Vitas Gerulaitis
Vytautas "Vitas" Kevin Gerulaitis was an American professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals in 1978. Gerulaitis won the men's singles title at the [1977 Australian Open (December) – Men's singles|December 1977 Italian Open – Men's singles|1977 Australian Open], and the men's doubles title at the [1975 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon Championships – Men's doubles|1975 Wimbledon Championships], partnering with Sandy Mayer. Gerulaitis also won two Italian Opens in 1977 and 1979, and the 1978 WCT Finals.
Early life
Gerulaitis was named for 15th century Lithuanian King Vytautas the Great, a name Gerulaitis shared with his father.Born to Lithuanian immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York, Gerulaitis grew up in Howard Beach, Queens, attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, and graduated in 1971. He attended Columbia College of Columbia University for one year, before dropping out to pursue his tennis career full-time.
Gerulaitis was nicknamed "The Lithuanian Lion". His younger sister Ruta was also a professional tennis player; both siblings' native language was Lithuanian.
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, with journalist Curry Kirkpatrick stating shortly thereafter that it may have "been the finest ever played at Wimbledon".
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, despite suffering from leg cramps in the last two sets.
In 1978, Gerulaitis won the year-end championship WCT Finals for the World Championship Tennis tour, beating Eddie Dibbs in straight sets. 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 in the final. He lost in the 1981 Masters final against Ivan Lendl after leading 2 sets to 0 and match point.
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.
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.
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.
Personal Life
Gerulaitis was a flamboyant figure, known for his larger-than-life persona, long blonde hair, and hard partying almost as much as he was for his tennis. At the same time, he took the sport very seriously, not letting his extravagances get in the way of doing his utmost to excel as a player.Gerulaitis was extremely popular among his fellow tennis stars, as he was with the public.
Once he became successful, he was often seen on the town with well known celebrities and models. He also dated fellow tennis player Chris Evert, and was engaged to model Janet Gretzky for two years when she was still actress Janet Jones. Gerulaitis never married.
Gerulaitis spread his money around. Once he achieved success, he purchased a mansion for his parents, bought himself a Lamborghini, two Rolls Royces, a Mercedes, and a Porsche. Yet he was also known for being quite charitable with both his time and his money.
After his tennis career ended, Gerulaitis opened a night club in Dallas, explaining that he knew the night life well from his own personal experience.
Gerulaitis admitted using cocaine, and formed a dependency after his tennis career ended, but had beaten back the addiction before his death.
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. 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 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."
The Gerulaitis family reached a confidential settlement with some of the defendants in their civil case by 2002.
Commemoration
The Vitas Gerulaitis Memorial Tennis Centre was opened in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. 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 that if Gerulaitis was not inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, they both would consider rescinding their inductions.