Ilie Theodoriu Năstase is a Romanian former world No. 1 tennis player. He held the top singles spot from 23 August 1973 to 2 June 1974, and was the first man to hold the position on the computerized ATP rankings. Năstase is one of the 10 players in history who have won over 100 total ATP titles, with 64 in singles and 45 in doubles. Năstase won seven major titles: two in singles, three in men's doubles and two in mixed doubles. He also won four Masters Grand Prix year-end championship titles. He was the first professional sports figure to sign an endorsement contract with Nike, doing so in 1972. Năstase wrote several novels in French in the 1980s, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.
Ilie Năstase defeated Arthur Ashe in the final, 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(1–5), 6–4, 6–3 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1972 US Open. It was his first major singles title.
The 1973 Jean Becker Open, also known as Paris Open, was a men's Grand Prix tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 4th edition of the Paris Open. It took place at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France, from 29 October until 4 November 1973. Ilie Năstase won the singles title.
The 1981 Paris Open was a men's Grand Prix tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 12th edition of the Paris Open. It took place at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France from 26 October through 1 November 1981.
The 1975 Masters was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Kungliga tennishallen in Stockholm, Sweden. The tournament was the season ending event of the 1975 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix circuit and was played by the eight highest ranking singles players and the four highest ranked doubles teams. It was the 6th edition of the Masters Grand Prix and was held from November 30 through December 7, 1975. Ilie Năstase won the singles title and the $40,000 first prize.
The 1973 Stockholm Open was a tennis tournament played on hard courts and part of the 1973 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix and took place at the Kungliga tennishallen in Stockholm, Sweden. The tournament was held from 5 November through 11 November 1973. Total prize money for the event was $75,000, with the winner receiving $10,000, and a record 24,000 spectators attended the tournament.
The 1979 ATP Championship, also known as the Cincinnati Open, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio in the United States that was part of the 1979 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix. It was the 79th edition of the tournament and was held from August 20 through August 26, 1979. Seventh-seeded Peter Fleming won the singles title.
The 1970 U.S. Clay Court Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament that was part of the Grand Prix. It was held at the Woodstock Country Club in Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States and played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 2nd edition of the tournament in the Open Era and was held in from 27 July through 2 August. Cliff Richey and Linda Tuero won the singles titles.
The 1979 Monte Carlo Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France that was part of the 1979 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix circuit. It was the 73rd edition of the tournament and was held from 9 April through 15 April 1979. First-seeded Björn Borg won the singles title, his second at the event after 1977.
The 1970 Embassy British Indoor Championships was a combined men's and women's Grand Prix tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 3rd edition of the British Indoor Championships in the Open era. The tournament took place at the Wembley Arena in London in England and ran from 16 November until 21 November 1970.
The 1975 Washington Star International was a men's tennis tournament and was played on outdoor clay courts. It was categorized as an AA tournament and was part of the 1975 Grand Prix circuit. It was the seventh edition of the tournament and was held in Washington, D.C. from July 21 through July 28, 1975. Guillermo Vilas won the singles title and $16,000 prize money and a car in a final that was twice interrupted due to rain. Total attendance during the tournament was 55,000.
The 1975 South Orange Open, also known as the Tennis Week Open, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange, New Jersey in the United States. It was classified as a Group B category tournament and was part of the 1975 Grand Prix circuit. It was the sixth edition of the tournament on the Grand Prix circuit and was held from August 18 through August 24, 1975. Second-seeded Ilie Năstase won the singles title. The final was delayed for two days due to rain.
The 1975 Louisville Open, also known as the First National Tennis Classic, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Louisville Tennis Center in Louisville, Kentucky in the United States. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and was held from July 28 through August 5, 1975. The tournament was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit and categorized in Group AA. The singles final was delayed by one day due to rain and was won by defending champion Guillermo Vilas who received the $16,000 first prize money. The doubles final was not played due to rain and the prize money was shared.
The 1979 Italian Open was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament that was played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 36th edition of the tournament. The men's tournament was part of the 1979 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix while the women's tournament, held separately for the first time, was part of the Colgate Series. The women's event was played from 7 May through 13 May 1979 while the men's event was organized from 21 May through 27 May 1979. After a final that lasted five hours and nine minutes second-seeded Vitas Gerulaitis won the men's singles title, his second Italian Open title after 1977, and the accompanying $28,000 first-prize money. The women's singles title was won by third-seeded Tracy Austin. In the semifinal Austin defeated compatriot Chris Evert-Lloyd which ended Evert-Lloyd's record 125-match winning streak on clay that had started in August 1973.
The 1980 Birmingham Open was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the eighth and last edition of the Grand Prix Birmingham, and part of the 1980 Volvo Grand Prix circuit. It took place in Birmingham, Alabama, United States from January 14 through January 20, 1980. First-seeded Jimmy Connors won the singles title, his sixth at the event.
The 1972 U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships was a men's tennis tournament held at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center in Salisbury, Maryland in the United States. The event was part of the 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit and was also a Grade B event on the 1972 Grand Prix Circuit. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from February 13 through February 20, 1972, and played on indoor hard courts. First-seeded national Stan Smith won the singles title and $9,000 first-prize money as well as 50 Grand Prix ranking points. It was his second singles title at the event after 1969.
The 1974 Richmond WCT, also known as the Fidelity Tournament for sponsorship reasons, was a men's professional tennis tournament. It was held on indoor carpet courts at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia in the United States. It was the ninth edition of the tournament and was held from January 29 through February 3, 1974. The tournament was part of the red group of the 1974 World Championship Tennis circuit. First-seeded Ilie Năstase won the singles title, his second at the event after 1971, and earned $10,000 first-prize money.
The 1972 Nice International Championships, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Nice Lawn Tennis Club in Nice, France that was part of Group D of the 1972 Grand Prix circuit. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from 17 April until 23 April 1972. Ilie Năstase won the title.
The 1979 Birmingham WCT was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the seventh edition of the Grand Prix Birmingham, and part of the 1979 Colgate Palmolive Grand Prix. It took place in Birmingham, Alabama, United States from January 15 through January 21, 1979. First-seeded Jimmy Connors won the singles title, his fifth at the event.
The 1972 National Indoor Championships, also known as the Hampton Indoor, was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Hampton Roads Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia in the United States that was part of Group C of the 1972 Grand Prix circuit as well as of the 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit. It was the third edition of the tournament and was held from February 28 through March 5, 1972. First-seeded Stan Smith won the singles title and earned $9,000 first-prize money.
Stan Smith [2] 
