The Vitas Gerulaitis Tribute

Free entry to The Vitas Gerulaitis Exhibition in the lounge area at the Covered Courts. All items are on loan from the Magnus Nicklasson private collection. QR codes makes it easy to read the article(s) published in the magazines. More than one QR code indicates more than one article.

With a fantastic singles and doubles record, Vitas Gerulaitis left an impressive mark on the tennis community that will last forever. Vitas won 25 ATP singles tournament. He also lost in 29 ATP Finals! In an era where his competitors were Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, and Jimmy Connors, that is an incredible accomplishment. Vitas reached a highest singles ranking of number 3 in the world. During his career, he had wins over McEnroe, Connors, and Guillermo Vilas. He never defeated Bjorn Borg, although he was very close in the 1977 Wimbledon semifinal, where he was up a break in the deciding 5th set.

After losing 16 consecutive matches against Jimmy Connors before finally beating him, Vitas famously stated in the press conference after the victory: “And let me make it clear to everyone, that nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row!” Below is the translation into Latin which we use at Longwood.

The Lithuanian Lion won the 1977 Australian Open Singles title, defeating John Lloyd in 5 sets. Learn more about the 1977 Australian Open.

Over the years, Vitas played with both the Wilson Jack Kramer and the Snauwaert wood rackets. He wore Sergio Tacchini apparel but switched to Italian Maggia. His famous Maggia jacket with orange sleeves is an awesome jacket, which you can wear too, if you buy it from Magnus.

Vitas Gerulaitis Obituary: The Lithuanian Lion Sleeps Tonight