For his home country of Argentina, Vilas has left a huge legacy, especially with his "rock star" personality.
Whether he played on clay, or grass, Vilas dominated his oponents, even winning The World Cup in 1980. In 1981 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Hear the story of Guillermo Vilas' brilliant career, and his near miss of the top spot, in episode two of Who's Your Don Bradman? with Christophe Mallet and Dario Castaldo.
New episodes of Who's Your Don Bradman? will be released monthly, telling the stories of more inspiring sporting heroes idolised around the world but perhaps unknown here in Australia. Follow in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or the SBS Radio App to get upcoming episodes.