Guillermo Vilas

Guillermo Vilas remains one of the best tennis players to have ever come out of Argentina. He was number 1 in the Grand Prix seasons of 1974, 1975 and 1977 yet amazingly never attained the ATP world number 1 ranking, where he peaked at number 2. However, several years later a study conducted showed that he should have been ranked atop the ATP rankings for seven weeks between 1975 and 1976. Interestingly, despite the data not being refuted, he has not been recognised as a world number 1 just yet.

Not that it matters too much when you look at what all he has achieved. He won four Grand Slam titles and an astounding 62 singles titles overall, which places him as the tenth most successful tennis player in the Open era. He’s also won 16 titles in doubles tournaments, although he never won a Grand Slam with a partner.

His 62 titles included four Grand Slams, two of which came in the Australian Open. He also won one French Open and one US Open. And although his number of French Open titles is only one, don’t let that fool you; Vilas was a master of clay. Indeed, his number of match wins on clay court surfaces – which stand at an astounding 659 – is the most by any tennis player of the Open era.

Yes, that means his win percentage on clay is higher than even Rafael Nadal. Such is his profligacy on clay that he was ranked the third-best clay court player in history by a particular poll, behind only Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal.

He’s won the year-end Masters title once and he also won seven Grand Prix Super Series titles – the equivalent of the Masters 1000 events in today’s day and age. He was also known for his ability to play a high number of matches.

Indeed, he played more than 1000 matches in his career and played on for a long time. He turned pro in 1969 and finally retired from the ATP Tour events in 1989. However, he continued to play on in the Challenger events until 1992, when he finally decided to hang up the boots once and for all.

As such, his longevity also meant he amassed two notable winning streaks in his career. The first of those came in 1997, when he won seven straight titles after Wimbledon. This led to him winning a grand total of 46 matches on all surfaces. He also recorded a 53-match winning streak on clay courts as well as a 28-match winning streak thereafter.

Vilas was, in many ways, the precursor to someone like Nadal. The southpaw was nicknamed The Young Bull of the Pampas and his playing style contrasted with his appearance. Vilas was known to sport bright colours on court and for his long wavy hair. However, on the court, his power was something else.

His strong left arm and endurance on the court saw him bludgeon opponents into submission. It wasn’t just that he was strong; he could play for lengthy periods and not get tired. He would sometimes train for 8 hours, developing next-level stamina His return game was also strong and helped him to grind out long games much better than his opponents.

Australian Open – won in 1978 and 1979
French Open – won in 1977
Wimbledon – quarterfinalist in 1975 and 1976
US Open – won in 1977