Vitas Gerulaitis facts for kids
Gerulaitis in 1978
|
|
| Full name | Vytautas Kevin Gerulaitis |
|---|---|
| Born | July 26, 1954 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 17, 1994 (aged 40) Southampton, New York, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Turned pro | 1971 |
| Retired | 1986 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$2,778,748 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 535–232 (69.75%) |
| Career titles | 26 |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (February 27, 1978) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1977Dec) |
| French Open | F (1980) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1977, 1978) |
| US Open | F (1979) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | F (1979, 1981) |
| WCT Finals | W (1978) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 164–123 |
| Career titles | 9 |
| Highest ranking | No. 43 (May 20, 1985) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (1983) |
| French Open | QF (1980) |
| Wimbledon | W (1975) |
| US Open | 3R (1972) |
Vitas Gerulaitis (born Vytautas Kevin Gerulaitis on July 26, 1954 – died September 17, 1994) was a famous American tennis player. He was known for his exciting style of play. In 1975, he won the men's doubles title at Wimbledon with his partner, Sandy Mayer.
Vitas also won a major singles title at the Australian Open in December 1977. He won two Italian Open tournaments in 1977 and 1979. In 1978, he won the WCT Finals in Dallas.
Contents
Early Life and Background
Vitas Gerulaitis was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were immigrants from Lithuania. He grew up in Howard Beach, Queens.
Vitas went to Archbishop Molloy High School and finished in 1971. He then went to Columbia College for one year. He decided to leave college to focus on playing tennis full-time.
People often called Vitas "The Lithuanian Lion." His younger sister, Ruta, was also a professional tennis player. Both Vitas and Ruta spoke Lithuanian at home.
Tennis Career Highlights
Vitas Gerulaitis helped the Pittsburgh Triangles win the World TeamTennis championship in 1975. He played for the Triangles from 1974 to 1976. He also played for another team, the Indiana Loves, in 1977.
From 1977 to 1983, Vitas was coached by Fred Stolle.
Major Tournament Success
Vitas won the men's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1975. He also reached the semifinals of the singles tournament at Wimbledon in both 1977 and 1978.
In 1977, he played a very famous Wimbledon semifinal match against his good friend, Björn Borg. Vitas lost this match, but many people still remember it as one of the best tennis matches ever played at Wimbledon.
In December 1977, Vitas won his biggest singles title at the Australian Open. He beat John Lloyd in a tough five-set final on New Year's Eve.
In 1978, Vitas won the WCT Finals, which was a big end-of-year tournament. He beat Eddie Dibbs easily in the final. By 1978, Vitas was ranked as the third-best men's singles player in the world.
Grand Slam Finals and Team Play
Vitas reached the men's singles final at the US Open in 1979. He lost to another New York player, John McEnroe.
He was also part of the U.S. team that won the Davis Cup in 1979. Vitas won two of his singles matches in the final, helping the U.S. team beat Italy 5–0.
Vitas made it to his third major singles final at the French Open in 1980. He lost this match to Björn Borg, who was the defending champion.
In February 1981, Vitas won a big tournament in Toronto. He beat Jimmy Connors in the semifinal and then John McEnroe in the final.
Throughout his career, Vitas won 25 top-level singles titles and 8 doubles titles. His highest singles ranking was world No. 3, which he reached in February 1978.
Vitas was known for how quickly he moved at the net and how well he covered the tennis court.
Later Career and Coaching
In 1985, Vitas teamed up with Bobby Riggs for a fun challenge against female tennis players. However, Vitas and Riggs lost their doubles match against Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver.
Vitas stopped playing professionally in 1986. After that, he became a regular tennis commentator for the USA network from 1988 to 1994.
In 1994, Vitas coached Pete Sampras during the Italian Open in Rome. Sampras's regular coach was on vacation. Sampras went on to win the tournament, beating Boris Becker in the final.
Passing Away
On September 17, 1994, Vitas Gerulaitis passed away at a friend's home in Southampton, New York. He died from carbon monoxide poisoning. This happened because a heater for the swimming pool was not installed correctly, and the gas leaked into the guesthouse where he was sleeping.
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 |
Remembering Vitas
The Vitas Gerulaitis Memorial Tennis Centre was opened in Vilnius, which is the capital city of Lithuania. There is also a street in Vilnius named after him.
Famous Quote
Vitas Gerulaitis once said something very famous after beating Jimmy Connors in a match: "And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row." This quote came after he finally beat Jimmy Connors at the Masters tournament in January 1980.
Video
- Wimbledon Classic Match: Gerulaitis vs Borg Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: October 31, 2006, Run Time: 180 minutes, ASIN B000ICLR8O.
