Rod Laver

From Vero - Wikipedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox tennis biography

Rodney George Laver (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former professional tennis player. Laver was ranked as the world number 1 professional player indisputably for five years from 1965 to 1969, and by some sources also in 1964 and 1970. He was also ranked as the number 1 amateur in 1961 and 1962. Laver won 200 singles titles across his amateur and professional careers, the most won by any tennis player.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Laver won 11 Grand Slam tournament singles titles and 8 Pro major titles. He completed the Grand Slam (winning all four majors in a calendar year) in singles twice, in 1962 and 1969; the latter remains the only time a man has done so in the Open Era. He also completed the Pro Slam (winning all three pro majors in one year) in 1967.<ref name="NYT2009">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Laver won titles on all court surfaces of his time (grass, clay, hard, carpet, wood), and he contributed to five Davis Cup titles for Australia during a time when the Davis Cup was deemed as significant as the four majors.<ref name="40 Years Ago: Look Out, Cleveland">Template:Cite web</ref> The Rod Laver Arena (the main show court of the Australian Open) and the Laver Cup tournament are named after him.<ref name="Tennis.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life

Rodney George Laver was born in Rockhampton, Australia, on 9 August 1938.<ref name="Fein2002">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="DeboltBaugess2011">Template:Cite book</ref> He was the third of four children of Roy Laver, a cattleman and butcher, and his wife Melba Roffey.Template:Sfnp

Amongst his relatives were the cricketers Frank Laver and Jack Laver.<ref name="make100">Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

Amateur (1956–62)

Laver was a teenager when he left school to pursue a tennis career that lasted 24 years. He was coached in Queensland by Charlie Hollis and later by the Australian Davis Cup team captain Harry Hopman, who gave Laver the nickname "Rocket".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Laver was both Australian and US Junior champion in 1957. He had his breakthrough on the world stage in 1959, when he reached all three finals at Wimbledon, winning the mixed doubles title with Darlene Hard. As an unseeded player, he lost the singles final to Peruvian Alex Olmedo after surviving an 87-game semifinal against American Barry MacKay (tennis). His first major singles title was the Australian Championships in 1960, where he defeated fellow Australian Neale Fraser in a five-set final after coming back from two sets down and saving a Fraser championship point in the fourth set. Laver captured his first Wimbledon singles crown in 1961 beating Chuck McKinley in straight sets in the final, which lasted just 53 minutes (one of the shortest men's singles Wimbledon finals on record).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Laver was ranked the world No. 1 amateur in 1961 by Lance Tingay.<ref name="USLTAEncyclopedia" />

File:Rod Laver signing autographs Dutch Championships 1962.jpg
Rod Laver signing autographs at the Dutch Championships in July 1962

In 1962, Laver became the first male player since Don Budge in 1938 to win all four Grand Slam singles titles in the same year. He won an additional 18 titles, for a season total of 22.<ref name=garber /> Among those titles were the Italian Championships and the German Championships, giving Laver the "clay court triple" of Paris, Rome, and Hamburg that had been achieved previously only by Lew Hoad in 1956. At the Australian championships, Laver beat Roy Emerson in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The biggest hurdle to Laver's winning the Grand Slam was the French Championships on slow clay, where Laver won three consecutive five-setters beginning with the quarterfinals. In his quarterfinal with Martin Mulligan, Laver saved a matchpoint in the fourth set with a backhand volley after coming to the net behind a second serve. In the final, Laver lost the first two sets and was down 0–3 in the fourth set before coming back to defeat Emerson. At Wimbledon, his progress was much easier. Laver lost only one set the whole tournament, to Manuel Santana in a quarterfinal, who held a set point for a two set lead. In the final, Laver beat Mulligan in 52 minutes (a minute shorter than the previous year's final).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the US Championships, Laver lost only two sets during the tournament and defeated Emerson again in the final. Laver was ranked world number one amateur for 1962 by Tingay,Template:Sfnp by Ned Potter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and by an Ulrich Kaiser panel of 13 experts.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In February 1963, Laver appeared on the panel game show To Tell the Truth, where all four panelists identified him based on his knowledge of the history of tennis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Professional

Before the Open Era (1963–68)

In December 1962 Laver turned professional after winning the Davis Cup with the Australian team. After an initial period of adjustment he quickly established himself among the leading professional players such as Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad and Andrés Gimeno, and also Pancho Gonzales when Gonzales returned to a full-time schedule in 1964. During the next seven years, Laver won the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships five times, including four in a row beginning in 1966.

In the beginning of 1963, Laver was beaten consistently by both Rosewall and Hoad on an Australasian tour. Hoad won the first eight matches against Laver, and Rosewall won 11 out of 13. However, Laver won the best-of-five set matches against Rosewall at Kooyong Stadium and at Adelaide's Memorial Stadium.Template:Sfnp By the end of the year, with six tournament titles, Laver had become the No. 2 professional player behind Rosewall.<ref>The History of Professional Tennis by Joe McCauley : Chapter 27 title, p. 123 : "New pro Laver takes second place to Rosewall"</ref><ref>Rod Laver – The red-headed rocket from Rockhampton by Betty Laver p. 61 and 153</ref><ref>Butch Buchholz in World Tennis Volume 13 Number 8 (January 1966) p. 38</ref> In the first phase of the World Series tour, Laver finished second, with a 25–16 record. The top two players Rosewall and Laver then played a series of matches against each other to determine the champion. Rosewall won 14–4.

Laver's gross earnings for 1963 were first among the pro players.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1964, Laver and Rosewall both won seven important titles (in minor tournaments Laver won four and Rosewall won three), but Laver won 17 of 24 matches against Rosewall and captured the two most prestigious titles, the US Pro Championships over Gonzales and the Wembley Championships over Rosewall. In Tennis Week, Raymond Lee described the Wembley match, where Laver came from 5–3 down in the fifth set to win 8–6, as possibly their best ever and one that changed tennis history. Lee regards this win as the one that began and established Laver's long reign as world number one. The other prestige title, the French pro, was won by Rosewall. Rosewall finished top of the official points table in 1964 and after winning at Wembley, Laver said "I've still plenty of ambitions left and would like to be the world's No. 1. Despite this win, I am not there yet – Ken is."<ref>The History of Professional Tennis, by Joe McCauley, page 128</ref>

File:Tenniskampioenschappen in Noordwijk, Leaver (Australie) in actie, Bestanddeelnr 916-7881.jpg
Rod Laver at Noordwijk in 1964

In 1965, Laver was clearly the No. 1 professional player,<ref>Earl "Butch" Buchholz in World Tennis Volume 13 Number 8 (January 1966) p. 38</ref> winning 17 titles<ref name="bercow2015">Template:Cite book</ref> and 13 of 18 matches against Rosewall. In ten finals, Laver won eight against the still dangerous Gonzales. Laver won the Wembley Pro, beating Gimeno in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1966, Laver won 16 events,<ref name="bercow2015" /> including the US Pro Championships (beating Rosewall in a five-set final),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Wembley Pro Championship (beating Rosewall easily in the final),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and eight other important tournaments.

In 1967, Laver won 19 titles,<ref name="bercow2015" /> including the Wimbledon Pro (beating Rosewall in straight sets in the final),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the US Pro Championships (beating Gimeno in the final),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Wembley Pro Championships (beating Rosewall in the final),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the French Pro Championship (beating Gimeno in the final),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which gave him a clean sweep of the four most important professional titles, a professional Grand Slam. The Wimbledon Pro tournament in 1967 was the only professional event ever staged on Wimbledon's Centre Court before the Open Era began.

During the Open Era (1968–76)

With the dawn of the Open Era in 1968, professional players were once again allowed to compete in Grand Slam events. Laver became Wimbledon's first Open Era champion in 1968, beating the best amateur, American Arthur Ashe, in a semifinal and fellow-Australian Tony Roche in the final, both in straight sets.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Laver was also the runner-up to Ken Rosewall in the first French Open. In this first "open" year, there were only eight open events besides Wimbledon and the French Open, where professionals, registered players, and amateurs could compete against each other. The professionals mainly played their own circuit, with two groups – National Tennis League (NTL) and World Championships Tennis (WCT) – operating. Laver was ranked No. 1 universally, winning the US Professional Championships on grass and the French Pro Championship on clay (both over John Newcombe).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Laver also won the last big open event of the year, the Pacific Southwest in Los Angeles on hard courts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ashe regarded Laver's 4–6, 6–0, 6–0 final win over Ken Rosewall as one of his finest performances.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Laver's post-match comment was, "This is the kind of match you always dream about. The kind you play at night in your sleep." Laver ranked No. 1 for 1968 by the panel of journalists for the 'Martini and Rossi' Award,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> by an Ulrich Kaiser panel of 18 experts,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> by Seagrams (a panel of 15 journalists),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> by World Tennis,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> by Lance Tingay,<ref name=":9">Template:Cite book</ref> by Rino Tommasi,<ref name="Almanacco1989 694">Almanacco illustrato del tennis 1989, Edizioni Panini, p.694</ref> by Bud CollinsTemplate:Sfnp and by The Times.<ref>The Times (London), 25 September 1968, p. 13</ref>

In 1969, Laver won all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same calendar year for the second time, sealing the achievement with a four-set win over Roche in the US Open final. He won 18 of the 32 singles tournaments he entered (still the Open Era titles record) and compiled a 106–16 win–loss record. In beating Newcombe in four sets in the Wimbledon final, he captured the title at the All England Club for the fourth consecutive time that he had entered the tournament (and reached the final for the sixth consecutive time as he had been runner-up in 1959 and 1960). He set a record of 31 consecutive match victories at Wimbledon between 1961 and 1970, which lasted until 1980 when it was eclipsed by Björn Borg. Unlike his first Grand Slam year in 1962, Laver in 1969 played in events open to all the best professional and amateur players of the world. In the year's Grand Slam tournaments, Laver had five five-set-matches, twice coming back from two sets down in early rounds. In the four finals, however, he lost a total of only two sets. His hardest match was a marathon 90-game semifinal against Roche at the Australian Open under tropical hot conditions. Other opponents at the Australian Open included Roy Emerson, Fred Stolle, and Andrés Gimeno. At the French Open, Laver beat Gimeno, Tom Okker, and Rosewall. At Wimbledon, Laver overcame strong challenges from Stan Smith, Cliff Drysdale, Ashe, and Newcombe. At the US Open on slippery grass courts, he defeated Dennis Ralston, Emerson, Ashe, and Roche. Laver proved his versatility by winning the Grand Slam tournaments on grass and clay, plus the two most important hard court titles (South African Open at Ellis Park, Johannesburg and the US Professional Championships at Boston) and the leading indoor tournaments (Philadelphia US Pro Indoor and Wembley British Indoor). Laver ranked No. 1 for 1969 by the panel of 13 international journalists for the 'Martini and Rossi' Award,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> by Tingay,<ref name=":9" /> by Collins,Template:Sfnp by Tommasi,<ref name="Almanacco1989 694"/> by Frank Rostron<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and by World Tennis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the early 1970s, Laver lost his grip on the major tournaments. He played only five Grand Slam tournaments from 1970 through 1972. This was partly because of his contracts with NTL and WCT. But on the WCT tours, he remained the leading player and by far the leading prize money winner.

File:Rodney George Laver.jpg
Laver during the Top Tennis Tournament in Amsterdam in May 1969
File:ABN Wereldtennis in Ahoy Rotterdam Laver in aktie, Bestanddeelnr 928-4300.jpg
Rod Laver at the 1976 ABN World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam

In 1970, Laver won 15 titles<ref name="bercow2015" /> and US$201,453 in prize money, including the rich "Tennis Champions Classic" and five other big events (Sydney Dunlop Open, Philadelphia, Wembley, Los Angeles, South African Open). Those were the equivalent of the modern day ATP Masters Series and most had 8 or more of the world's top ranked players participating. With only two majors played by all the best players (Wimbledon and the US Open), there was no clear-cut World No. 1 in 1970. Wimbledon champion Newcombe, US champion Rosewall, and Laver (who won the most titles and had a 3–0 win–loss record against Newcombe and a 5–0 record against Rosewall) were ranked the highest by different journalists and expert panels. The panel of 10 international journalists who voted for the 'Martini and Rossi' Award, ranked Rosewall No. 1 with 97 points over Laver (89 pts) and Newcombe (81 pts).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The panel of 12 journalists which made the WCT draw for 1971 ranked Laver 1st, Rosewall 2nd and Newcombe 3rd.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rex Bellamy ranked Laver No. 1, with Rosewall No. 2.<ref>The Times (London), 22 December 1970, p. 12</ref> Judith Elian of L'Equipe Magazine (Paris) and Rino Tommasi<ref name="Almanacco1989 694"/> placed Rosewall No. 1, while Robert Geist co-ranked Rosewall, Laver and Newcombe No. 1.Template:Sfnp Newcombe later wrote in his autobiography "Newk-Life On and Off the Court" (2002) that the top honour for 1970 belonged to Laver.<ref>Newk-Life On and Off the Court, John Newcombe, 2002, p.85</ref> Lance Tingay,<ref name=":9"/> John McCauley<ref>Muscles, Ken Rosewall as told to Richard Naughton, 2012, p.208</ref> and Bud Collins.Template:Sfnp ranked Newcombe ahead of Rosewall and Laver.

In 1971 Laver won seven titles,<ref name="bercow2015" /> including the Italian Open in Rome on clay over Jan Kodeš, the reigning French Open champion. Laver successfully defended his title at the "Tennis Champions Classic", winning 13 consecutive winner-take-all matches against top opponents and US$160,000. For the year, Laver won a then-record US$292,717 in tournament prize money and became the first tennis player to surpass US$1 million in career prize money. In 1971 and 1972, Laver finished as the points leader of the WCT tournament series but lost the playoff finals at Dallas to Rosewall. The last match is rated as one of the best of all time and drew a TV audience of over 20 million.

In 1972, Laver cut back his tournament schedule, partly because of back and knee injuries and his tennis camp businesses, but he still won five titles<ref name="bercow2015" /> that year. In 1973, Laver won seven titles<ref name="bercow2015" /> and successfully participated in the semifinals and final of the Davis Cup, where he won all six of his rubbers for Australia. In 1974 Laver won six titles<ref name="bercow2015" /> from 13 tournaments and ended the year as World No. 4 based on the ATP point system. At 36, he was the oldest player during the Open Era to have been included in the year-ending top five.

In 1975, Laver set a record for WCT tournaments by winning four titles and 23 consecutive matches but in 1976, he semi-retired from the main tour, playing only a few selected events. He also signed with World Team Tennis, where he became "Rookie of the Year" at the age of 38 but won five titles<ref name="Player Details: Rod LAVER">Template:Cite web</ref> overall that season.

Overall, despite turning 30 just months after the Open Era began, Laver had tremendous success, winning 74 singles titles, which remains seventh most of the era. Plus, like most players of his day, he regularly played doubles, winning 37 titles.

Laver's career earnings were approximately $1,540,000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rivalries

Template:Main Laver had a long-running, friendly rivalry with Ken Rosewall between 1963, when he started out as a pro, and 1976, when both were semi-retired from the main tour. Including tournaments and one-night stands, they played over 130 matches, all of them as professionals, with some results from the barnstorming pro tours lost or badly recorded. Overall a match score of 89–75 in favour of Laver can be documented.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Main Against the older Pancho Gonzales, whom he played 1964 to 1970 on the pro tour, Laver had a lead of 43–22.Template:Citation needed Template:Main Laver had another, even longer rivalry with his fellow Queenslander Roy Emerson. They met first on the senior amateur tour in 1958 and dominated the amateur circuit until 1962, before Laver turned pro. When open tennis arrived in 1968, Emerson joined the pro tour, and had many new battles with Laver. Overall the score is 49–18 in favour of Laver, with 7–2 in major Grand Slam tournaments.Template:Citation needed

Laver had also many battles with Lew Hoad in his first years on the pro circuit 1963–1966. Although he lost the first eight matches in January 1963, Laver later in the year began to turn around their rivalry, and until 1966, he had built a 38–21 lead. Against Arthur Ashe, Laver had a head-to-head lead of 21–3, winning all of the first 18 matches. Ashe's first win came in 1974, when Laver was 35. Another younger rival in the Open Era was John Newcombe, whom Laver led 16–5 in their head-to-head score.Template:Citation needed

Davis Cup

Laver helped Australia win the Davis Cup four consecutive times from 1959 to 1962. In 1973, professionals were permitted to play in the Davis Cup for the first time, and Laver was on a winning team for the fifth time, claiming two singles and a doubles rubber in the final as Australia beat the United States 5–0. Australia were crowned Davis Cup champions in each of the five seasons Laver played in the competition. Laver won 16 out of 20 Davis Cup singles matches and all four of his doubles.

Playing style

File:1962 Italian Open - Rod Laver.jpg
Laver reaches for a backhand volley against Jovanović during their singles semifinal match in the 1962 Italian Open.

Although of average height and medium build (Template:Convert), Laver developed a technically complete serve-and-volley game, with aggressive groundstrokes to back it up. Commentator Dan Maskell described him as "technically faultless".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His left-handed serve was well disguised and wide swinging. His groundstrokes on both flanks were hit with topspin, as was the attacking topspin lob, which Laver developed into a weapon. His stroke technique was based on quick shoulder turns, true swings, and accurate timing. His backhand, often hit on the run, was a point-ender that gave him an advantage. Laver was very quick and had a strong left forearm. Rex Bellamy wrote, "The strength of that wrist and forearm gave him blazing power without loss of control, even when he was on the run and at full stretch. The combination of speed and strength, especially wrist strength, enabled him to hit ferocious winners when way out of court." At the net, he had forcing volleys, often hit as stroke volleys. Especially on the backhand, he could hit sharp underspin angles as well. He was difficult to lob, because of his springing agility, and when forced to retreat, he could come up with a vicious counterpunch.Template:Citation needed

As an amateur, Laver was a somewhat flashy player, often a late starter. He had to learn to control his adventurous shot-making and integrate percentage tennis into his game when he turned professional. In his prime, he could adapt his style to all surfaces and to all conditions. Laver had a strong record in five-set-matches, often turning things around with subtle changes of tactics.Template:Citation needed

Tennis legacy

File:Bust of Rod Laver at Pat Rafter Arena, Queensland Tennis Centre 2020.jpg
Bust of Laver at the Pat Rafter Arena, in Queensland.

Laver is regarded by many as the greatest tennis player in the history of the sport.<ref group="lower-alpha">See<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name="tennisweek.com">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> </ref>

Laver won six major titles as an amateur, including the Grand Slam (Australian, French, Wimbledon, and US Championships), before turning professional in December 1962. From then until 1968 he was banned from playing in any tournaments except for those on the professional circuit. He won eight Pro major titles (which included the 1967 Professional Grand Slam), along with the Masters Pro, Madison Square Garden Pro (twice), Forest Hills Pro, and the Wimbledon Pro. After the Open Era began in 1968 Laver won five more major championships, bringing his final total to 11 and comprising his second Grand Slam; the only male singles player to win two Grand Slams and the only male singles player to do so in the Open Era.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Laver also won eight major doubles titles.

Laver won titles on all court surfaces of his time (grass, clay, hard, carpet, wood), and he contributed to five Davis Cup titles for Australia during a time when the Davis Cup was deemed as significant as the four majors.<ref name="40 Years Ago: Look Out, Cleveland"/> The Rod Laver Arena (the main show court of the Australian Open) and the Laver Cup tournament are named after him.<ref name="Tennis.com"/>

Laver was ranked the world No. 1 amateur in 1961 by Lance Tingay and in 1962 by Tingay and Ned Potter. Laver was the number one professional in some rankings in 1964, in all rankings from 1965 to 1969, and in some rankings in 1970. His record 200 career singles titles will likely never be broken. He also holds the record for most titles won in a single year during the amateur era (22 in 1962),Template:Sfnp during the touring pro era (19 in 1967),Template:Sfnp and during the Open Era (18 in 1969).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> His rivalry with Ken Rosewall is among the greatest the sport has ever seen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Most tennis experts (former players, historians, and the press) have high praise for Laver and his place in history. Dan Maskell, John Barrett, Butch Buchholz,<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref> Cliff Drysdale,<ref name="auto"/> Joe McCauley,Template:Sfnp Ted Schroeder, and Tony Trabert rank Laver as the best of all time. Trabert said in January 2008, "I still maintain that Rod Laver is the best player who ever played the game because he's done something no one has ever done in the 120 or 140-year history of our sport: he won the Grand Slam as an amateur and he won the Grand Slam as a pro."<ref name="tennisweek.com" /> Malcolm Knox of the Sydney Morning Herald put Laver and Ken Rosewall in a class of two.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Former players Frank Sedgman, Ellsworth Vines, Don Budge, and Sidney Wood, ranked Laver all-time as 3, 4, 5, and 5, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Tennis Myth and Method, Ellsworth Vines & Gene Vier, 1978, Viking Press, p.6</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1983, Fred Perry ranked Laver No. 1 in the post-World War II greatest players list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Tennis promoter and former Wimbledon champion Jack Kramer ranked Laver outside his six best all-time.<ref>Kramer considered the best player ever to have been either Don Budge (for consistent play) or Ellsworth Vines (at the height of his game). The next four best were, chronologically, Bill Tilden, Fred Perry, Bobby Riggs and Pancho Gonzales. After these six came the "second echelon" of Laver, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Gottfried von Cramm, Ted Schroeder, Jack Crawford, Pancho Segura, Frank Sedgman, Tony Trabert, John Newcombe, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors. He felt unable to rank Henri Cochet and René Lacoste accurately but felt they were among the very best.</ref><ref>McCauley, Joe (2003). The History of Professional Tennis; Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1986, the US magazine Inside Tennis polled 37 experts, and Laver was ranked first on their list. An Associated Press poll in 2000, had Laver was voted "The Male Tennis Player of the Century". Laver also topped the list of Tennis Week in 2007, where historian Raymond Lee analyzed the all-time best players. In the 2012 Tennis Channel production "100 Greatest of All Time" Laver was ranked No. 2 behind Roger Federer. In July 2017, Federer called Rod Laver the greatest of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tennis historian and commentator Bud Collins was often undecided between Laver, Bill Tilden, and Pancho Gonzales as far as who was the greatest of all time.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>The Collins article: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14489546/ Template:Webarchive</ref> But in 1989 he wrote, "I remain unconvinced that there ever was a better player than Rod Laver".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Honours

File:Rod Laver.jpg
Sculpture depicting Rod Laver outside the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne.

In 2000, the centre court at Melbourne Park, which today hosts the Australian Open, was named the Rod Laver Arena in his honour. In 2016, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia.<ref name=AC />

The hall at the Rockhampton Tennis Association's Victoria Park precinct in Wandal where Laver competed until the age of 14 was named the Rod Laver Hall upon its completion in December 1963 in recognition of his Grand Slam win the previous year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1969, Laver was awarded the ABC Sportsman of the Year Award and the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year.<ref name=ampol>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985 and upgraded to a Legend of Australian Sport in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is also an Australian Living Treasure. In 1998, Laver received the Philippe Chatrier Award (the ITF's highest accolade) for his contributions to tennis and in 2000, Centre Court at the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne was renamed Rod Laver Arena.

Laver was named as a Queensland Great in June 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2009, he was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Also in 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, Laver was named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Bronze busts of Laver and Margaret Court by sculptor Barbara McLean were unveiled at Melbourne Park in 1993 upon their induction into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Another bronze bust of Laver, also by McLean, was installed on the banks of the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton's city centre which was unveiled by Laver and Rockhampton City Council deputy mayor Dell Bunt on 7 December 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There was some concern raised by the local community when the bust was removed in 2016 during the riverbank redevelopment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, the bust was re-installed upon the completion of the redevelopment which was officially opened in 2018, with the recreational precinct on the low bank being named Rod Laver Plaza.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A bronze statue of Laver by sculptor Lis Johnson was unveiled at Melbourne Park prior to the 2017 Australian Open.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon.png Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) 1970 Queen's Birthday Honours – "For service to Tennis"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
File:400px ribbon bar of Australian Sports Medal.svg Australian Sports Medal 30 August 2000 – "Possibly the greatest player ever. The only player to capture two "Grand Slams""<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
File:AUS Order of Australia (civil) BAR.svg Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) 2016 Australia Day Honours – "For eminent service to tennis as a player, representative and mentor, at the national and international level, and as a role model for young sportsmen and women".<ref name=AC>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

On 27 July 1998, Laver suffered a stroke while being interviewed by ESPN-TV in the United States for their SportsCentury 20th Century sports retrospective series. He was hospitalised for a month and suffered from memory and speech difficulties after the stroke, but recovered over the course of the following year.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 1966, Laver married Mary Benson in San Rafael, California. Born Mary Shelby Peterson in Illinois, she was a divorcee with three children and ten years his senior.<ref name=AWW>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="LA Times" /> Together, they had a son named Rick. The family lived at various locations in California including Rancho Mirage, Corona del Mar, a ranch near Santa Barbara and Carlsbad.<ref name="LA Times" /> Mary Laver died in November 2012 at the age of 84 at their home in Carlsbad.<ref name="LA Times">Template:Cite news</ref> Since 2018, he has been living with his partner Susan Johnson, a widow from Florida.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1985, Laver's cousin was killed in the crash of Delta Air Lines Flight 191; the latter's son survived the crash.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Laver resides in Carlsbad, California,<ref name="retired">Template:Cite news</ref> and attended San Diego Chargers games on occasion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 1 October 2017, he was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Performance timeline

Template:Performance key

Laver joined the professional tennis circuit in 1963 and as a consequence was banned from competing in the amateur Grand Slams until the start of the Open Era at the 1968 French Open.<ref name=garber>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tournament Amateur career Professional career Open career
'56 '57 '58 '59 '60 '61 '62 '63 '64 '65 '66 '67 '68 '69 '70 '71 '72 '73 '74 '75 '76 '77
Grand Slam tournaments
Template:Nowrap 1R 1R 2R 3R W F W A A A A A A W A 3R A A A A A A
French Open 1R A 2R 3R 3R SF W A A A A A F W A A A A A A A A
Wimbledon 1R A 3R F F W W A A A A A W W 4R QF A A A A A 2R
US Open 1R A 4R QF F F W A A A A A 4R W 4R A 4R 3R A 4R A A
Pro Slam tournaments
U.S. Pro A A A A A A A F W F W W not a Major
French Pro A A A A A A A F F F F W not a Major
Wembley Pro A A A A A A A QF W W W W not a Major

Career statistics and records

Template:Main

All-time tournament records

  • Records in bold indicate peerless achievements.
  • Combined tours: NTL, WCT and Grand Prix
Championship Record accomplished Player tied Reference
Pro Major tournaments Won the Professional Grand Slam (1967) Ken Rosewall <ref name="NYT2009" /><ref name="Biteback Publishing">Template:Cite book</ref>
Grand Slam tournaments Won the Grand Slam twice (1962, 1969) Stands alone <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
All Major tournaments
(Slams + Pro Majors) 		Reached 14 consecutive Major finals (1964–68) Stands alone <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Titles on 3 different surfaces Ellsworth Vines
Don Budge
Ken Rosewall
Jimmy Connors
Mats Wilander
Andre Agassi
Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz 		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wembley Professional Championships Won 4 consecutive titles overall (1964–67) Ken Rosewall <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Pro Tournaments Most singles titles, pro tournaments, 70 (1963–68) Stands alone <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Career all tournaments 200 career titles (1956–76) Stands alone <ref name="LaverCup" /><ref name="LHoF" /><ref name="LaverAbstract" />
288 career finals. (200+ titles, 88 runners-up) (1956–76) Stands alone <ref name="Rod Laver: All Time Records">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="LaverCup" /><ref name="LHoF" /><ref name="LaverAbstract" />
30 finals in a single season (1965) Stands alone <ref name="Rod Laver: All Time Records" />
55 career indoor titles (1963–75) Stands alone <ref name="Rod Laver: All Time Records" />
81 career indoor finals (1963–75) Stands alone <ref name="Rod Laver: All Time Records" />
15+ title in 6 seasons (1962, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70) Stands alone <ref name="bercow2015" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
7 consecutive 10+ title seasons (1964–70) Stands alone <ref name="bercow2015" /><ref name="Tennis Legend Rod Laver Turns 75">Template:Cite web</ref>
16 consecutive 5+ title seasons (1960–75) Stands alone <ref name="bercow2015" /><ref name="Player Details: Rod LAVER" /><ref name="Tennis Legend Rod Laver Turns 75" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
21 consecutive 1+ title seasons (1956–76) Ken Rosewall
147 match wins in a single season (1961) Stands alone
114 outdoor titles Anthony Wilding

Notes on sources: John Bercow's book Tennis Maestros: The Twenty Greatest Male Tennis Players of All Time confirms in chapter 9 Rod Laver's titles for the following years 1962 (22), 1965 (17), 1966 (16), 1967 (19), 1970 (15), 1971 (7), 1972 (5), 1973 (7), 1974 (6). The ITF confirms titles in 1975 (5) titles.<ref name="bercow2015" />

Open Era records

Championship Years Record accomplished Player tied Reference
Australian Open–US Open 1969 Grand Slam Stands alone <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Wimbledon
Australian Open
French Open
US Open		 1968
1969
1969
1969		 Career Grand Slam Andre Agassi
Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic		 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Grand Slam tournaments 1969 100% (26–0) match winning percentage in 1 season Jimmy Connors <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Grand Slam tournaments 1969 All 4 finals in a calendar year Roger Federer
Novak Djokovic		 <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Combined tours 1968–70 3 consecutive years with 10+ titles Roger Federer <ref name="Tennis Legend Rod Laver Turns 75" />
Combined tours 1969 18 titles in 1 season Stands alone <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Grand Prix Tour 1969–75 90% (18–2) career match winning percentage in hard court finals Stands alone
Grand Prix Tour 1968–75 38 titles at age 30+ Stands alone <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

Template:Portal

Notes

Template:Reflist

References

Template:Reflist

Sources

Template:Refbegin

Template:Refend

Template:Sister project links

Template:S-start Template:S-ach Template:Succession box Template:S-end

Template:Navboxes Template:BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=Rod_Laver&oldid=152517"