Vitas Gerulaitis

Vitas Gerulaitis
Gerulaitis in 1978
Full nameVytautas Kevin Gerulaitis
Country (sports) United States
Born(1954-07-26)July 26, 1954
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 17, 1994(1994-09-17) (aged 40)
Southampton, New York, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Turned pro1971
Retired1986
PlaysRight-handed
(one-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$2,778,748
Singles
Career record535–232 (69.8%)
Career titles26
Highest rankingNo. 3 (February 27, 1978)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (1977Dec)
French OpenF (1980)
WimbledonSF (1977, 1978)
US OpenF (1979)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsF (1979, 1981)
WCT FinalsW (1978)
Doubles
Career record164–123 (57.1%)
Career titles9
Highest rankingNo. 43 (May 20, 1985)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open1R (1983)
French OpenQF (1980)
WimbledonW (1975)
US Open3R (1972)

Vytautas "Vitas" Kevin Gerulaitis (July 26, 1954 – September 17, 1994) was an American professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1978. Gerulaitis won the men's singles title at the December 1977 Australian Open,[1] and the men's doubles title at the 1975 Wimbledon Championships, partnering with Sandy Mayer. Gerulaitis also won two Italian Opens in 1977 and 1979, and the 1978 WCT Finals.

Early life

Born to Lithuanian immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York, Gerulaitis grew up in Howard Beach, Queens,[2] attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, and graduated in 1971. He attended Columbia College of Columbia University with the class of 1975 for one year, then dropped out to pursue tennis full-time.[3]

Gerulaitis was nicknamed "The Lithuanian Lion".[4] His younger sister Ruta was also a professional tennis player; both siblings' native language was Lithuanian.[5]

Career highlights

Gerulaitis led the Pittsburgh Triangles to the World TeamTennis championship title at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena in 1975. Gerulaitis played for the Triangles from 1974 until 1976. He also played for the league's Indiana Loves franchise in 1977.

Gerulaitis was coached by Fred Stolle from 1977 until 1983.

He also won the men's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1975. He was a singles semifinalist at Wimbledon in both 1977 and 1978. In 1977 he lost a Wimbledon semifinal to his close friend and practice partner, Björn Borg, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 8–6, a match considered one of the greatest ever,[6] with journalist Curry Kirkpatrick stating shortly thereafter that it may have "been the finest ever played at Wimbledon".[7]

In December 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 on New Year's Eve.[1]

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. By 1978, he was the third-ranked men's singles player in the world.

Gerulaitis advanced to the men's singles finals at the US Open in 1979, but lost in straight sets to fellow New Yorker John McEnroe. He was a member of the U.S. team which won the Davis Cup in 1979 and won two singles "rubbers" in the final, as the U.S. swept Italy 5–0.

Gerulaitis reached his third Grand Slam singles final at the French Open in 1980, but lost in straight sets to defending champion Borg.

In February 1981, Gerulaitis won the star-laden Toronto Indoor invitational tournament, defeating Jimmy Connors in the semifinal and McEnroe in four sets the final.[8]

During his career, Gerulaitis won 25 top-level singles titles and eight doubles titles. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 3 which he reached on February 27, 1978.

Gerulaitis was known for his exceptionally quick hands at the net and his outstanding court coverage.[9] 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.[10]

He retired from the professional tour in 1986, and 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.

Death

On September 17, 1994, while visiting a friend's home in Southampton, New York, an improperly installed propane heater for the swimming pool caused carbon monoxide gas to seep into the guesthouse where Gerulaitis was sleeping, causing his death by carbon monoxide poisoning. He failed to show up for a dinner at 7 p.m. that Saturday evening and his body was found the following day by a maid who went to the guesthouse.[11][12][13] Gerulaitis' remains were interred in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.

Criminal charges of negligent homicide were later brought against the pool mechanic and the company he worked for. Both he and the company were acquitted in October 1996. Jurors heard testimony that a technician from the heater manufacturer had made adjustments several days before Gerulaitis' death and that even if an exhaust pipe had been longer, carbon monoxide (colorless and odorless) would have still been drawn into the air-conditioning vent because it is denser than air at low temperatures. Arthur M. Luxenberg, a lawyer for the Gerulaitis family, 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."[14]

The Gerulaitis family reached a confidential settlement with some of the defendants in their civil case by 2002.[15][16]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Win 1977 Australian Open (Dec.) Grass John Lloyd 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 5–7, 3–6, 6–2
Loss 1979 US Open Hard John McEnroe 5–7, 3–6, 3–6
Loss 1980 French Open Clay Björn Borg 4–6, 1–6, 2–6

Doubles: (1 title)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1975 Wimbledon Grass Sandy Mayer Colin Dowdeswell
Allan Stone		 7–5, 8–6, 6–4

Singles performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 SR W – L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open[a] A A A A A A A W A A 1R A A 2R 2R A NH 1 / 4 6-3
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
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 1/38 85–37
Year-end championships
Masters Grand Prix A A A A A A A A F A F R16 A R16 A A 0 / 4 6–6
WCT Finals A A A A A A SF W SF A A A SF QF A A 1 / 5 7–4
Win – Loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 2–0 4–3 0–0 3–2 0–1 2–1 1–2 0–0 0–0 1 / 9 13–10
Career statistics
Tournaments played 9 20 15 19 20 18 22 22 19 20 21 22 15 2 244
Titles – Finals 0–0 1–2 2–7 0–3 5–9 3–5 3–6 3–6 1–4 5–7 1–2 1–3 0–0 0–0 25–54
Overall Win – Loss 7–9 33–19 38–13 31–19 60–16 46–15 64–20 52–19 43–19 61–15 32–20 34–20 12–15 0–2 510–221
Win % 44% 63% 75% 62% 79% 75% 76% 73% 69% 80% 62% 63% 44% 0% 70%
Year-end ranking 131 47 15 18 4 5 4 9 9 5 20 17 81 799
  1. ^ The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

Career finals

Singles: 56 (26 titles, 30 runner-ups)

Result No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1. Mar 1974 Salt Lake City, US Hard (i) Jimmy Connors 6–4, 6–7, 3–6
Win 1. Nov 1974 Vienna, Austria Hard (i) Andrew Pattison 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Loss 2. Jan 1975 Philadelphia WCT, US Carpet Marty Riessen 6–7(1–7), 7–5, 2–6, 7–6(7–0), 3–6
Loss 3. Feb 1975 Roanoke, US Hard (i) Roger Taylor 6–7, 6–7
Loss 4. Feb 1975 Salisbury, US Carpet Jimmy Connors 7–5, 5–7, 1–6, 6–3, 0–6
Win 2. Mar 1975 New York City, US Carpet Jimmy Connors walkover
Loss 5. Mar 1975 Orlando WCT, US Hard Rod Laver 3–6, 4–6
Win 3. Apr 1975 St. Louis, US Clay Roscoe Tanner 2–6, 6–2, 6–3
Loss 6. Sep 1975 Bermuda Clay Jimmy Connors 1–6, 4–6
Loss 7. Jan 1976 Indianapolis WCT, US Carpet Arthur Ashe 2–6, 7–6(8–6), 4–6
Loss 8. Feb 1976 Toronto Indoor WCT, Canada Carpet Björn Borg 6–2, 3–6, 1–6
Loss 9. Apr 1976 Charlotte WCT, US Carpet Tony Roche 3–6, 6–3, 1–6
Loss 10. Feb 1977 Richmond WCT, US Carpet Tom Okker 6–3, 3–6, 4–6
Win 4. Feb 1977 Ocean City, US Hard Robert Lutz 3–6, 6–1, 6–2
Loss 11. Mar 1977 Monterrey WCT, Mexico Carpet Wojciech Fibak 4–6, 3–6
Loss 12. Apr 1977 London WCT, UK Hard (i) Eddie Dibbs 6–7(2–7), 7–6(7–5), 4–6
Loss 13. Apr 1977 Houston WCT, US Hard Adriano Panatta 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–3), 1–6
Win 5. May 1977 Rome, Italy Clay Tonino Zugarelli 6–2, 7–6(7–2), 3–6, 7–6(7–5)
Win 6. Oct 1977 Brisbane, Australia Grass Tony Roche 6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 7–5
Win 7. Oct 1977 Perth, Australia Hard Geoff Masters 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
Win 8. Dec 1977 Australian Open, Melbourne Grass John Lloyd 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 5–7, 3–6, 6–2
Win 9. Fev 1978 Richmond WCT, US Carpet John Newcombe 6–3, 6–4
Loss 14. Mar 1978 Las Vegas, US Hard Björn Borg 5–6(5–7), 6–5(7–5), 4–6, 5–6(4–7)
Loss 15. Apr 1978 Milan WCT, Italy Carpet Björn Borg 3–6, 3–6
Win 10. May 1978 WCT Finals, US Carpet Eddie Dibbs 6–3, 6–2, 6–1
Win 11. Jul 1978 Forest Hills, US – WCT Invitational Clay Ilie Năstase 6–2, 6–0
Win 12. Feb 1979 Arkansas, Little Rock US Carpet (i) Butch Walts 6–2, 6–2
Loss 16. Feb 1979 Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico Hard Jimmy Connors 5–6, 0–6, 4–6
Loss 17. Apr 1979 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Björn Borg 2–6, 1–6, 3–6
Win 13. May 1979 Rome, Italy Clay Guillermo Vilas 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–0), 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–2
Win 14. Jul 1979 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay Pavel Složil 6–2, 6–2, 6–4
Loss 18. Sep 1979 US Open, New York Hard John McEnroe 5–7, 3–6, 3–6
Win 15. Oct 1979 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Guillermo Vilas 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 7–6
Loss 19. Jan 1980 Masters, New York Carpet Björn Borg 2–6, 2–6
Loss 20. Feb 1980 Pepsi Grand Slam, Boca Raton Clay Björn Borg 1–6, 7–5, 1–6
Win 16. May 1980 WCT Tournament of Champions, US Clay John McEnroe 2–6, 6–2, 6–0
Loss 21. Jun 1980 French Open, Paris Clay Björn Borg 4–6, 1–6, 2–6
Win 17. Jul 1980 Stuttgart Outdoor, Germany Clay Wojciech Fibak 6–2, 7–5, 6–2
Loss 22. Oct 1980 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) John McEnroe 3–6, 4–6
Win 18. Oct 1980 Melbourne Indoor, Australia Carpet Peter McNamara 7–5, 6–3
Loss 23. Jan 1981 Monterrey WCT, Mexico Carpet Johan Kriek 6–7, 6–3, 6–7
Loss 24. Oct 1981 Melbourne Indoor, Australia Carpet Peter McNamara 6–4, 1–6, 5–5 retired
Win 19. Nov 1981 Johannesburg, South Africa Hard Jeff Borowiak 6–4, 7–6, 6–1
Loss 25. Jan 1982 Masters, New York Carpet Ivan Lendl 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 6–7(6–8), 2–6, 4–6
Loss 26. Feb 1982 Genova WCT, Italy Carpet Ivan Lendl 7–6, 4–6, 4–6, 3–6
Win 20. Mar 1982 Brussels, Belgium Hard (i) Mats Wilander 4–6, 7–6, 6–2
Loss 27. Apr 1982 Zürich WCT, Switzerland Carpet Bill Scanlon 5–7, 6–7, 6–1, 6–0, 4–6
Win 21. May 1982 Florence, Italy Clay Stefan Simonsson 4–6, 6–3, 6–1
Win 22. Aug 1982 Toronto, Canada Hard Ivan Lendl 4–6, 6–1, 6–3
Win 23. Oct 1982 Melbourne Indoor, Australia Carpet Eliot Teltscher 2–6, 6–2, 6–2
Win 24. Nov 1982 Johannesburg, South Africa Hard Guillermo Vilas 7–6, 6–2, 4–6, 7–6
Loss 28. May 1983 Forest Hills WCT, US Clay John McEnroe 3–6, 5–7
Win 25. Oct 1983 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Wojciech Fibak 4–6, 6–1, 7–5, 5–5 retired
Loss 29. Aug 1984 Toronto, Canada Hard John McEnroe 0–6, 3–6
Win 26. Nov 1984 Treviso, Italy Carpet Tarik Benhabiles 6–1, 6–1
Loss 30. Nov 1984 Johannesburg, South Africa Hard Eliot Teltscher 3–6, 1–6, 6–7

Doubles: 21 (9–12)

Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1. Jan 1974 Roanoke, US Carpet Sandy Mayer Ian Crookenden
Jeff Simpson 		7–6, 6–1
Loss 1. Feb 1974 Little Rock, US Carpet Bob Hewitt Jürgen Fassbender
Karl Meiler 		0–6, 2–6
Win 2. Mar 1974 Salt Lake City, US Indoors Jimmy Connors Iván Molina
Jairo Velasco Sr. 		2–6, 7–6, 7–5
Loss 2. Nov 1974 Oslo, Norway Indoor Jeff Borowiak Karl Meiler
Haroon Rahim 		3–6, 2–6
Win 3. Feb 1975 Roanoke, US Carpet Sandy Mayer Juan Gisbert
Ion Țiriac 		7–6, 1–6, 6–3
Win 4. Jul 1975 Wimbledon, London Grass Sandy Mayer Colin Dowdeswell
Allan Stone 		7–5, 8–6, 6–4
Loss 3. Jan 1976 Indianapolis WCT, US Carpet Tom Gorman Robert Lutz
Stan Smith 		2–6, 4–6
Win 5. Feb 1976 Boca Raton, US Clay Clark Graebner Bruce Manson
Butch Walts 		6–2, 6–4
Win 6. Feb 1976 Fort Worth WCT, US Carpet Sandy Mayer Eddie Dibbs
Harold Solomon 		6–4, 7–5
Loss 4. Apr 1976 Charlotte WCT, US Clay Gene Mayer John Newcombe
Tony Roche 		3–6, 5–7
Loss 5. Aug 1976 South Orange, US Clay Ilie Năstase Fred McNair
Marty Riessen 		5–7, 6–4, 2–6
Loss 6. May 1977 Masters Doubles WCT, New York Carpet Adriano Panatta Vijay Amritraj
Dick Stockton 		6–7, 6–7, 6–4, 3–6
Win 7. Oct 1977 Brisbane, Australia Grass Bill Scanlon Mal Anderson
Ken Rosewall 		7–6, 6–4
Win 8. Jan 1978 Birmingham WCT, US Carpet Sandy Mayer Frew McMillan
Dick Stockton 		3–6, 6–1, 7–6
Loss 7. Jan 1978 Philadelphia WCT, US Carpet Sandy Mayer Bob Hewitt
Frew McMillan 		4–6, 4–6
Loss 8. Feb 1978 Richmond WCT, US Carpet Sandy Mayer Bob Hewitt
Frew McMillan 		3–6, 5–7
Win 9. Feb 1979 Arkansas, U.S. Hard (i) Vladimír Zedník Phil Dent
Colin Dibley 		5–7, 6–3, 7–5
Loss 9. Apr 1980 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay John McEnroe Paolo Bertolucci
Adriano Panatta 		2–6, 7–5, 3–6
Loss 10. Dec 1980 Sydney Outdoor, Australia Grass Brian Gottfried Peter McNamara
Paul McNamee 		2–6, 4–6
Loss 11. Apr 1981 Frankfurt, Germany Carpet John McEnroe Brian Teacher
Butch Walts 		5–7, 7–6, 5–7
Loss 12. Mar 1985 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet Paul McNamee Pavel Složil
Tomáš Šmíd 		4–6, 4–6

Commemoration

The Vitas Gerulaitis Memorial Tennis Centre was opened in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.[17] Also, a street in Vilnius is named after him. The song An Outbreak of Vitas Gerulaitis by Birkenhead band Half Man Half Biscuit, from their 1991 album McIntyre, Treadmore and Davitt also references the player, albeit obliquely.

In 2023, the book "Vitas Gerulaitis: Portrait of a Champion" was published, and in the text both Jimmy Connors and Björn Borg said if Gerulaitis was not inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, they both would consider rescinding their inductions.

Quote

"And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row."[18]

– after defeating Jimmy Connors at the January 1980 Masters.

References

  1. ^ a b "Painful victory for Gerulaitis". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 1, 1978. p. D2.
  2. ^ Sports of The Times; 'We've Lost Another of Our Kids', The New York Times, September 20, 1994. Accessed November 3, 2007.
  3. ^ Sachare, Alex. "Roar, Lion Roar: Spectator Heralds Columbia's Greatest Athletes". Columbia College Today. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  4. ^ "Read 'em and Leap". People. November 19, 1979. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
  5. ^ Araton, Harvey (March 4, 2010). "In the court of the ultimate tennis playboy". The Independent. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  6. ^ "Classic Matches: Borg v Gerulaitis". May 31, 2004. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Kirkpatrick, Curry (July 11, 1977). "Wimbledon Was Never Better". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Gerulaitis has ringside seat for McEnroe's net tantrums". Calgary Herald. Canadian Press. February 9, 1981. p. D7.
  9. ^ Finn, Robin (September 20, 1994). "Tennis Greats Call Gerulaitis A Friend First". The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  10. ^ Penner, Mike (August 24, 1985). "Navratilova, Shriver Swat Down Chauvinists". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  11. ^ "Gerulaitis, ex-tennis great, dies". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. September 19, 1994. p. 2B.
  12. ^ "Carbon monoxide killed Gerulaitis, investigators say". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. September 20, 1994. p. 2D.
  13. ^ Gerulaitis died of Carbon monoxide poisoning, Philly.com, September 20, 1994.
  14. ^ Rather, John (October 5, 1996). "Acquittal In Death Of Gerulaitis". The New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  15. ^ Fried, Joseph P. (June 16, 2002). "Following Up". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  16. ^ "Gerulaitis v. Recreational Concepts". casetext.com. July 1, 2002. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  17. ^ "GB's trip into the unknown". BBC News. September 23, 2009.
  18. ^ "Roger Federer Unbuttoned". International Herald Tribune. July 9, 2009 – via The New York Times.

Video

  • Wimbledon Classic Match: Gerulaitis vs Borg Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: October 31, 2006, Run Time: 180 minutes, ASIN B000ICLR8O.
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