Rod Laver

Rodney George Laver, born on 9 August 1938, is an Australian former tennis player. He was the world number 1 player for five years from 1965 to 1969.

Laver won many matches and titles in his career. He won 11 Grand Slam tournament singles titles and 8 Pro major titles. He did something very special by winning all four big tournaments in one year, called the Grand Slam, twice—in 1962 and 1969. The 1969 Grand Slam was special because it was done in the Open Era.

Laver also won all three pro majors in one year, called the Pro Slam, in 1967. He played and won on many different types of surfaces, like grass, clay, hard, carpet, and wood. He helped Australia win the Davis Cup five times.

The Rod Laver Arena, the main show court at the Australian Open, and the Laver Cup tournament are named after him.

Early life

Rodney George Laver was born in Rockhampton, Australia, on 9 August 1938. He was the third of four children. His father was Roy Laver, a cattleman and butcher, and his mother was Melba Roffey.

Among his relatives were the cricketers Frank Laver and Jack Laver.

Career

Amateur (1956–62)

Rod Laver was a teenager when he left school to play tennis. He played tennis for 24 years. He was coached in Queensland by Charlie Hollis and later by the Australian Davis Cup team captain Harry Hopman, who called him “Rocket”.

Laver won the Australian and US Junior championships in 1957. In 1959, he reached the finals of all three events at Wimbledon, winning the mixed doubles title with Darlene Hard. He lost the singles final, but later won his first major singles title at the Australian Championships in 1960. He won his first Wimbledon singles title in 1961.

In 1962, Laver became the first male player since 1938 to win all four Grand Slam singles titles in one year. He won 22 titles that year, including matches in Italy, Germany, and France. He also won at the Australian Championships, beating Roy Emerson in the final.

Professional

Before the Open Era (1963–68)

In 1962, Laver turned professional after helping Australia win the Davis Cup. He quickly became one of the top professional players, winning the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships five times, including four in a row starting in 1966.

In 1963, Laver was often beaten by Ken Rosewall and Lew Hoad, but he became the No. 2 professional player by the end of the year. In 1964, he won matches against Rosewall and Pancho Gonzales, becoming a top player.

In 1965, Laver was the No. 1 professional player, winning 17 titles. In 1966, he won 16 events, including major titles. In 1967, he won 19 titles and achieved a professional Grand Slam by winning the four most important professional titles.

During the Open Era (1968–76)

When the Open Era began in 1968, Laver became Wimbledon's first Open Era champion, beating Arthur Ashe and Tony Roche. He was also the runner-up in the first French Open.

In 1969, Laver won all four Grand Slam tournaments again, this time in events open to all players. He won 18 of the 32 singles tournaments he entered and had a record of 106 wins and 16 losses for the year.

In the early 1970s, Laver played fewer Grand Slam tournaments due to his contracts, but he remained a top player in other events. In 1970, he won 15 titles and earned a lot of prize money. In 1971, he won seven titles and became the first tennis player to earn over $1 million in career prize money.

Laver won titles in 1972 and 1973, and in 1973 he helped Australia win the Davis Cup again. By 1976, he had won 74 singles titles, which remains one of the highest totals in the Open Era.

Rivalries

Laver had rivalries with several players. His longest was with Ken Rosewall, with whom he played over 130 matches. He also had strong rivalries with Pancho Gonzales and Roy Emerson.

Davis Cup

Laver helped Australia win the Davis Cup four times in a row from 1959 to 1962. In 1973, when professionals were allowed to play, he helped Australia win again, securing two singles and one doubles victory in the final. Australia won the Davis Cup each time Laver played in the competition. He won 16 of 20 Davis Cup singles matches and all four of his doubles matches.

Playing style

Rod Laver was not very tall, but he played tennis very well. He used a strong serve and moved fast to the net to hit the ball. His left-handed serve was hard to predict, and he could hit the ball hard and accurately from both sides of the court.

When he played as an amateur, Laver sometimes took risks with his shots. After becoming a professional, he learned to play more carefully and could change his style for any court or weather. He was especially good in long matches, where he could adjust his tactics to win.

Tennis legacy

Rod Laver is thought to be one of the greatest tennis players ever. He won many big matches before turning professional in 1962. After that, he wasn’t allowed to play in most big tournaments until 1968. Once he could play, he won many more important matches.

After 1968, Laver won five more big titles, bringing his total to 11. He is the only player to have won all four major tournaments twice. He also won nine doubles titles and helped Australia win five Davis Cup titles. Places like the Rod Laver Arena and the Laver Cup are named after him. Laver was often ranked as the best player in the world and won many titles each year. Many experts think he is the greatest tennis player of all time.

Honours

In 2000, the main court at Melbourne Park, where the Australian Open is held, was named the Rod Laver Arena to honor him. In 2016, he received a special award called the Companion of the Order of Australia.

Laver won many awards during his career. In 1969, he was named the ABC Sportsman of the Year Award and the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. He was added to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981 and to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. In 2002, he became a Legend of Australian Sport. He was also chosen as an Australian Living Treasure. In 1998, he received the Philippe Chatrier Award, the biggest honor from the ITF, for his work in tennis.

Laver was named a Queensland Great in 2005 and joined the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame in 2009. That same year, he was named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland.

Bronze statues of Laver and another tennis player, Margaret Court, were placed at Melbourne Park in 1993. Another statue of Laver was put along the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton in 2002. It was moved during some river work but returned when the project finished in 2018. The area where it stands is now called Rod Laver Plaza. A third statue of Laver was put up at Melbourne Park before the 2017 Australian Open.

Personal life

In 1966, Rod Laver married Mary Benson in San Rafael, California. Mary had children from before they married and was older than Laver. They had a son named Rick and lived in places in California, like Rancho Mirage, Corona del Mar, near Santa Barbara, and Carlsbad. Sadly, Mary passed away in 2012. Since 2018, Laver has lived with his partner Susan Johnson from Florida.

In 1998, Laver had a health issue during an interview. He spent time in the hospital and faced some challenges but recovered. Laver lives in Carlsbad, California and sometimes watched Los Angeles Chargers games. In 2017, he was honored by being inducted into the Southern California Tennis Hall of Fame.

Performance timeline

Laver started his professional tennis career in 1963. Because he was a professional player, he could not play in the big amateur tournaments until 1968. In 1968, professional players were allowed to play in the Grand Slam events for the first time, beginning with the 1968 French Open.

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Career statistics and records

Rod Laver won many important records in tennis. Some of his records are still unmatched by other players. He won titles from different tours such as the NTL, WCT, and Grand Prix.

John Bercow's book Tennis Maestros: The Twenty Greatest Male Tennis Players of All Time confirms Rod Laver's titles for several years. The ITF also confirms his titles in 1975.