Gerulaitis, Vitas

▪ 1995

      U.S. tennis player (b. July 26, 1954, Brooklyn, N.Y.—d. Sept. 18, 1994, Southampton, N.Y.), by means of his court-sweeping speed, precision shots, and dependable forehand, ranked among the top 10 professional tennis players from 1977 to 1982; he won only one Grand Slam event, however, the 1977 Australian Open singles title. The shaggy-haired Gerulaitis was one of the circuit's most visible personalities, and his high-spirited lifestyle ensured that his name remained in the headlines. During his 14-year career he won 27 singles and 9 doubles tournaments. Gerulaitis captured the 1975 Wimbledon doubles championship and the Italian Open twice (1977 and 1979); he reached the finals in the 1979 U.S. Open and 1980 French Open. During the 1980s Gerulaitis admitted that he had been treated for drug abuse, and in 1983 he was implicated but never charged in a cocaine-dealing conspiracy. After his retirement in 1985, Gerulaitis began a career as a sports announcer and later made a comeback as a player on the senior circuit. He was found dead after a faulty propane heater leaked lethal fumes into the heating and air-conditioning system of a friend's home where he was staying.

* * *