Ilie Nastase
- Nastase also spelled:
- Năstase
- Awards And Honors:
- U.S. Open
- French Open
- International Tennis Hall of Fame (1991)
Ilie Nastase (born July 19, 1946, Bucharest, Romania) is a Romanian tennis player known for his on-court histrionics and outstanding Davis Cup play. He was the first European to surpass $1 million in career prize money, and he was ranked number one in the world in 1973.
A Davis Cup player since 1966, Nastase almost single-handedly powered Romania to the finals in 1969, 1971, and 1972, although the United States won each time. The most heartbreaking loss for Nastase occurred in 1972, when the United States retained the Davis Cup after Stan Smith defeated Nastase in the singles. Nastase, who turned professional in 1969, won several titles on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour the following year, including the doubles event at the French Open. In 1972 he defeated Arthur Ashe at the U.S. Open to claim his first Grand Slam singles title. In 1973 he won his second, and last, major singles title with his victory at the French Open. That year he teamed with Jimmy Connors to win the doubles event at Wimbledon. The two also won at the U.S. Open in 1975. In addition, Nastase occasionally competed in mixed doubles and twice won that event at Wimbledon (1970 and 1972).
Nastase consistently was ranked much higher in world ratings than his major tournament record would seem to indicate, placing him among the top 10 players from 1970 to 1977. His outstanding professional indoor record made him a perennial contender, but his on-court antics and temper tantrums caused a record of disqualifications, fines, and suspensions. At his best, Nastase was a fast player and exhibited intricate footwork and brilliant ball handling in lobbing past opponents. He captured 58 singles titles on the ATP Tour during his career, and in 1991 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He later cowrote an autobiography that was published in 2004.
