Vilas is sometimes referred to as the game's first rock star.

With his good looks, long hair and body language on the court, the Argentine never stopped smiling, regardless of the circumstances, and was always willing to chat with fans or sign autographs. But Vilas, first and foremost, was an insanely good player. A lefty with spades of talent, a powerful backcourt game and equally mighty forehand and backhand. He also pioneered shots like the tweener. The extremely hard-working native of Buenos Aires was somewhat out of sync with the times. His arsenal of talents led him to four Grand Slam titles, and Wimbledon is the only one missing from his list. With 62 titles to his credit, Vilas also played in four other major finals, including three at Roland-Garros: two against Borg and one facing Wilander. Ranked number two in the world in 1975, Vilas could have ‒ should have, perhaps ‒ made it to the top of the world rankings if the calculates back then had been more accurate and more frequent. For years, an Argentine journalist has been trying to earn justice for his compatriot, who now lives in Monaco and suffers from a cognitive illness.