Roanoke , US.