Biography
Ilie Theodoriu Năstase (born 19 July 1946) is a retired Romanian professional tennis player. He was the first-ever world No. 1 in men's singles as ranked by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), holding the position for 40 weeks. Năstase is among the select group of ten players who have won over 100 ATP-level titles, with 64 singles and 45 doubles victories, including seven Grand Slam titles: two in singles, three in men's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Additionally, he secured four Masters Grand Prix year-end championships. In 1972, he became the first professional athlete to sign a sponsorship deal with Nike. During the 1980s, Năstase authored several novels in French and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.
Starting his career in 1966, Năstase toured globally alongside Ion Țiriac. Together, they represented Romania in the Davis Cup, finishing as runners-up in 1969, 1971, and 1972. Năstase claimed his first singles title at Cannes on 16 April 1967. His initial major wins against top competitors came in 1969 at Stockholm, where he defeated Tony Roche and Stan Smith. By 1970, Năstase had established himself as one of the elite players worldwide, with many experts ranking him sixth behind Australians Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, Tony Roche, and American Arthur Ashe. His rise in rankings was bolstered by victories at the Italian Open in Rome and the U.S. Indoor Open in Salisbury, Maryland. Alongside Țiriac, he won the men's doubles at the French Open. In 1971, Năstase was the French Open singles runner-up, falling to Jan Kodeš in a four-set final. That December, he captured his first Masters Grand Prix title by finishing ahead of Stan Smith in a round-robin format.
In 1972, Năstase narrowly lost an epic five-set final to Stan Smith at Wimbledon, considered one of the tournament's most thrilling championship matches. He triumphed at the US Open, overcoming Ashe in a five-set final despite trailing 2–1 in sets and 4–2 in the fourth set. This event was the only tournament that year featuring all the top players. In Davis Cup play, Năstase remained undefeated in singles until he was defeated by Stan Smith in the final held on clay in Bucharest, his hometown. In December, at the year-end tour finals, Năstase secured his second consecutive Masters Grand Prix title by defeating Smith.
