Ilie Năstase

Ilie Năstase
Ilie Nastase
Country Flag of Romania.svg Romania
Residence -
Date of birth July 19, 1946 (1946-07-19) (age 63)
Place of birth Bucharest, Romania
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+12 in)
Weight 75 kg (170 lb/11.8 st)
Turned pro 1969 (debut in 1966)
Retired 1985
Plays Right-handed; one-handed backhand
Career prize money US$2,076,761
Singles
Career record: 748–283
Career titles: 88 including 57 listed by the ATP Website
Highest ranking: 1 (August 23, 1973)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open -
French Open W (1973)
Wimbledon F (1972, 1976)
US Open W (1972)
Major tournaments
Masters Cup W (1971, 1972, 1973, 1975)
Doubles
Career record: 480–207
Career titles: 45
Highest ranking: 59 (January 3, 1983)
Mixed Doubles
Career record: {{{mixedrecord}}}
Career titles: {{{mixedtitles}}}
Highest ranking: {{{highestmixedranking}}}

Infobox last updated on: April 7, 2007.

Ilie Năstase (born July 19, 1946, in Bucharest, Romania) is a former Romanian professional tennis player and one of the top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 in 1973 according to the Association of Tennis Professionals computer rankings, which placed him first from August 23, 1973, to June 2, 1974.

Contents

Career

At the beginning of his career in 1966 Năstase travelled around the world competing with his good friend Ion Ţiriac. Together, they reached the Davis Cup challenge round in 1969 and 1971. In 1972, they reached the Davis Cup final, the challenge round having been abolished. However, they never won the trophy for Romania.

In singles, Năstase won his first minor tournament at Cannes on April 16, 1967. His first final at an important tournament was in 1969 in Stockholm, where he defeated Tony Roche and Smith.

Năstase became one of the best players in 1970, with many experts ranking him as the sixth best player in the world after the Australians Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, and Roche and the American Ashe. Năstase's high ranking resulted from his success at the Italian Open in Rome and at the U.S. Indoor Open in Salisbury, Maryland. With Tiriac, Năstase won the men's doubles title at the French Open.

In 1971, Năstase was the runner-up at a depleted French Open with 16 of the 32 World Championship Tennis (WCT) players absent. Năstase lost in four sets to Jan Kodeš. In December, Năstase won the Grand Prix Masters, again without the WCT players.

The two following years saw Năstase's apogee.

In 1972, he became the second ranked player in the world (see World number one male tennis player rankings), owing to his winning the U.S. Open in a five set final over Ashe. This tournament was the only event of the year in which all the best players participated. Two months before in a depleted Wimbledon, Năstase lost to Smith in five sets. In the Davis Cup, in which WCT players were still not allowed to participate, Năstase was undefeated in singles until losing to Smith in the final tie. In December, Năstase won his first match of the year with Smith and his second consecutive Grand Prix Masters title. (The WCT players were again absent from the tournament.) Smith defeated Năstase four of the five times they played that year.

In 1973, Wimbledon and the Australian Open again had very depleted fields. Roughly 80 players boycotted Wimbledon because of a controversy involving Nikki Pilic. Only 4 of the 20 best players in the world entered (Năstase, Kodes, Roger Taylor and Connors). As usual from 1972 through 1982, very few of the best players visited the Australian continent. Among the top 20 players, only Rosewall and Newcombe participated. Five events stood out that year: (1) the U.S. Open with only Roy Emerson missing; (2) the French Open (among the best claycourt players, only Rosewall, Laver, and Emerson were absent); (3) the Grand Prix Masters, this time accessible to all players; (4) the WCT finals, reserved for WCT players (not including Nastase, Newcombe, Connors, and Manuel Orantes); and (5) the Davis Cup, open to everyone for the first time in its history. By winning 17 tournaments in 1973 (the French Open, the Masters, the other 12 listed on the ATP website plus Washington, D.C., Istanbul, and Kingston), 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 (a feat repeated by Björn Borg in 1978 and 1980 and by Rafael Nadal in 2008), and he won the French Open (clay), Rome (clay) and Queen's Club (grass) in succession, a feat never repeated in the open era -- though Borg won Rome, the French Open, and Wimbledon in succession in 1978, and Nadal won the French Open, Queen's Club, and Wimbledon in succession in 2008.

In terms of public popularity, Năstase was then at the peak of his career, famous both for his technical and physical genius and for his good humour on court. But among referees and other players, his reputation for gamesmanship resulted in the nickname "Nasty" after several incidents where his temperament got the better of him. For one year, other players scorned him in locker rooms and did not speak to him.

Năstase's play began to decline in 1974 even though he was the only player to qualify for both the WCT Finals and the Grand Prix Masters. (Newcombe played both events, although he played the Masters at Kooyong as an invitee instead of a qualifier.) As usual, Năstase played well in the Masters, in particular against Newcombe in the semifinals. (Năstase finished his career with a 4–1 record versus Newcombe, losing only their first match in 1969.) The Romanian, however, lost the final to Guillermo Vilas in five sets.

For the fifth consecutive year, Năstase reached the Masters final in 1975 (an event Connors did not enter even though he qualified for the second consecutive year), where he played perhaps the best match of his career to defeat Borg 6–2, 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 1–0. 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 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 generally considered to be the World No. 3 for the year, behind Connors and Borg.

In 1977, most tennis specialists considered Năstase to have finished the year just out of the top 10, although he finished ninth in the ATP rankings. He was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and the French Open and participated in the WCT Finals.

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

Năstase was able to play every tennis shot except that his volley was comparatively weak. When Năstase was playing well, his speed around the court and superb anticipation compensated for his lack of an excellent volley. He was one of the only players to have an effective offensive and defensive lob off both his forehand and backhand. His major weakness was a periodic loss of concentration, especially during high pressure matches such as: (1) the 1972 Davis Cup final singles match against Stan Smith; and (2) the 1976 Wimbledon final.

Distinctions

Quotations

In his recent book, Nastase claimed that he slept with around 2,500 women. After hearing this, his wife said that she was happy to have conquered such a man.

Career statistics

Grand Slam finals

Singles

Wins (2)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1972 U.S. Open Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 6–3
1973 French Open Flag of Yugoslavia Nikola Pilić 6–3, 6–3, 6–0
Runner-ups (3)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1971 French Open Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš 8–6, 6–2, 2–6, 7–5
1972 Wimbledon Flag of the United States Stan Smith 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 7–5
1976 Wimbledon (2nd) Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 6–2, 9–7

Men's doubles

Wins (3)
Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1970 French Open Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe
Flag of the United States Charlie Pasarell
6–2, 6–4, 6–3
1973 Wimbledon Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of Australia John Cooper
Flag of Australia Neale Fraser
3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 8–9(3), 6–1
1975 U.S. Open Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker
Flag of the United States Marty Riessen
6–4, 7–6
Runner-ups (2)
Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1966 French Championships Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of the United States Clark Graebner
Flag of the United States Dennis Ralston
6–3, 6–3, 6–0
1973 French Open Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of Australia John Newcombe
Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker
6–1, 3–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4

Mixed doubles

Wins (2)
Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1970 Wimbledon Flag of the United States Rosemary Casals Flag of the Soviet Union Olga Morozova
Flag of the Soviet Union Alex Metreveli
6–3, 4–6, 9–7
1972 Wimbledon Flag of the United States Rosemary Casals Flag of Australia Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Flag of Australia Kim Warwick
6–4, 6–4
Runner-up (1)
Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1972 U.S. Open Flag of the United States Rosemary Casals Flag of Australia Margaret Court
Flag of the United States Marty Riessen
6–3, 7–5

Masters finals

Singles

Wins (4)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1971 Paris Flag of the United States Stan Smith 5–7, 7–6, 6–3
1972 Barcelona Flag of the United States Stan Smith 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3
1973 Boston Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker 6–3, 7–5, 4–6, 6–3
1975 Stockholm Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 6–2, 6–2, 6–1
Runner-up (1)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1974 Melbourne Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas 7–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4

Singles titles (87)

Career official titles (59)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. 1969 Barranquilla, Colombia Clay Flag of the Czech Republic Jan Kodeš 6–4, 6–4, 8–10, 2–6, 6–3
2. 1970 *Salisbury, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Cliff Richey 6–8, 3–6, 6–4, 9–7, 6–0
3. 1970 Rome, Italy Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš 6–3, 1–6, 6–3, 8–6
4. 1971 Richmond, U.S. Hard (i) Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe 3–6, 6–2, 6–4
5. 1971 Hampton, U.S. Hard (i) Flag of the United States Clark Graebner 7–5, 6–4, 7–6
6. 1971 Nice, France Hard Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš 10–8, 11–9, 6–1
7. 1971 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker 3–6, 8–6, 6–1, 6–1
8. 1971 Båstad, Sweden Clay Flag of Denmark Jan Leschly 6–7, 6–2, 6–1, 6–4
9. 1971 Wembley, United Kingdom Hard (i) Flag of Australia Rod Laver 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4
10. 1971 Masters, Paris Carpet Flag of the United States Stan Smith 5–7, 7–6, 6–3
11. 1972 Baltimore, U.S. Hard Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 1–6, 6–4, 7–6
12. 1972 Omaha, U.S. Hard (i) Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac 2–6, 6–1, 6–1
13. 1972 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Frantisek Pala 6–1, 6–0, 6–3
14. 1972 Madrid, Spain Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Frantisek Pala 6–0, 6–0, 6–1
15. 1972 Nice, France Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš 6–0, 6–4, 6–3
16. 1972 Düsseldorf, Germany Clay Flag of West Germany Jürgen Fassbender 6–0, 6–2, 6–1
17. 1972 Montreal, Canada Clay Flag of Rhodesia Andrew Pattison 6–4, 6–3
18. 1972 US Open, New York City Grass Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 6–3
19. 1972 South Orange, U.S. Hard Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes 6–4, 6–4
20. 1972 Seattle, U.S. Other Flag of the United States Tom Gorman 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
21. 1972 London Carpet Flag of the United States Tom Gorman 6–4, 6–3
22. 1972 Masters, Barcelona Carpet Flag of the United States Stan Smith 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3
23. 1973 Omaha, U.S. Hard (i) Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 5–0, retired
24. 1973 Calgary, Canada Indoor Flag of the United States Paul Gerken 6–4, 7–6
25. 1973 *Washington, D.C. Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 4–6, 6–4, 6–2, 5–7, 6–2
26. 1973 Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of Italy Adriano Panatta 6–1, 3–6, 6–1, 6–2
27. 1973 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 6–1, 6–2
28. 1973 Madrid, Spain Clay Flag of Italy Adriano Panatta 6–3, 7–6, 5–7, 6–1
29. 1973 Florence, Italy Clay Flag of Italy Adriano Panatta 6–3, 3–6, 0–6, 7–6, 6–4
30. 1973 French Open, Paris Clay Flag of Yugoslavia Nikola Pilić 6–3, 6–3, 6–0
31. 1973 Rome, Italy Clay Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes 6–1, 6–1, 6–1
32. 1973 Queen's Club, London Grass Flag of the United Kingdom Roger Taylor 9–8, 6–3
33. 1973 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay Flag of Australia Roy Emerson 6–4, 6–3, 6–3
34. 1973 Cincinnati, U.S. Hard Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes 5–7, 6–3, 6–4
35. 1973 Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes 2–6, 6–1, 8–6, 6–4
36. 1973 Paris, France Hard (i) Flag of the United States Stan Smith 4–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–0, 6–2
37. 1973 Masters, Boston Carpet Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker 6–3, 7–5, 4–6, 6–3
38. 1974 Richmond, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Tom Gorman 6–2, 6–3
39. 1974 Washington WCT, U.S. Carpet Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker 6–3, 6–3
40. 1974 Bournemouth, United Kingdom Clay Flag of Italy Paolo Bertolucci 6–1, 6–3, 6–0
41. 1974 Cedar Grove, U.S. Other Flag of Spain Juan Gisbert Sr. 6–4, 7–6
42. 1974 Madrid, Spain Clay Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 5–7, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4
43. 1974 Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes 8–6, 9–7, 6–3
44. 1975 Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of Spain Juan Gisbert Sr. 6–1, 7–5, 6–2
45. 1975 Valencia, Spain Clay Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes 6–3, 6–0
46. 1975 Madrid, Spain Clay Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes 7–6, 6–1, 2–6, 6–3
47. 1975 South Orange, U.S. Clay Flag of South Africa Bob Hewitt 7–6, 6–1
48. 1975 Masters, Stockholm Hard (i) Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 6–2, 6–2, 6–1
49. 1976 Atlanta WCT, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Jeff Borowiak 6–2, 6–4
50. 1976 Salisbury, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–2, 6–3, 7–6
51. 1976 La Costa, U.S. Hard Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 4–6, 6–0, 6–1
52. 1976 Myrtle Beach - Pepsi Grand Slam Clay Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes 6–4, 6–3
53. 1976 Honolulu - WCT Avis Challenge Cup Hard Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe 6–3, 1–6, 6–7, 6–3, 6–1
54. 1976 South Orange, U.S. Clay Flag of the United States Roscoe Tanner 6–4, 6–2
55 1976 Las Vegas Challenge Cup, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 3-6 7-6 6-4 7-5
56. 1977 Mexico City WCT, Mexico Hard Flag of Poland Wojtek Fibak 4–6, 6–2, 7–6
57. 1977 Aix en Provence, France Clay Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6–1, 7–5, ret.
58. 1978 Miami, U.S. Clay Flag of the United States Tom Gullikson 6–3, 7–5
59. 1978 Montego Bay, Jamaica - WCT Challenge Cup Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming 2–6, 5–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–4

Other titles (28)

Here are Năstase's tournament wins that are not included in the statistics on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) website. The website is very incomplete from 1968 to 1970 and has some omissions for tournaments held since 1968.

Năstase won several tournaments during the early years of his career that were equivalent to the present day "challenger" tournaments. Because the term "challenger" started to be applied to second-rank tournaments in 1978, those tournaments are termed "minor tournaments" in the following list.

Singles runner-ups (36)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. 1969 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Flag of Yugoslavia Nikola Pilić 6–4, 4–6, 6–1
2. 1970 Hamburg, Germany Clay Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–4
3. 1971 Macon, U.S. Hard Flag of Yugoslavia Željko Franulović 6–4, 7–5, 5–7, 3–6, 7–6
4. 1971 French Open, Paris Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš 8–6, 6–2, 2–6, 7–5
5. 1971 Brussels, Belgium Clay Flag of South Africa Cliff Drysdale 6–0, 6–1, 7–5
6. 1971 Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay Flag of Yugoslavia Željko Franulović 6–3, 7–6, 6–1
7. 1972 Salisbury, U.S. Hard (i) Flag of the United States Stan Smith 5–7, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4
8. 1972 Hampton, U.S. Hard (i) Flag of the United States Stan Smith 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 6–4
9. 1972 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Stan Smith 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 7–5
10. 1972 Båstad, Sweden Clay Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes 6–4, 6–3, 6–1
11. 1973 Hampton, U.S. Hard (i) Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–3
12. 1973 Bournemouth, United Kingdom Clay Flag of Italy Adriano Panatta 6–8, 7–5, 6–3
13. 1973 London Carpet Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker 6–3, 6–4
14. 1974 Toronto WCT, Canada Carpet Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker 6–3, 6–4
15. 1974 Hampton, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–4, 6–4
16. 1974 Monte Carlo WCT, Monaco Clay Flag of Rhodesia Andrew Pattison 5–7, 6–3, 6–4
17. 1974 Rome, Italy Clay Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
18. 1974 Masters, Melbourne Grass Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas 7–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4
19. 1975 Basel, Switzerland Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Jiří Hřebec 6–1, 7–6, 2–6, 6–4
20. 1975 Tucson, U.S. Hard Flag of Australia John Alexander 7–5, 6–2
21. 1975 Louisville, U.S. Clay Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6–4, 6–3
22. 1975 Montreal, Canada Hard Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes 7–6, 6–0, 6–1
23. 1976 Baltimore, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Tom Gorman 7–5, 6–3
24. 1976 Hampton, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
25. 1976 Caracas WCT, Venezuela Clay Flag of Mexico Raúl Ramírez 6–3, 6–4
26. 1976 Stockholm WCT, Sweden Carpet Flag of Poland Wojtek Fibak 6–4, 7–6
27. 1976 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 6–2, 9–7
28. 1976 Hong Kong Hard Flag of Australia Ken Rosewall 6–3, 6–3
29. 1977 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet Flag of the United States Dick Stockton 2–6, 6–3, 6–3
30. 1977 Virginia Beach, U.S. Hard Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6–2, 4–6, 6–2
31. 1978 Houston WCT, U.S. Clay Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried 3–6, 6–2, 6–1
32. 1978 Forest Hills WCT, U.S. Clay Flag of the United States Vitas Gerulaitis 6–2, 6–0
33. 1978 Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of Hungary Balázs Taróczy 1–6, 7–5, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
34. 1979 Cleveland, U.S. Hard Flag of the United States Stan Smith 7–6, 7–5
35. 1981 Nancy, France Hard (i) Flag of Czechoslovakia Pavel Složil 6–2, 7–5
36. 1981 Bologna, Italy Carpet Flag of the United States Sandy Mayer 7–5, 6–3

Sources for this section

Doubles titles (45)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponent in the final Score
1. 1970 Philadelphia WCT, USA Carpet Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe
Flag of the United States Dennis Ralston
6–1, 6–4
2. 1970 French Open, Paris Clay Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe
Flag of the United States Charlie Pasarell
6–2, 6–4, 6–3
3. 1970 Rome, Italy Clay Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of Australia William Bowrey
Flag of Australia Owen Davidson
0–6, 10–8, 6–3, 6–8, 6–1
4. 1970 Cincinnati, USA Clay Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of South Africa Bob Hewitt
Flag of South Africa Frew McMillan
6–3, 6–4
5. 1971 Hampton, USA Hard (i) Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of the United States Clark Graebner
Flag of Brazil Thomaz Koch
6–4, 4–6, 7–5
6. 1971 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker
Flag of the United Kingdom Roger Taylor
1–6, 6–3, 6–3, 8–6
7. 1971 Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay Flag of Yugoslavia Željko Franulović Flag of Chile Patricio Cornejo
Flag of Chile Jaime Fillol
6–4, 6–4
8. 1972 Kansas City, USA Indoor Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of Spain Andrés Gimeno
Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes
9. 1972 Hampton, USA Hard (i) Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of Spain Andrés Gimeno
Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes
6–4, 7–6
10. 1972 Madrid, Spain Clay Flag of the United States Stan Smith Flag of Spain Andrés Gimeno
Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes
6–2, 6–2
11. 1972 Rome, Italy Clay Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of Australia Lew Hoad
Flag of South Africa Frew McMillan
3–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–3, 5–3, RET.
12. 1972 Hamburg, Germany Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš Flag of South Africa Bob Hewitt
Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac
4–6, 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2
13. 1972 Montreal, Canada Clay Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš
Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kukal
7–6, 6–3
14. 1973 Salisbury, USA Hard (i) Flag of the United States Clark Graebner Flag of West Germany Jürgen Fassbender
Flag of Spain Juan Gisbert
6–2, 6–4
15. 1973 Calgary, Canada Indoor Flag of the United States Mike Estep Flag of Hungary Szabolcz Baranyi
Flag of Hungary Peter Szoke
7–6, 6–3
16. 1973 Hampton, USA Hard (i) Flag of the United States Clark Graebner Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors
Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac
6–2, 6–1
17. 1973 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Spain Juan Gisbert Flag of France Georges Goven
Flag of France Patrick Proisy
6–4, 5–7, 6–4
18. 1973 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of Australia John Cooper
Flag of Australia Neale Fraser
3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 8–9, 6–1
19. 1973 South Orange, USA Hard Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of the United States Richard Pancho Gonzales
Flag of the United States Tom Gorman
6–7, 6–3, 6–2
20. 1973 Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker Flag of Spain Antonio Muñoz
Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes
4–6, 6–3, 6–2
21. 1973 Madrid, Spain Clay Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker Flag of Australia Bob Carmichael
Flag of South Africa Frew McMillan
2–6, 6–3, 7–5
22. 1973 Paris, France Hard (i) Flag of Spain Juan Gisbert Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe
Flag of the United States Roscoe Tanner
6–3, 6–4
23. 1973 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of Australia Bob Carmichael
Flag of South Africa Frew McMillan
7–6, 7–5
24. 1974 Bournemouth, England Clay Flag of Spain Juan Gisbert Flag of Italy Corrado Barazzutti
Flag of Italy Paolo Bertolucci
6–2, 7–5
25. 1974 Indianapolis, USA Clay Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of West Germany Jürgen Fassbender
Flag of West Germany Hans-Jürgen Pohmann
6–7, 6–3, 6–4
26. 1974 Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of Spain Juan Gisbert Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes
Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas
3–6, 6–0, 6–2
27. 1974 London, England Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried
Flag of Mexico Raúl Ramírez
3–6, 7–6, 6–3
28. 1975 Salisbury, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš
Flag of the United Kingdom Roger Taylor
4–6, 6–3, 6–3
29. 1975 South Orange, USA Clay Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of Australia Dick Crealy
Flag of the United Kingdom John Lloyd
7–6, 7–5
30. 1975 U.S. Open, New York Clay Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker
Flag of the United States Marty Riessen
6–4, 6–4
31. 1975 Madrid, Spain Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš Flag of Spain Juan Gisbert
Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes
7–6, 4–6, 9–7
32. 1976 Stockholm WCT, Sweden Carpet Flag of the Soviet Union Alex Metreveli Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker
Flag of Italy Adriano Panatta
6–4, 7–5
33. 1977 St. Louis WCT, USA Carpet Flag of Italy Adriano Panatta Flag of India Vijay Amritraj
Flag of the United States Dick Stockton
6–4, 3–6, 7–6
34. 1977 London WCT, England Hard (i) Flag of Italy Adriano Panatta Flag of the United Kingdom Mark Cox
Flag of the United States Eddie Dibbs
7–6, 6–7, 6–3
35. 1977 Houston WCT, USA Hard Flag of Italy Adriano Panatta Flag of Australia John Alexander
Flag of Australia Phil Dent
6–3, 6–4
36. 1977 Aix-en-Provence, France Clay Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac Flag of France Patrice Dominguez
Flag of Sweden Rolf Norberg
7–5, 7–6
37. 1979 Sarasota, USA Carpet Flag of Israel Steve Krulevitz Flag of the United States John James
Flag of the United States Keith Richardson
7–6, 6–3
38. 1979 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Mexico Raúl Ramírez Flag of Paraguay Victor Pecci
Flag of Hungary Balázs Taróczy
6–3, 6–4
39. 1979 Cincinnati, USA Hard Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
1–6, 6–3, 7–6
40. 1979 Atlanta, USA Hard Flag of South Africa Raymond Moore Flag of Australia Steve Docherty
Flag of the United States Eliot Teltscher
6–4, 6–2
41. 1979 Tel Aviv, Israel Hard Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker Flag of the United States Mike Cahill
Flag of Australia Colin Dibley
7–5, 6–4
42. 1981 Nancy, France Hard (i) Flag of Italy Adriano Panatta Flag of the United Kingdom John Feaver
Flag of Czechoslovakia Jiří Hřebec
6–4, 2–6, 6–4
43. 1981 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Flag of Argentina José Luis Clerc Flag of Switzerland Markus Günthardt
Flag of Czechoslovakia Pavel Složil
7–6, 6–7, 7–6
44. 1981 Paris, France Hard (i) Flag of France Yannick Noah Flag of the United Kingdom Andrew Jarrett
Flag of the United Kingdom Jonathan Smith
6–4, 6–4
45. 1985 Tel Aviv, Israel Hard Flag of the United States Brad Gilbert Flag of the United States Michael Robertson
Flag of Romania Florin Segărceanu
6–3, 6–2

Personal life

Maxim magazine has placed Năstase at number 6 on its top ten "Living Sex Legends" list, as he is reputed to have slept with over 2500 women.[1]

See also

Further reading

External links

References

Preceded by
World No. 1
August 23, 1973 - June 2, 1974
Succeeded by
John Newcombe