The players involvedStan Smith and Ion Tiriac
- Stan Smith. From Balbo to Grand Slam Champion
Stan Smith was born in 1946 in Southern California. As a child, he went to work as a ball boy for the Davis Cup, but was turned down because the organizers thought he was too clumsy. Smith later went on to play collegiate tennis at the University of South Carolina, and in 1968 he began playing on the tennis tour.
By September 1971, he had already won 11 titles, including the 1970 Stockholm Open, where he defeated Arthur Ashe (5-7, 6-4, 6-4), the 1970 Tokyo Masters, where he defeated Rod Lever (4-6, 6-3, 6-4), and the 1971 Queen’s Club Championship where he dominated John Newcombe (8-6, 6-3).
Three weeks after his victory at Queen’s Club, Newcombe finally got his revenge against Smith Wimbledon final (6-3, 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4). A few weeks later, Smith won his first Grand Slam title at Forest Hills, after he defeated Jan Codes in the final (3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6). It was the first time that A US Open: the final ended with a tie-break, which was introduced only in 1970.
- Ion Tiryak. The bulldozer of Brasov who became the Grand Slam doubles champion
Ion Tiriac was born in 1939. Because of his birth in Transylvania (Romania), he was nicknamed “The Bulldozer of Brasov” or “Count Dracula”. A multi-sport prodigy, Tirac was initially a table tennis prodigy before making the Romanian ice hockey team at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.Austria.
When she concentrated on tennis, she was good enough to reach the quarterfinals Roland Garros in 1968, which was the first Grand Slam of the open era. There he came close to defeating the great Rod Laver, ranked No. 1 in the world.
But despite taking a two-set lead, Tiriac eventually lost to Lever (4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0). He was more successful in doubles, usually with fellow countryman Ili Nastase, with whom he reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros twice (1968, 1969), before finally winning in 1970, when the pair defeated Arthur Ashe and Charlie Passarelli in the final (6-4, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, ).
The placeOlde Providence Racket Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
The 1971 Davis Cup Final between the United States and Romania was played at the Old Providence Racquet Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. This will be the last time Davis Cup will be played in the Challenge Round format, which saw the winner of the previous event (USA) automatically qualify for the final, while the challenger (Romania) must play no less than six ties before meeting the defending champions.
Facts: It takes a helicopter and gasoline to dry the courts after heavy rain
In 1971, the United States, as the defending Davis Cup champions, hosted the final in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rivals Romania beat no less than six other countries to enter the Challenge Round. First, Ion Tiriak and Ili Nastase had to win the European Zone B tournament, defeating the Netherlands, Israel, Yugoslavia and West Germany. After that, they had to win the inter-zonal tournament, defeating India and Brazil.
After the wrong Romanian national anthem was played at the start of the tie, things went from bad to worse for the Challenger team on day one. Stan Smith easily defeated Nastase (7-5, 6-3, 6-1), and Tiryak took a two-set lead, losing to Frank Frohling (3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1, 8-6).
At this point, the Romanian duo were used to playing doubles together. They were an experienced team that claimed several titles, including Roland Garros in 1970. “Count Dracula” and “Buffon of Bucharest”, despite their funny nicknames, left nothing to chance against Smith and Eric van Dielen, eliminating the American pair in straight sets (7-5, 6-4, 8-6).
Heavy rain fell on Charlotte on Saturday night. The officials were determined to dry out the courts and avoid any delays, and they were also aware that the wet clay courts would slow down the game, which would work in Romania’s favour. Sparing no effort (and expense), they hired a helicopter to hover over the stadium. However, this impressive effort was ineffective, so it was decided to pour gasoline on the tennis court and set it on fire. This time the court was actually dry, to the point where it no longer looked like a clay court, but more like asphalt.
This was great news for Smith, who had learned to play on cement growing up in California. The 24-year-old American was playing his fourth Davis Cup match against the experienced Tiriac, who has played more than 50 matches. However, on such a fast surface, his service-volley game was too puzzling for the Romanian. Smith won in straight sets (8-6, 6-3, 6-0) to seal the American victory in the last Challenge Round in tennis history.
What’s next? Stan Smith and Ioin Tiriac meet again a year later in the Davis Cup final
The two players would face each other a year later in the 1972 Davis Cup final in Bucharest. After a controversial match in which he claimed he was cheated by the linesmen, Smith would go on to win in five sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-0.
Already considered a great player, Smith would begin a two-year run in which he would be one of the most dominant players in the game. He claimed his second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 1972, defeating Ili Nastase in the final (4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5). Having won no fewer than nine tournaments that year, he would have been ranked No. 1 in the world, even though the ATP rankings did not exist at the time. In total, Smith would win 37 titles throughout his career, and he would also claim five major doubles titles with partner Robert Lutz. Smith would remain famous decades after his retirement because of the popular sneakers made by Adidas and named after him.
A:after retiring from professional tennis, Ion Tiriac would become a famous sports manager (in the 1980s he would discover and drive a young German player named Boris Becker) and a wealthy businessman. His investments would be very successful, making Tiriac a billionaire and the richest man in Romania at one point. Tiriak is also considered one of the most influential figures in tennis.