Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 20, 1994 TAG: 9409220042
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Ask Bjorn Borg to name his best friend in tennis and he would reply, without hesitation, ``Vitas Gerulaitis.''
Ask Borg's arch rival, John McEnroe, the same question and he would give the same answer.
Gerulaitis' popularity in tennis spanned generations, from Australia's Fred Stolle, who coached him in the 1970s and considered him a second son, to Pete Sampras, who regarded him a close friend.
Just a few days before Gerulaitis was found dead at 40 on Sunday in Southampton, N.Y., he and Sampras played golf together on the West Coast.
Police said late Monday night that Gerulaitis apparently died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. Medical examiners said further toxicological tests were being done.
For all Vitas Gerulaitis' legendary excesses years ago, the late nights he spent partying or snorting cocaine so much that his nose bled, he made friends everywhere he went.
Fans enjoyed Gerulaitis' enthusiasm and verve, his curly blond mane flying wildly and his game which was bigger than his natural talent. He had speed and heart, a good forehand and a decent serve. He entertained crowds as much as anyone, but he was no clown on the court in the days when he was among the best in the game. He went as far as he did by practicing endlessly, and his home courts on Long Island became a gathering place for the top players every year before the U.S. Open.
He also showed grace and style by sitting patiently to talk after even his worst defeats, not running away like some of his petulant contemporaries. And he had some classic losses, none greater than a five-setter against Borg in the 1977 Wimbledon semifinals.
``I am,'' Gerulaitis once said, ``everybody's best win.''
To be sure, he had his moments, winning the Australian Open in 1977 and the Italian Open in 1977 and 1979, when it was still considered the fifth major behind the Grand Slam. He was ranked as high as No.3 in '77. But through the years there was always Borg or McEnroe or Jimmy Connors, who had more talent, more ways of winning.
``I think Vitas was an overachiever on the tennis court,'' U.S. Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson said Monday from Sweden, where the team is playing this week. ``He was a very good athlete but he had some deficiencies in his game. He had a great career and I think you can attribute it to a great work ethic and a great attitude.''
Gerulaitis would practice for four or five hours at a time with Borg; the rabbit-like serve-and-volleyer against the greatest baseline player in history. They were opposites in so many ways - Gerulaitis quick-witted, funny, garrulous, Borg quiet and introverted - yet they forged a lasting friendship.
Gerulaitis was much more like McEnroe, though without the temper or tantrums on court. They shared a love for playing guitar, and Gerulaitis developed a passion for art, particularly photorealism, that he passed on to McEnroe.
But cocaine became Gerulaitis' demon, nearly leading to his arrest when he was implicated in a drug-dealing conspiracy in 1983. His attorney said he expected an indictment, but Gerulaitis never was charged. He subsequently went for treatment several times, suffering relapses between rehab.
Cocaine and an almost insatiable lust for living combined to curtail Gerulaitis' career, finally ending it in 1985. For years afterward, he would show up at tennis tournaments looking haggard, his complexion pallid, his face drawn, his shoulder-length hair stringy, a spacy look in his eyes and a nervous energy about him.
When his father, Vitas Sr., died in 1991, Gerulaitis took it as a wake-up call to get his own life together. He went for treatment at John Lucas' clinic in Texas, came out clean and developed his television career while performing again in exhibitions and over-35 events. He seemed happier than he had in many years, and he had a bright future in television.
``I burned the candle at both ends for a long time,'' Gerulaitis said two years ago as he stood outside a 40th birthday celebration for Connors. ``The coke was just part of it. It was like I couldn't get enough of anything. I wanted everything. I wanted to stay out all night and play all day. I was going to kill myself if I kept that up. I had to do something. Things are good now.''
Stolle, once his coach and now his TV partner on ESPN, was thrilled with the new Gerulaitis.
``He was over there to Lucas' place,'' Stolle said from Louisville, Ky., late Sunday night as he absorbed the shock of Gerulaitis' death. ``But he's been over that and been good, and everybody's been proud of the fact that he has been.''
Gerulaitis looked so healthy lately, Stolle said, that no one could foresee his death.
``No, not after he'd gone through rehab,'' Stolle said. ``He realized with the business that he was in, he couldn't go back and slip back into what he was doing. You can't do that with the television business. I just felt he had everything going for him and everything was fine.''
by CNB