[情報] The Tennis Week Interview: Guillerm …
Photo By Ron Angle By Richard Pagliaro
08/28/2004
Tennis Week: It was moving ?and so fitting ?to see you present Gaudio and
Coria with their trophies after the Roland Garros final and to hear Gaudio
say "I want to thank Guillermo Vilas because it's thanks to him that we both
started to play." Tennis Week printed a great Ron Angle photo of you with
your arm around Coria's shoulder consoling him. What did it mean for you, as
sort of the father of Argentine tennis, to see three Argentines in the Roland
Garros semifinals and two of them play for the title you won in 1977?
Guillermo Vilas: It was very special for me and for Argentina. Coria's father
told me he named his son after me and he wanted his son to be a tennis player
like me. When I opened my club in Buenos Aires, Gaudio's teacher came to work
in my club. They were living in the south. The teacher asked me: "Can I have
this kid (Gaudio) become an honorary member here and work with me?" I said
"Yes, of course, no problem."
Tennis Week: So you knew Gaudio when he was a kid?
Guillermo Vilas: Yes, when he was 12. He was the first one to come to play at
my club and I played with him almost every day because he played very well.
So when he mentioned me in his speech in Paris he meant that and also because
he could continue working with his teacher at my club. And now, everyone
comes to my club to play ? Coria goes there ?it's a very open club, very nice
and it's in the middle of Buenos Aires, a lot of green. It's beautiful.
Tennis Week: Do you go back there a lot?
Guillermo Vilas: Oh yes, yes.
Tennis Week: In that moment after the Roland Garros final when you put your
arm around Coria's shoulder, what did you say to him?
Guillermo Vilas: I said to him "Remember you are 22 and you will be back
here. Don't look down, you will be back." You know, when you are close and
you don't do it, you think to yourself: "Will I ever do it?" Because you are
really not sure. But if you stick around long enough you can do it. I believe
Coria will do it.
Tennis Week: Look at Agassi, he lost his first three major finals before he
broke through and did it.
Guillermo Vilas: I hear people say "Agassi should retire because of this and
that." But you should retire the way you are and the way you played. Agassi
is a fighter. He will go out fighting. Because, you see, it旧 in Agassi旧
blood. He is a fighter.
Tennis Week: Coria, Gaudio, Nalbandian and Chela all had great victories at
Roland Garros. How did that make you feel, particularly since after you and
Clerc and Sabatini, there was nothing for a while.
Guillermo Vilas: For a while, there was nothing. Two guys, one was President
(Carlos) Menem and one was the governor of Buenos Aires state, both of them
wanted to develop tennis in Argentina. So I put that together and I started
scouting players all over Argentina because if you see the cities that they
come from they're very strange cities. The city Coria comes from means
(covers his left eye with left hand) "one-eyed deer". I went to all the
little cities in the country. I was calling people and letting them know I
would come to the different regions ?all over. And then I signed them up and
they had free lessons where the school was working. In the case of Coria,
Nalbandian and some other guys that come from inside the country they would
come to the school on weekends because their fathers were working (during the
week). So that's how it all started and I have a very good relationship with
all of them.
Tennis Week: What appealed to you about doing this Inner Edge Tennis Retreat
with Glenn Brooks and how often do you play tennis now because you look very
fit?
Guillermo Vilas: I play tennis often. I love to play. When Glenn told me
about this Inner Edge Retreat, it appealed to me very much. Tennis is a sport
that has different dimensions. It's not like basketball where guys like you
and me (shorter than six-feet) will never play. In tennis, everybody has a
place. Look, when I was playing you could relate to (shorter players like)
Dibbs and Solomon and you could relate to (taller players) like Frank
Froehling and Victor Amaya and that's what makes tennis ?and this Inner Edge
Retreat Glenn is doing ?special.
Tennis Week: How can the program you're participating in ?and tennis teachers
in general ?offer instruction that inspires people to keep playing tennis?
Guillermo Vilas: You can relate in different ways to tennis. People started
to get away from tennis, but there旧 so much tennis if you find it and find
the meaning of the game. It旧 not like football or soccer or basketball where
there旧 a basket or a goal right in front of you and you shoot. Tennis is
much more and much deeper and you have to find a philosophy behind the game.
It旧 not because you go to the gym for eight hours that you are gonna get
better. You虐e gonna get better when you get in harmony with everything ?in
your body and in your head. You cannot go to the court and play tennis with a
problem in your head. You cannot be thinking about something else.
Tennis Week: You can急 play angry.
Guillermo Vilas: You can急 play angry. You have to direct that anger to make
something positive of it. And when Glenn told me about that with Inner Edge
it interested me and appealed to me. What champions do is we control anger
and we control emotion on the court. Tennis is about control. As players, we
can all hit harder than you see us hitting in a match, but it旧 about
control. It旧 not like golf that you have a club to hit short and a club to
hit long. The short and long, in tennis, comes from a feel you have within
you for the game. You have to control that. It旧 more a control thing than an
expansion thing. People say "I want to hit harder!", but it旧 not all about
hitting harder. Sometimes you hit hard, sometimes you have to make a drop
volley. You cannot jump anytime you want, you have to jump in connection and
relation to the ball. People say, "I don急 play tennis because I観 heavy. I
can急 move." But if you learn the angles you will know how to stand and move
and anticipate on the court. If you see Federer he sometimes comes out of
matches with barely a wet part of sweat on his shirt. How does he do it? He
knows how to move. Nobody teaches these secrets of the game and that旧 what
we want to do with Inner Edge.
Tennis Week: It's an insight into the game?
Guillermo Vilas: Right and recognizing people are different and have
different styles. Look at Hewitt: he旧 cooking on the court, he旧 running, he
旧 sliding, he旧 a hyper guy.
Tennis Week: That's his personality
Guillermo Vilas: Yeah. We talk sometimes and I say, "Do you think you虐e
going to be playing the same way when you虐e 30?" And you see him now and he旧
slowing down and he is controlling his energy more effectively. I say to
Nadal also "Today, you have fire, but the main thing is what moves that fire
inside you — keep that alive. Don急 burn it too fast."
Tennis Week: It旧 like that old boxing adage about fear: fear is like fire if
you use it wisely and control it can keep you warm, but if you let it consume
you it can destroy you.
Guillermo Vilas: Exactly. Everything has a time and it旧 how much you use.
Everything has a mileage. You can use that inner fire waiting for a phone
call or you can sleep and let it rest and then it旧 there when you need it.
You have to teach your body that tiredness, fatigue, is telling you
something, but it旧 not the truth sometimes. We挙e learned that if you
exercise regularly, your body will respond and your body will do more than a
person who does nothing. And then you can be active and learn how to rest and
you can do so many more things with your life and achieve more when your body
and mind are in harmony. So I find this whole topic very interesting, it旧
fascinating to me and I観 looking forward to it. So when Glenn approached me
I said yes, I am interested and I want to do it. Because that旧 how we learn.
Tennis Week: Your presence and style influenced so many players. Of all the
players who have come after you Thomas Muster, because he was a strong
lefthander who built a long winning streak like you, Franco Squillari and
David Nalbandian, who like you is a physically strong player who has had
success on all surfaces, are the ones most obviously influenced by you. Of
all the players who have come after you, who reminds you of yourself the most?
Guillermo Vilas: Well Muster was like a copy of me.
Tennis Week: Did you ever spend time with him and get to know him?
Guillermo Vilas: Oh yeah, a lot. The reason he copied me a lot was because I
used to play in Austria in Kitzbuhel. I won Kitzbuhel five times, I think I
played there eight times, and he was there every tournament. I think he even
ball-boyed for me. He was very young then. I play many years there because
Head has their headquarters there and I was sponsored by Head. Originally,
they were in Boulder, Colorado, but when I was working with Ion Tiriac, they
made the connection and the company was in Austria.
Tennis Week: In John McEnroe's autobiography, You Cannot Be Serious, he
remembers being a ball boy for you and Borg and Nastase at Forest Hills and
he writes: "I remember Vilas bulging out of his clothes. Those guys looked
incredible." You guys had the presence, the look and the charisma of rock
stars, but you were world-class athletes on top of it. Why do you think the
players of that era ?you and Borg and McEnroe and Connors and Gerulaitis were
so influential ?and why is that period still so magical for so many fans of
my generation?
Guillermo Vilas: I think there are a few reasons for each player you named.
For me, I think I gave to the game a seriousness. I think I was very serious
and very professional in my approach to tennis. On the other hand, I was not
stuck to the tennis-only life. I enjoyed music, I enjoyed writing. It became
more of an easy life. Up to that moment, all of the players were always
struggling. The attitude was: "I'm sad. I'm struggling. I'm far away from
home. I miss my family." With Borg and me, people found guys who were happy
doing what we were doing, which was traveling the world, playing tennis and
living that life.
Tennis Week: And on top of that you guys were charismatic, good looking and
just so cool.
Guillermo Vilas:Yeah, yeah. We liked to dress well. Because we loved the
life. How many times do you hear rock stars say: "I'm tired of this life, I
want to go live on a farm"? We didn't want to do live on a farm. We wanted to
play Forest Hills. We wanted to play the French Open. We wanted to travel to
Japan and play there and go out to a party together to celebrate a
championship and take the next plane to the next event. You know, we used to
go out together with Vitas and Borg and McEnroe. We used to go to Studio 54
and have a great time together. You don't see those things anymore.
Tennis Week: Those must have been amazing experiences. Vitas Gerulaitis, from
what I'm told, had such a huge heart and McEnroe was is high energy and Borg
is so special. Who was the most fun to party with?
Guillermo Vilas: All together, we were fun together, as a group of friends. I
enjoy the music. Mac was more explosive and always had great ideas, you know,
"Let's go here! Let's go there!" And Vitas was like: "It's not a good day to
go there, the best day to go to Studio 54 is Thursday night..." McEnroe had
all the ideas and Vitas always knew when was the best time to go somewhere.
Vitas had a great concert connection with this person who was working out of
San Francisco and he would say "Call her if you need tickets for a concert."
You know, when we were all together, it was always the most fun. It was the
best time. And Borg was always with us. He was more quiet, but anything that
was happening he wanted to be part of it.
Tennis Week: The times I've interviewed him, he's struck me as a man with a
good spirit.
Guillermo Vilas: Exactly. Very nice. Dinner was good for him; going to the
movies was good for him. He was happy, he wanted to be with people, so we all
hung out together very well. Vitas played very good classical piano, very
good. He was trained, he could play Beethoven. He was a talented guy, he
played guitar and we all liked to play guitar, but Vitas was better than all
of us. So he would teach you all the chops, he'd be like (Vilas moves his
fingers as if playing guitar) "To play AC/DC you have to do this, to play the
Stones you have to do like that." He knew about culture, he'd say "you have
to read this book." He'd take us to meet (Rolling Stones bass player) Bill
Wyman. Vitas was like a link for us to other parts of the world. Vitas was
the organizer and everyone loved him. And it was fantastic. Like Connors said
when he died: "He made you feel special." That was Vitas: he made you feel
special.
Tennis Week: You must have been close with Vitas because you both had so much
in common?
Guillermo Vilas: Yeah, yeah. I had a house on Long Island for many years,
many years. I had covered courts so we could play in winter time. So one day
we're playing on my court and he comes to me in the middle of playing and
says: "Oh, I just got a phone call. The boiler blew up in my home. I have to
go to my house." I said: "OK." So the next day, we're playing again on my
court and he gets another phone call and he says: "You know something, the
boiler really blew up. The day before it was not true, but today it really
blew." You know, he was tired. So the day before he didn't want to play
anymore, but he didn't want to tell me he was tired so he made up a story
about the boiler, but the next day the boiler really did blow up. I said:
"What do you mean, how many times does the boiler blow up?" But he was tired
the first time, but then it really did blow up. There was water all over the
place. He always left his guitars were plugged ?he always left everything in
the house on ?the lights were on all night, he had all his guitars plugged
in. You just walk in and go "grrrrrr" (mimes playing air guitar). It was so
funny though hearing him say "the boiler blew up." and I say: "It just
happened yesterday, how many times does your boiler blow up." It was like he
got punished by God for that story (laughs). I could practice for hours and
hours back then.
Tennis Week: Let me ask you about that because you were known as the
hardest-working, most physically fit and strong player even before Lendl came
along. McEnroe said Borg was the best athlete he ever saw on a tennis court
and that you were one of the hardest-working players he ever saw, calling you
"supremely-disciplined". How did you develop that?
Guillermo Vilas: You know, my body was always strange that way. Tiriac always
said: "You're like a donkey ?the more you work the better you get." The more
I played, the better I played and I could repeat things forever. I think I
must have good genes. Two days ago, before I came here, I was feeling
terrible. But I said "I'm going to play anyway." So I played, I finished
playing and I felt amazing afterward so I remember what Tiriac told me. It
was so strange, I was feeling fat and a little tired and then that evening
after playing, I felt my entire body was tight again in just one day after
five or six hours of playing. Your body can be pretty simple: if you don't
give the body exercise it will look and feel like shit. But if you work and
it's tough and you sweat in two hours you feel better. I think I'm fortunate
than my body is like that: the more you ask of it, the more it gives.
Tennis Week: McEnroe once told me one of the most amazing things he saw was
when you would practice two hours before you would go out to play a U.S. Open
match. How did you do that?
Guillermo Vilas: That's true. Before the U.S. Open, I would practice for one
hour and 40 minutes. I was staying at Westchester Country Club and the one
who got me a place there was (Tennis Week publisher) Gene Scott. I would
practice one hour and 40 minutes at Westchester Country Club. Then, I would
arrive at Forest Hills and I would practice for another hour and a half and I
would walk out on the court sweating and play the match.
Tennis Week: That's unreal. That's like playing three matches in one day ?and
it's a Grand Slam.
Guillermo Vilas: Yeah, it was playing for three hours ?divided into two
sessions ?and then playing the U.S. Open match. But Borg used to do that too.
Now, we tell each other the truth about what we did as players. Borg would
practice for four hours before a match before he won his last Wimbledon, he
told me. And that was one of the times he was not feeling good. And I was the
same way. I'd say to Tiriac: "I'm not feeling good." And he'd say "play
more."
Tennis Week: It's almost like playing through the bad feeling to get to the
good feeling. You know the saying: "if you find yourself going through hell
?keep going."
Guillermo Vilas: Yes, yes, exactly. Because I always worked. and Borg also
always worked, through feelings. If we feel we are ready, we are ready. Our
bodies were not a problem. We could ask our bodies anything and it would
respond. But if our bodies were not feeling good, then the machine was not
good. So my whole thing was get the machine, the body, ready and then the
talent will come out on the court. If our bodies were good, then we can come
out with these long rallies and all the shots we played.
Tennis Week: When you beat Connors, (2-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-0) to win the U.S. Open
in 1977 you became the last man to win the U.S. Open at Forest Hills (the
tournament moved to Flushing Meadows in 1978). There's a great story people
who were at that match have told me about how the fans were so emotionally
moved by your victory they swarmed onto the court, embraced you like a
long-lost brother and carried you around for several victory laps on their
shoulders. In his book, Total Tennis, Bud Collins writes it was a "wild
celebration" and that "joyous fans carried Vilas on victory laps within the
concrete arena as though he were a triumphant bullfighter." What do you
remember about that match and that moment?
Guillermo Vilas: (smiles) Yeah, that was amazing. Yes, they did that. I
played very well that day. But don't forget one important thing: two years
before I was 5-0 up in the last set against Orantes and lost (Vilas held a
two sets to love lead against Orantes in the '75 semifinals before falling in
five sets), but I had an injury, which he did not know. When you lose a match
like that you give everybody an idea that they can come back against you. So
when I was in that situation again, two sets to one up against Connors, I
told myself: "If played well now, I have to play even much better to win this
match." And that's why I was so focused in that fourth set. And I went
through that fourth set, boom, boom, boom. That was a very special match
because I lost in the finals of Australia (to Roscoe Tanner), I won the
French. Then Borg won Wimbledon and if I won the U.S. Open I will be number
one unless Borg would in the Masters. To be next to Borg and Connors is tough
for anyone, but on the other hand you know you are part of history playing
along side them. That's why so many people don't give Lendl so much credit.
Because Borg retired and McEnroe stopped playing for one year. So I was in
the middle of all these guys. I told myself: "If I have a chance to be number
one, I have to win the U.S. Open, then sit on my ass and see what happens at
the Masters." Also, I could win the Masters, but I kept telling myself "I
have to win the U.S. Open if I want to be number one." So I had this crazy
focus on it. That's why I was so focused in that final.
Tennis Week: When you saw the fans come onto the court and mob you, what did
you think?
Guillermo Vilas: When the people came in, I thought they were Argentineans.
When they come running in there was one guy in front and I thought it was the
same guy who did the same thing at the Masters (at Madison Square Garden).
And I went to shake his hand, you know, like "good to see you again..." And
the guy says: "I don't know you!" And I looked at the guy and he was almost
the same as the guy who did it before, but it was not him. So I said: "Who
are you?" He said: "I'm happy you won! Thank you!" And then they lift me and
I looked closer at them and not one of them was from Argentina. They were
from Cuba, Puerto Rico, all different countries. I was impressed. I thought
"only Argentineans would do that." But no, they were from many countries.
Everybody got together for this thing that happened. One time I had to play
Jose Higueras at the Open during the day, but it got so late they moved it to
the evening session. And the people would not leave. They started shouting my
name and throwing the cushions on the court and hats and stuff and the
policemen came and said: "this is becoming dangerous, you have to play now."
I could not believe it. I was sitting there listening to the people chanting:
"We want Vilas!" I thought "this is very strange." It was a magical time (the
U.S. Open final). They were not from my country and they were not from the
same country. They were not connected by a country. I didn't know any of
them, but that's what is so beautiful about what happened: the tennis and
that victory connected them. It wasn't like they were against Connors and
wanted revenge, they were just happy that I won. They were hugging me saying:
"We're happy you won!" And I'm saying: "Me too!"
Tennis Week: It's funny because people think of you as a great clay-court
champion, but you were in the Australian Open final three years (1977-79) in
a row and won it twice on grass.
Guillermo Vilas: It's funny because I also won the Masters on grass in
Australia. But I learned grass. I wanted to play well at Wimbledon. So I said
"I have to go to Australia and learn grass." So I went for two months and
learned with Tony Roche and John Newcombe.
Tennis Week: You mean the transition game? Serve and volley tennis?
Guillermo Vilas: Yes, I served-and-volleyed just about every point when I
won. I was working with all these geniuses over there. And I learned grass. I
even practiced with Pat Cash when he was 14 then. I was just there working
all the time and I learned because I played well on grass. It's the same
thing with Borg: he had to learn grass. It's one thing when you have to
adapt, but grass you have to learn a totally different thing. It's like you
have to change into another person and play a little bit like Laver, a little
bit like Roche.
Tennis Week: When Roger Federer had his 23-match winning streak earlier this
year, people began to talk about the Open Era record 50-match winning streak
you had in 1977, which was the year you won 17 tournament titles and 145
matches overall. Those numbers are sort of mind blowing now, but at the time
when you had that streak going did you walk out there feeling pressure to
keep it going or was it more a feeling of being invinceable?
Guillermo Vilas: I think Arthur Ashe had the record of 31 straight wins
before me (it was actually Laver)so when I passed him it felt good. But then
you start thinking. Like the matches you win the first set, 6-1 or 6-0, and
then the other guy wins a game and that crowd starts going crazy. Remember
what happened with Gaudio in the French final? Coria was winning, then Gaudio
won one game and the crowd starts going crazy, remember?
Tennis Week: Right, right.
Guillermo Vilas: Gaudio won one game and the crowd goes crazy and does the
wave and this and that and then everything turned and the guy won the whole
thing. It's like the public says "we want this other guy to win to make it
interesting." Then I started thinking: "what if I lose a match or two
matches, what will happen?" You start to think about it. You know, it's
normal to lose, but during that streak it became abnormal to lose. I didn't
lose for months. Because I started winning right after Wimbledon about July
15th and we went through to the Masters in January. I was playing every
single week. I lost to Nastase who was playing with the stupid spaghetti
string racquet (which was soon banned from tennis) and then I won another
something like 38 matches so it would have been close to like a hundred
straight matches. I kept winning right up until Borg beat me in the Masters
at Madison Square Garden, but I beat Jimmy (in the U.S. Open final), who won
the Masters. So that's why I was so stubborn. You understand, I lost two
French Open finals to Borg (in 1975 and 1978) and if he wasn't there I feel I
would have won. He's the only guy who could beat me on clay.
Tennis Week: Why was Borg so tough for you ?and everyone else for that matter
? at Roland Garros? Was it his great speed, consistency, patience?
Guillermo Vilas: I'll answer you very easily: in all his life he lost only
twice in his life at Roland Garros. He won six years at Roland Garros. You
have to understand, I was in an era when one guy ?Borg ?won Roland Garros six
years and Wimbledon five years. A tennis player has about eight years of
great tennis. When you spend six of those years with a guy who wins Roland
Garros six times and Wimbledon five times that is the most difficult thing to
do. It will never be done again. Never. What Borg did in winning those
tournaments so many times will never be done again. Very few Roland Garros
winners can win a lot of matches at Wimbledon now.
Tennis Week: Who do you like to watch now? Federer?
Guillermo Vilas: I like to watch Federer and I think he still has a lot of
space to get better. Sometimes his attitude on the court is too relaxed, I
think, for me. But more and more we see Federer fighting. We see his emotion.
I like to see him playing very well. When he's playing well...
Tennis Week: ...he's an artist.
Guillermo Vilas: He's an artist. Exactly. He's at another level. He has a lot
of space in his mind when he plays good. I like to see all the Argentineans
play. Coria has a very nice attitude toward the game and he loves to play. I
like Nalbandian the way he plays ?he's like a chess player. He moves you
around very precisely and then he destroys and conquers. Hewitt now is coming
back. This is an era that it took very long to get established. You saw Safin
four years ago and you thought he'd be number one. Then you saw Hewitt on top
for two years. Now we have Nadal coming. You have Ferrero who was there one
year and is now struggling a bit. It has to establish some rivalry a bit
more. Nadal is very good. I presented him the cup when he just won his first
tournament. This generation took a long time to get established. Nadal will
come in as a liason to the next generation. Coria and Nalbandian, who are a
little injured now, will be there. And then you have Safin who is up and
down. If this generation can be continuously healthy and play well imagine
what you have: you have Federer, you have Roddick, you have Ferrero, you have
Safin, you have Coria, you have Nalbandian, you have Hewitt, you have Nadal
coming in. This is a solid, solid bunch. But you have to get them together
playing well. Get them together in the quarters playing against each other
consistently and watch the tennis you will get. We had that with Borg,
McEnroe, Connors, Vitas ?guys who won titles ?consistently playing each other
in these tournaments. If we can get this group playing each other
consistently it will really wake people up to tennis. That's what they need,
I think, to see these guys going head to head in the quarters, that will be
exciting.
Tennis Week: Where do you live now and do you still travel a lot?
Guillermo Vilas: I live in Monaco. I観 happy there. I still travel quite a
bit and play tennis often. You have to have a sense of humor to play tennis.
I remember one time, my friend, who is a player from Columbia called me and
said "tennis is very sad". He told me he just walked into his house after
eight months on tour and his own dog bit him ?the dog did not recognize him.
I love that. He didn急 say: "My dog bit me" he said "Tennis is terribly sad."
Because he killed his relationship because of tennis. So you have to love it
and love the life.
--
要有吸引人的雙唇.請說好意的言語
要有美麗的雙眼,請尋索他人的優點
要有纖細的身材,請與饑民分享你的食物
要有亮麗的頭髮,請讓小孩每日撫摸你的頭髮
要有自信的態度,請學習你不曾學過的知識
--
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