Guillermo Vilas was one of the first “rockstars” of the Open era of tennis, with his wild mane and iconoclastic charisma. He was also, of course, one of the great players in the history of the circuit.
The Argentinian southpaw was one of the pioneers of the topspin effect and inventor of the move known as Gran Willy – hitting the ball between the legs with the back to the net – and the first South American to win a Grand Slam.
He won four in his 18-year career. Vilas is one of the great icons of sport in Latin America and, of course, especially in his native country; and Argentines, take their idols very seriously.
This is why many compatriots are frustrated and hurt that Vilas has never officially reached the top of the ATP rankings and instead other tennis players from the continent, like the Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten and the Chilean Marcelo Ríos , achieved this feat by accumulating less merit.
Rafael Nadal recalled an interesting anecdote about Guillermo Vilas and himself in the documentary produced by Netflix. Both players, who are left-handed and clay-court specialists, shared a close bond off the pitch.
Rafael Nadal is part of Guillermo Vilas.
“When I was very young, I remember something Guillermo Vilas told me: ‘Everyone can run sideways, but to run in both directions it’s a lot more complicated, so you have to try to get the players out of their comfort zone, “said Rafael Nadal.
The second narrative part of the film concerns Argentinian tennis journalist Eduardo Puppo’s quest to rectify this injustice. In 2007, Puppo read that the WTA changed its rankings from 1976, and thus raised Evonne Goolagong Cawley to number one for two weeks.
It was a short reign, but a big deal for Goolagong Cawley. Puppo thought he could do the same for Vilas, whom the Argentinian press had scoffed at “the eternal second”.
He vowed to prove that his compatriot had been number one at least at some point in his career. Puppo took a 12-year plunge into the rankings. He searched the ATP archives, tried to recalculate the rankings from 1973 to 1978, and gave up in desperation at least twice.
“He put Vilas’ ATP ranking at the top of his agenda,” Puppo’s wife said, with a half-incredulous smile. “The film ends with Puppo’s visit to Vilas, Monte Carlo.
Their quest ended in failure, and part of Vilas seems shattered by it. Over the past 15 years, as the Big Three have taken control of the rankings, the value of membership in this exclusive club has only increased.
Vilas was a player who gave up everything to be number 1, and who succeeded. But he doesn’t have the right to say it. Rafael Nadal certainly followed the Argentine’s advice, since the Spaniard is today a tennis legend thanks to his game which forces the opponent to run in all directions and to give his maximum to hope. defeat it.
