In 1977, half the entire U.S population were said watched the compelling 12-hour mini-series, 'Roots' based on Alex Haley's blockbusting novel. Making news, Elvis Presley died. In fashion, Calvin Klein made blue jeans fashionable. On the big screen, 'Star Wars' was the "perfect summer escapist fare" because "the plot is simple...The word for this movie is fun." And in sport Guillermo Vilas was the hottest tennis player in the world after winning the French Open and the U.S. Open championships. In all he won 17 of 33 tournaments he played.
Aside from playing tennis, Guillermo also wrote poems. "I write poetry when I am lonely and when I am sad," he explained. "I don't write much concerning tennis. I just write my own feelings, my moods, my impressions." At the time he expressed, "Happy thoughts are not realistic thoughts. If you think deeply, you think sad things. I try to think deeply, so my thoughts are mostly very sad." His poems, he said were written in Spanish because "there are no translations. Publishers have talked about it. But the poems would not be the same in English. The feeling would be lost."
At the U.S. Open, 12,644 fans packed the 54-year-old horseshoe stadium to see the championship being played for the last time on the Har-Tru surface (or green clay court) at Forest Hills in New York. After winning the championship, Guillermo enthused, "I am so happy. I think this makes me No. 1 in the world." He also made known, "Most players probably prefer winning at Wimbledon but for me Forest Hills is the ultimate...I want to dedicate this win to my country, Argentina. Maybe now they will build that statue of me in downtown Buenos Aires." Of playing in New York, runner-up Jimmy Connors remarked, "I love it here. This New York crowd yells and screams. It really turns me on." On championship point, Guillermo recounted, "On the last point...It was so noisy. I didn’t know what was happening. The fans started shouting it was 'out'. I turned to the linesman and he said it was 'out.'" He also acknowledged, "Only in the United States, the people are so different than in Europe. They move about, shake hands, get up for a drink while the point is in play. Very distracting." In June, Guillermo won his first Grand Slam championship in Paris. At the time the weather was described as windy and drizzling but runner-up Brian Gottfried insisted, "It was Sunday. Everyone was there. The final was scheduled and we both knew we would play if conditions were playable. They were."
Of his winning streak in 1977, Guillermo maintained, "It's not routine. With every match, you have to work. Each man comes with a different tactic and you have to adjust. It's never easy." Brian added, "I had said before that I wouldn't be beaten on stamina and my fitness really helped." Raul Ramirez revealed, "I study my opponent and I plan my tactics from match to match. If I were playing somebody else, I might go to the net more often, perhaps all the time. Against (Adriano) Panatta I thought it was not good strategy."
Aside from playing tennis, Guillermo also wrote poems. "I write poetry when I am lonely and when I am sad," he explained. "I don't write much concerning tennis. I just write my own feelings, my moods, my impressions." At the time he expressed, "Happy thoughts are not realistic thoughts. If you think deeply, you think sad things. I try to think deeply, so my thoughts are mostly very sad." His poems, he said were written in Spanish because "there are no translations. Publishers have talked about it. But the poems would not be the same in English. The feeling would be lost."
At the U.S. Open, 12,644 fans packed the 54-year-old horseshoe stadium to see the championship being played for the last time on the Har-Tru surface (or green clay court) at Forest Hills in New York. After winning the championship, Guillermo enthused, "I am so happy. I think this makes me No. 1 in the world." He also made known, "Most players probably prefer winning at Wimbledon but for me Forest Hills is the ultimate...I want to dedicate this win to my country, Argentina. Maybe now they will build that statue of me in downtown Buenos Aires." Of playing in New York, runner-up Jimmy Connors remarked, "I love it here. This New York crowd yells and screams. It really turns me on." On championship point, Guillermo recounted, "On the last point...It was so noisy. I didn’t know what was happening. The fans started shouting it was 'out'. I turned to the linesman and he said it was 'out.'" He also acknowledged, "Only in the United States, the people are so different than in Europe. They move about, shake hands, get up for a drink while the point is in play. Very distracting." In June, Guillermo won his first Grand Slam championship in Paris. At the time the weather was described as windy and drizzling but runner-up Brian Gottfried insisted, "It was Sunday. Everyone was there. The final was scheduled and we both knew we would play if conditions were playable. They were."
Of his winning streak in 1977, Guillermo maintained, "It's not routine. With every match, you have to work. Each man comes with a different tactic and you have to adjust. It's never easy." Brian added, "I had said before that I wouldn't be beaten on stamina and my fitness really helped." Raul Ramirez revealed, "I study my opponent and I plan my tactics from match to match. If I were playing somebody else, I might go to the net more often, perhaps all the time. Against (Adriano) Panatta I thought it was not good strategy."
