The Open Era
Romania · born Bucharest, 1946 · right-handed · US Open champion on grass in 1972, twice Wimbledon finalist and the first ATP world No. 1
All playersBack to the rankings
2
Wimbledon singles finals, 1972 and 1976
3
Wimbledon titles: mixed 1970 and 1972 with Rosie Casals, doubles 1973 with Jimmy Connors
101
Matches played at Wimbledon, 1966 to 1982; 35-15 in singles
1972
US Open champion, on the grass of Forest Hills
23 Aug 1973
Date he became the first No. 1 in the ATP Rankings
Ilie Năstase was born in Bucharest in 1946 and began touring in 1966 with Ion Țiriac, with whom he played Davis Cup for Romania and reached three finals. He won seven major titles: the US Open in 1972, on grass at Forest Hills, where he beat Arthur Ashe from two sets to one and 2-4 down; the French Open in 1973 without losing a set; three men's doubles titles; and the Wimbledon mixed twice with Rosie Casals. He also won four season-ending Masters titles.
On grass he reached the Wimbledon final in 1972, losing to Stan Smith 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the first final played on a Sunday, and again in 1976, losing to Björn Borg. In 1973 he won Queen's, completing a run of Rome, Paris and Queen's in succession, then played Wimbledon during the ATP boycott as a serving officer in the Romanian army, was seeded first and lost in the fourth round to Sandy Mayer. That year he won the doubles there with Jimmy Connors. On 23 August 1973 he became the first No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.
He was known as much for his clowning and his rows with officials as for his touch, and earned the nickname Nasty. He played Davis Cup for 18 years, retired in 1985 and entered the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991. He later went into Romanian politics and sat in the Senate. In 2017, as Romania's Fed Cup captain, he was banned from ITF events after his conduct at a tie against Great Britain, including a remark about Serena Williams's unborn child; an independent tribunal later cut the bans by eight months.
| Wimbledon singles finals | 1972: lost to Stan Smith 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in 161 minutes, played on a Sunday after rain washed out the final Saturday. 1976: lost to Björn Borg 6-4, 6-2, 9-7 |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon doubles and mixed | 1973 doubles with Jimmy Connors: beat John Cooper and Neale Fraser 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 8-9, 6-1. Mixed with Rosie Casals: 1970 beat Alex Metreveli and Olga Morozova 6-3, 4-6, 9-7; 1972 beat Kim Warwick and Evonne Goolagong 6-4, 6-4 |
| US Open 1972 | Forest Hills, on grass: beat Arthur Ashe 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, having trailed 2-4 in the fourth set |
| Queen's and South Orange | Queen's 1973: beat Roger Taylor 9-8, 6-3 in the final. South Orange, on grass: 1972 singles, beating Manuel Orantes 6-4, 6-4; 1973 doubles with Connors, beating Pancho Gonzales and Tom Gorman 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 |
| Wimbledon 1973 | Top seed in the boycott year, when 12 of the original top 16 seeds were absent; lost in the fourth round to Sandy Mayer, which the Wimbledon Compendium, in its history of No. 2 Court, calls the first big upset of modern times |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Mixed doubles | with Rosie Casals |
| 1972 | Mixed doubles | with Rosie Casals |
| 1973 | Men's doubles | with Jimmy Connors |
| Eastern Grass Court Championships (South Orange) | ||
| 1972 | Men's singles | |
| 1973 | Men's doubles | with Jimmy Connors |
| US Championships | ||
| 1972 | Men's singles US Open | |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1973 | Men's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. † single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"If you can beat yourself, you can win Wimbledon."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1972 · Final
Rain washed out the final Saturday, so the men's final was played on a Sunday for the first time, with spectators let in free. Năstase lost 7-5 in the fifth set to Stan Smith, like him an army lieutenant, and later called it the best match of his career.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025; ATP Tour; International Tennis Hall of FameWimbledon 1973
When the ATP withdrew its players after the suspension of Nikola Pilić, Năstase played, saying that as a serving captain he was under orders from the Romanian army and government. He, Roger Taylor and Ray Keldie were fined by the ATP's disciplinary committee.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1974
When a young girl ran on to the court during his match against Jiří Hřebec, Năstase obligingly signed her autograph.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025Wimbledon 1977
In a quarter-final row the umpire, Jeremy Shales, addressed him simply as "Năstase". He replied that he should be called Mr Năstase, which became the title of his 2009 autobiography.
Source: WikipediaStockholm, 1975
His antics during a Masters round-robin match led Arthur Ashe to walk off court while leading. A committee awarded the match to Ashe, and the incident led to the sport's first formal code of conduct.
Source: ATP TourHome
His first wife, the Belgian model Dominique Grazia, said: "I married two men. There is the man I see at home, and that other man I see on the court."
Source: ATP TourFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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