Ilie Nastase
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-->Ilie Năstase (born July 19, 1946 in Bucharest) was a Romanian professional tennis player and one of the top players of 1970s, being twice number one in 1972 and 1973.
Career
Among his 57 singles titles are the US Open in 1972 and the French Open in 1973, and in doubles he won at Wimbledon in 1973, the French Open in 1970 and the US Open in 1975. He was runner-up in the Wimbledon singles competition in 1972, playing in a classic men's final against Stan Smith. Năstase was famous for his good humour on court, but also had a reputation for gamesmanship, and acquired the nickname "Nasty" after several incidents where his temperament got the better of him.Năstase's greatest victory was arguably his 6-3,3-6,6-7,6-4,6-3 against Arthur Ashe in the '72 U.S. Open final. Earlier that season, he lost a five set final at Wimbledon to Stan Smith 4-6,6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 (netting a high backhand volley at match point). Smith and Năstase were polar opposites in terms of temperament, but had unusually cordial personal relations.
Năstase was great friends with American star Jimmy Connors; the two would often play doubles together, refused to join the ATP (preferring to play in a parallel tour organized by their long-time manager Bill Riordan), and would room together on tour.
He wrote a couple of novels in French in the 1980s and entered politics in the 1990s, making an unsuccessful run for mayor of Bucharest in 1996.
In 2005, TENNIS Magazine put him in 28th place in its list of 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.
Quotations
- If you have confidence you have patience. Confidence, that is everything.
- As long as I can get angry then I play well. If I play well I can beat everybody. I am happy because I am getting angry.
- My ambition is to do a good job. I never plan anything.
- I haven't reported my missing credit card to the police because whoever stole it is spending less than my wife.
Grand Slam finals
Wins (2)
| '''Year | '''Championship | '''Opponent in Final | '''Score in Final |
| 1972 | U.S. Open | Arthur Ashe | 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 |
| 1973 | French Open | Nikola Pilic | 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 |
Runner-ups (3)
| '''Year | '''Championship | '''Opponent in Final | '''Score in Final |
| 1971 | French Open | Jan Kodeš | 6-8, 2-6, 6-2, 5-7 |
| 1972 | Wimbledon | Stan Smith | 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 |
| 1976 | Wimbledon | Björn Borg | 6-4, 6-2, 9-7 |
Singles titles (53)
- 1970
- * Rome
- 1971
- * Richmond, Hampton, Nice, Monte Carlo, Bastad, Wembley, Masters
- [1972]
- * Baltimore, Omaha, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Nice, Dusseldorf, Montreal, US Open (Grass), South Orange, Seattle, London, Masters
- [1973]
- * Omaha, Barcelona, Calgary, Monte Carlo WCT, Florence, Rome, French Open, Queens, Gstaad, Cincinnati, Madrid, Barcelona-2, Paris Indoor, Masters
- 1974
- * Richmond WCT, Washington WCT, Bournemouth, Cedar Grove, Madrid, Barcelona
- 1975
- * Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, South Orange, Masters
- 1976
- * Atlanta WCT, Salisbury, La Costa, South Orange, Pepsi Grand Slam
- 1977
- * Mexico City WCT, Aix-en-Provence
- 1978
- * Miami
External links
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