Biography for
Vitas Gerulaitis More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

26 July 1954, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Date of Death

18 September 1994, Southampton, New York, USA (carbon monoxide poisoning)

Birth Name

Vytautas Kevin Gerulaitis

Nickname

The Lithuanian Lion

Height

6' (1.83 m)

Trivia

His father, Vitas, Sr., the tennis pro at the United States Tennis Center in Flushing, gave lessons to Carlos Santana.

Did a famous Peugeot car commerical with his father, who asks Vitas "When are you going to get a haircut?" Father and son died within three years of each other.

Was treated for cocaine abuse.

Vitas Gerulaitis Youth Foundation, founded many years before his death, supports the Vitas Gerulaitis Youth Tennis Center in Queens, New York.

Vitas Gerulaitis "For the Love of Tennis" Award is presented yearly by the USTA (United States Tennis Association)/Eastern Long Island Region.

Died while taking a nap at a friend's house in Long Island; carbon monoxide from a swimming-pool heater seeped into his room through the air-conditioning system. An autopsy showed the gas had displaced 75% of the oxygen in his blood.

Buried at Saint Charles Cemetery, Farmingdale, New York. Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and 'Bjorn Borg' were among his pallbearers. Among those at the funeral were Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Tony Trabert, John Lloyd, Fred Stolle and Cliff Drysdale.

Engaged for 3 years to actress Janet Jones (Mrs. Wayne Gretzky)

Coached Pete Sampras at the Italian Open in 1994 when Sampras's then-coach, the late Tim Gullikson, was on vacation. Sampras called him "Uncle Vitas."

Earned $2,778,748, winning 27 singles and nine doubles titles.

Son of Lithuanian immigrants.

1975 Wimbledon Men's Doubles champ with Sandy Mayer.

Ranked in the Top 10 from 1977 to 1982.

Known for trademark long flowing blonde hair.

All-American at Columbia University.

1977 Australian Open champ.

Had a fan club called "Vitas' G-Men" while he played for the Pittsburgh Triangles in World Team Tennis in 1975.

Personal Quotes

"And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row." -- post-match conference after beating Jimmy Connors after Connors had beaten him 16 times in a row.