Ex-Australian Open champion was ‘ultimate playboy’ and cocaine addict who ‘flew everywhere with ladies in private jets’
VITAS GERULAITIS was a successful player in more ways than one.
And he had even more joy off the tennis court than he did on it thanks to his good looks, flowing long hair and effervescent personality.
To say the American was larger than life barely scratches the surface.
He may have only graced the planet for just 40 years - but he sure packed plenty into those four decades.
Gerulaitis was born in New York in 1954, 15 years after his parents fled Lithuania amid fears for his father’s safety from the Russians in his role as a head of police.
Both his dad, Vitas Sr, and his sister Ruta played tennis professionally but it was Vitas Jr who forged the best career of them all.
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Known for his speed around the court, he managed to win the Australian Open in an era of three of the sport's GOATs: Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.
Gerulaitis beat great friend and former British No1 John Lloyd in a thrilling five-set final in Melbourne before he lost to pals McEnroe in the 1979 US Open final and Borg at the 1980 French Open.
And after famously stopping his nightmare rot against Connors, he delivered the famous line: "Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row!"
The 1975 Wimbledon doubles champ peaked at No3 in the singles world rankings, with 26 titles and made more than £2million in prize money.
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But celebrity Gerulaitis was known for enjoying his shots - and we are not talking about forehands and backhands - as he lived a truly lavish lifestyle.
It takes a certain character to be dubbed the “ultimate playboy” - Gerulaitis earned it by driving a Rolls-Royce, skipping queues at prestigious nightclubs, dating glamorous models and actresses and seemingly making the most of all the benefits of being a fully-fledged member of the Mile High Club as he travelled by private jet with an entourage of women.
Lloyd recalled: “It was interesting hanging out with him, though I didn’t have the stamina to do that for very long given what he used to get up to.
“He was a great bloke. You never picked up a tab with Vitas.
"It didn’t matter if you went out with him and ten other people he didn’t even know.
"He would have his credit card out before anybody. He had a very generous spirit.
“Someone told me that one year he had the third highest American Express bill for an individual in the world.
"He would use it to fly everywhere with ladies in private jets.
“I went with him to Studio 54 a couple of times. There were queues for miles outside, but he would just walk straight in because everybody there knew him. People would swarm around him immediately.
"I remember one night we stayed there until about five in the morning. Then we drove back in his Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible with the top down back to his place.”
There was also Gerulaitis’ well-documented cocaine addiction for which he received medical help and treatment - although he was not charged after being implicated for dealing the drugs.
Lloyd added to : “It was social stuff. He would party hard, but he would do it during periods when he was taking a break from the tennis circuit.
“He would go nuts for a couple of weeks and then he would punish himself by training hard for a month, practising eight hours a day.
“He was one of the fittest guys and it was weird really to think that he did all the other stuff. His work ethic when he wasn’t partying was beyond belief.
"He wouldn’t do that stuff when he was playing, though I’m not condoning what he did.
His idea of partying would basically be to go out with girls... he probably didn’t get that much sleep at night
John Lloyd on Vitas Gerulaitis
“During tournaments he would never drink. When he was playing he wouldn’t do the other stuff either.
"His idea of partying would basically be to go out with girls. He liked their company and he probably didn’t get that much sleep at night.”
Gerulaitis retired from tennis in 1986 after 15 years on the tour.
But just as he was carving out a new career in the media and as a coach, he died in tragic circumstances.
Gerulaitis injured a back muscle playing a doubles match with Borg, Connors and Lloyd in September 1994.
A day later, after flying back to New York, he passed away in a horrendous accident at a friend's guesthouse.
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The Lithuanian Lion suffered carbon monoxide poisoning when a swimming pool heater had not been installed properly and caused gas to leak in while he was sleeping.
It was a truly awful and sad end to a thrilling life absolutely lived to the very brim.
