Ilie Năstase born July 19, 1946, in Bucharest, Romania) is a former Romanian professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 in 1973 according to the Association of Tennis Professionals ranking system, which placed him first from August 23, 1973 to June 2, 1974. He is one of the five players in the world to win more than 100 pro titles in singles (57) and doubles (51). He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991. Năstase won seven Grand Slam titles: two in singles, three in men's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. He also won four ATP World Tour Finals championships. In 2005, Tennis magazine ranked him as the 28th-best player of the preceding forty years.
At the beginning of his career in 1966 Năstase travelled around the world competing with his good friend Ion Ţiriac. Together, they represented Romania in the Davis Cup competition, being three times runners up: in 1969, 1971 and 1972.
In singles, Năstase won his first tournament at Cannes on April 16, 1967. His first victories at top players happened in 1969 in Stockholm, where he defeated Tony Roche and Stan Smith.
In 1971, Năstase was the runner-up at the French Open. where he lost the final in four sets to Jan Kodeš. In December, Năstase won his first ATP World Tour Finals.
In 1972, he became the second ranked player in the world, owing to his winning the US Open in a five-set final over Arthur Ashe. This tournament was the only event of the year in which all the best players participated. Two months before at Wimbledon, Năstase narrowly lost to Stan Smith in an epic five sets final, one of the most exciting championship matches there. Although Smith took the title, public sympathy lay with the volatile Romanian. In the Davis Cup, in which WCT players were still not allowed to participate, Năstase was undefeated in singles until losing to Smith in the final tie. In December, Năstase won his first match of the year against Smith and his second consecutive Tennis Masters Cup title. (The WCT players were again absent from the tournament).
In 1973 he was in sensational form. By winning 17 tournaments, including the French Open, a doubles title at Wimbledon, a third ATP World Tour Finals, Năstase was the undisputed World No.1 that year. In the Davis Cup, he won 7 of 8 singles rubbers, including a victory over Tom Okker, the "Flying Dutchman." In matches against the other top players, Năstase was 1–0 against Newcombe and 1–1 against Smith. The Romanian won the French Open without dropping a set (a feat repeated by Björn Borg in 1978 and 1980 and by Rafael Nadal in 2008), and he won the French Open (clay), Rome (clay) and Queen's Club (grass) in succession, a feat never repeated in the open era, though Borg won Rome, the French Open, and Wimbledon in succession in 1978, and Nadal won the French Open, Queen's Club, and Wimbledon in succession in 2008.
In 1974 he was the only player to qualify for both the WCT Finals and the Tennis Masters Cup (also Newcombe played both events, although he played the Masters at Kooyong as an invitee instead of a qualifier). As usual, Năstase played well in the Masters Cup, in particular against Newcombe in the semifinals. (Năstase finished his career with a 4–1 record versus Newcombe, losing only their first match in 1969.) The Romanian, however, lost the final to Guillermo Vilas in five sets.
For the fifth consecutive year, Năstase reached the Tennis Masters Cup final in 1975, where he defeated Björn Borg: 6–2, 6–2, 6–1.
During the first half of 1976, Năstase won four tournaments (Atlanta WCT, Avis Challenge Cup WCT, U.S. Open Indoor, and La Costa), and head-to-head, he led Connors 2–1, Vilas 1–0, Ashe 1–0, and Borg 2–0. Năstase did not enter the Australian Open, which was again avoided by most of the top players. Năstase was prevented from entering the French Open because he participated in World Team Tennis. In the second half of the year, Nastase lost to Borg in the men's singles final of Wimbledon and in the semifinals of the U.S. Open. Năstase won three other tournaments during the second half of the year, the Pepsi Grand Slam, South Orange, and the 4-man tournament of Caracas, Venezuela, in October (not to be confused with the Caracas WCT tournament in March), making seven tournament championships for the year. Năstase was the World No. 3, behind Connors and Borg.
In 1977 Năstase finished ninth in the ATP rankings. He was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and the French Open and participated in the WCT Finals. Năstase was still one of the 20 best players in 1978. At Wimbledon, he again reached the quarterfinals, losing to Okker after defeating Roscoe Tanner. During the remainder of his career, Năstase steadily declined and only occasionally defeated a good player, such as Johan Kriek in the third round of the 1982 U.S. Open. Năstase retired from the tour in October 1985 at the age of 39 after playing in the tournament in Toulouse, although he did play the challenger tournament at Dijon in June 1988.
Playing style
Considered one of the most gifted tennis players in history, Ilie Nastase was noted both for his sorcery with the racket and his ability to entertain, amusing spectators with his antics and mimicry. Even during a crucial phase of a match, he was likely to do something bizarre that would entertain the crowd. Nicknamed the Bucharest Buffoon, Nastase could master all the shots, playing either baseline or serve-and-volley.
One of the fastest players, he is remembered for his magnificent lobs and retrieves. Nastase could apply a discomforting spin to his shots, being an expert at putting the ball just beyond an opponent’s reach. His greatest weakness was a fragile nervous system and erratic temperament, but when he maintained his concentration during a match, he could conjure up the most devastating tennis, being regarded as a tennis magician or an artist creating with great originality and panache. During his career he was sometime known to give referees the finger.
Distinctions
Năstase won the Tennis Masters Cup tournament (today ATP World Tour Finals) four times, in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1975. Only Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl succeeded to win more.
He is one of the five tennis players (third place) in the world who won more than 100 pro titles (57 singles and 45 doubles) according to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) website., though there are many titles that are not included in the ATP statistics. (see Career statistics section).
He won the U.S. Open in 1972 (defeating Arthur Ashe in a five set final) and the French Open in 1973, without dropping a set, a performance repeated only by Björn Borg and Rafael Nadal.
He was the singles runner-up at Wimbledon in 1972, losing in five sets to Stan Smith, and in 1976, losing to Björn Borg.
In men's doubles, he won Wimbledon in 1973 (with Jimmy Connors), the French Open in 1970 (with Ion Ţiriac), and the U.S. Open in 1975 (with Connors).
Năstase was the first professional sports figure to sign an endorsement contract with Nike in 1972.
Năstase and Connors were good friends, often playing doubles together. They refused to join the Association of Tennis Professionals, preferring to play in a parallel tour organized by their long-time manager Bill Riordan.
He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.
In 2005, TENNIS Magazine put Năstase in the 28th place in its list of 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.
Năstase 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.
According to British media Năstase is best remembered for being one of the best players never to win the singles title at Wimbledon, for his tantrums, and his good looks.
In March 2009 Ilie Nastase was made a knight of the France's Legion d'honneur, being acclaimed for his "impressive sporting career" and "the sense of spectacle" created when playing
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 anybody. 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."
"Hello, racist." (Upon meeting any players from South Africa, due to the country's Apartheid government.)
Personal life
Maxim magazine has placed Năstase at number 6 on its top ten "Living Sex Legends" list, as he is reputed to have slept with over 2500 women. Năstase's own guess, which was at 8-900 women, was too low for the writer of his biography who wanted a larger number, to improve his reputation, as it evidently did. After hearing this, his current and third wife, Amalia, said that she was happy to have conquered such a man. Năstase met Amalia at a Sting concert and married her in a Greek Orthodox ceremony on June 5, 2004 followed by a Civil ceremony in July of the same year.
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