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Stan Smith World Champion, No. 1 ranking: 1972 One of America's Davis Cup stalwarts, who combined with Bob Lutz to become one of the great doubles combinations: in a career that included two Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
The man who overcame teenage anxieties, to become a feared 6-foot 3inch superstar, during the early days of professional tennis, booming down serves, followed by piercing volleys. Smith grew up in Pasadena, California where he was an All-American at the University of Southern California, where he won the U.S. Intercollegiate singles in 1968, and the doubles with Lutz in 1967 and 1968. In his 24 Davis Cup ties, Smith was awesome. In an 11-year Cup career beginning in 1968, he was on the winning side 22 times, 16 times he clinched the crucial deciding point: three times in the singles and 13 times in the doubles. He would finish with seven Cup victories tied with 1920s star Bill Tilden.
His five-set 1972 Wimbledon final victory over Ilie Nastase was outstanding, and his 1971 win over Jan Kodes, was the first U.S. Open final to conclude in a tiebreak. With Lutz they won four U.S. and one Australian championship doubles titles. In a career, which spanned amateur and open eras, he finished with 100 professional singles (39) and doubles (61) crowns. He was ranked in the world's Top Ten for six years 1970-1975, becoming the best player in 1972. He finished with $1,744,881 in prize money. Grand Slam Record Australian Open Doubles winner 1970 French Open Doubles finalist 1971, 1974 Wimbledon Singles winner 1972; Singles finalist 1971; Doubles finalist 1972, 1974, 1980-81 U.S. Championships Singles winner 1969, 1971; Doubles winner 1968 (professional), 1968 (amateur), 1974, 1978, 1980; Doubles finalist 1971, 1979 Tournament Record (inc. Davis Cup) United States Inter-Collegiate Singles winner 1968; Doubles winner 1967-68 United States Davis Cup team member 1968-79,
1981; winning side 1968-70, 1978-79, 1981; losing side 1968, 1971 1973
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