Ilie Nastase born July 19 1946 in Bucharest

Ilie Nastase born July 19, 1946, in Bucharest, Romania, is a former Romanian professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970 s. Năstase was the World No. 1 tennis player between 1973 (August 23) and 1974 (June 2). He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles (57 singles and 45 in doubles).

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.

At the beginning of his career in 1966 Năstase travelled around the world competing with his good friend Ion Tiriac. 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 1973 he was in sensational form. By winning 17 tournaments, including the French Open, a doubles title at Wimbledon, a third ATP World 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.

In 1974 he was the only player to qualify for both the WCT Finals and the Tennis Masters Cup. As usual, Năstase played well in the Masters Cup, in particular against Newcombe in the semifinals. The Romanian, however, lost the final to Guillermo Villas in five sets. For the fifth consecutive year, Năstase reached the Tennis Masters Cup final in 1975, where he defeated Bjorn Borg: 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 1977 Năstase finished ninth in the ATP rankings. He was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and the French Open and participated in the WCT Finals.

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.

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 Năstase 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.