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In the first half of ], Laver was beaten badly by both Rosewall and Hoad. Hoad won the first 8 matches against Laver, and Rosewall won 11 out of 13. By the end of the year, however, with four tournament titles, Laver had become the No. 2 professional player behind Rosewall.<ref> a) "The History of Professional Tennis" by Joe McCauley : Chapter 27 title, p. 123 :"New pro Laver takes second place to Rosewall, b) " - Rod Laver - The red-headed rocket from Rockhampton" by Betty Laver (Rod's sister-in-law) p. 61 and 153, c) Earl "Butch" Buchholz in World Tennis Volume 13 Number 8 (January 1966) p. 38 </ref> . In the first half of ], Laver was beaten badly by both Rosewall and Hoad. Hoad won the first 8 matches against Laver, and Rosewall won 11 out of 13. By the end of the year, however, with four tournament titles, Laver had become the No. 2 professional player behind Rosewall.<ref> a) "The History of Professional Tennis" by Joe McCauley : Chapter 27 title, p. 123 :"New pro Laver takes second place to Rosewall, b) " - Rod Laver - The red-headed rocket from Rockhampton" by Betty Laver (Rod's sister-in-law) p. 61 and 153, c) Earl "Butch" Buchholz in World Tennis Volume 13 Number 8 (January 1966) p. 38 </ref> .


In ], Laver and Rosewall both won seven important titles (plus four minor events), but Laver won 12 of 15 matches against Rosewall and captured two major titles, the U.S. Pro Championships over Gonzales and the ] over Rosewall, signalling the change of pro leadership. In ], Laver and Rosewall both won seven important titles (plus four minor events), but Laver won 12 of 15 matches against Rosewall and the two most prestigious titles, the U.S. Pro Championships over Gonzales and the ] over Rosewall, signalling the change of pro leadership. The the other prestige title, the French pro, was won by Rosewall.


In ], 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 15 titles and 13 of 18 matches against Rosewall. In ten finals, Laver won eight against the still dangerous Gonzales. In ], 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 15 titles and 13 of 18 matches against Rosewall. In ten finals, Laver won eight against the still dangerous Gonzales.
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====During the open era==== ====During the open era====


With the dawn of the ] in ], professional players were once again allowed to compete in ] events. Laver became ] first open era champion in 1968, beating the best amateur, American ], in a semifinal and fellow-Australian ] in the final, both in straight sets. Laver was also the runner-up to ] in the first ]. 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 U.S. Professional Championships on grass and the French Pro Championship on clay (both over ]). Laver also won the last big open event of the year, the Pacific Southwest in ] on hard courts. Ashe regarded Laver's 4–6, 6–0, 6–0 final win over Rosewall as one of his finest performances.<ref>{{cite book |author=Deford, Frank; Ashe, Arthur |title=Arthur Ashe: Portrait in Motion |publisher=Carroll & Graf Publishers |location=New York |year= |pages=198 |isbn=0-7867-0050-5 |oclc= |doi=}}</ref> Laver said, "This is the kind of match you always dream about. The kind you play at night in your sleep."{{Fact|date=December 2007}} With the dawn of the ] in ], professional players were once again allowed to compete in ] events. Laver became ] first open era champion in 1968, beating the best amateur, American ], in a semifinal and fellow-Australian ] in the final, both in straight sets. Laver was also the runner-up to ] in the first ]. 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 U.S. Professional Championships on grass and the French Pro Championship on clay (both over ]). Laver also won the last big open event of the year, the Pacific Southwest in ] on hard courts. Ashe regarded Laver's 4–6, 6–0, 6–0 final win over Rosewall as one of his finest performances.<ref>{{cite book |author=Deford, Frank; Ashe, Arthur |title=Arthur Ashe: Portrait in Motion |publisher=Carroll & Graf Publishers |location=New York |year= |pages=198 |isbn=0-7867-0050-5 |oclc= |doi=}}</ref> Laver's post match comment, "This is the kind of match you always dream about. The kind you play at night in your sleep."{{Fact|date=December 2007}}


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 ] final. He won 18 of the 32 singles tournaments he entered and compiled a 106-16 win-loss record. In beating Newcombe in four sets in the Wimbledon final, he captured the title at the ] 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 ] and 1960). He set a record of 31 consecutive match victories at Wimbledon between 1961 and ], which lasted until ] when it was eclipsed by ]. 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 ] under tropical hot conditions. Other opponents at the Australian Open included ], ], and ]. At the French Open, Laver beat Gimeno, ], and Rosewall. At Wimbledon, Laver overcame strong challenges from ], ], Ashe, and Newcombe. At the U.S. Open on slippery grass courts, Laver defeated ], 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 U.S. Professional Championships at Boston) and the leading indoor tournaments (Philadelphia U.S. Pro Indoor and Wembley British Indoor). With US$124,000 in prize money, he was also the first player to break the US$100,000 barrier in a year. 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 ] final. He won 18 of the 32 singles tournaments he entered and compiled a 106-16 win-loss record. In beating Newcombe in four sets in the Wimbledon final, he captured the title at the ] 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 ] and 1960). He set a record of 31 consecutive match victories at Wimbledon between 1961 and ], which lasted until ] when it was eclipsed by ]. 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 ] under tropical hot conditions. Other opponents at the Australian Open included ], ], and ]. At the French Open, Laver beat Gimeno, ], and Rosewall. At Wimbledon, Laver overcame strong challenges from ], ], Ashe, and Newcombe. At the U.S. Open on slippery grass courts, Laver defeated ], 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 U.S. Professional Championships at Boston) and the leading indoor tournaments (Philadelphia U.S. Pro Indoor and Wembley British Indoor). With US$124,000 in prize money, he was also the first player to break the US$100,000 barrier in a year.
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The press, notably ] of the ], issued subjective rankings for amateur players before the start of the ] and for all players after the start of that era. Laver was ranked by the press as the World No. 1 player in 1961 and 1962 (as an amateur) and in 1968 and 1969 (as a professional). The press, notably ] of the ], issued subjective rankings for amateur players before the start of the ] and for all players after the start of that era. Laver was ranked by the press as the World No. 1 player in 1961 and 1962 (as an amateur) and in 1968 and 1969 (as a professional).


Some editors of the Misplaced Pages article "]" argue that Laver was the world's best player, amateur or professional, for up to seven consecutive years from 1964 through 1970. According to the article, ] was the best player for seven years and ] for eight years. While Laver was indisputably the best player from 1965 through 1969, the article asserts that Laver had a valid claim for the top spot also for 1964 and 1970. The editors of the Misplaced Pages article "]" argue that Laver was the world's best player, amateur or professional, for up to seven consecutive years from 1964 through 1970. According to the article, ] was the best player for seven years and ] for eight years. While Laver was indisputably the best player from 1965 through 1969, the article asserts that Laver had a valid claim for the top spot also for 1964 and 1970.


], the long-time tennis promoter and himself a candidate for the title of best player of all time, ranks Laver only in the "second echelon" of great players, just behind the six best.<ref>Kramer considered the best player ever to have been either ] (for consistent play) or ] (at the height of his game). The next four best were, chronologically, ], ], ], and ]. After these six came the "second echelon" of Laver, ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. He felt unable to rank ] and ] accurately but felt they were among the very best.</ref> He writes that although Laver was "absolutely unbeatable for a year or two late in the 1960s," a "careful comparison" could be made between Laver and the somewhat older Gonzales and that Kramer is "positive that Gonzales could have beaten Laver regularly." Kramer's main argument for down grading Laver is that, " Rosewall]] beat Laver in those two World Championship of Tennis finals and that was a title Laver really wanted." Kramer sees as evidence of Gonzales's superiority over Laver the fact that Gonzales defeated Laver in a U.S.$10,000 winner-take-all, five-set match before 15,000 spectators in ] ] in January 1970, when Gonzales was 41 years old and Laver was still considered the World No. 1 player. On the other hand, Gonzales was still a top ten player when this match occurred and Laver subsequently won this event, beating Gonzales in a straight sets semifinal. Overall, his head-to-head-record with Gonzales was either 35-19 or 36-21 in favor of Laver, depending on the source. Laver was 12-5 against Gonzales during the open era.<ref>McCauley, Joe (2003). ''The History of Professional Tennis''; {{cite book |author=Collins, Bud; Laver, Rodney George |title=The Education of a Tennis Player |publisher=Simon and Schuster |location=New York |year=1973 |pages= |isbn=067121533-7 |oclc= |doi=}}</ref> ], the long-time tennis promoter and himself a candidate for the title of best player of all time, ranks Laver only in the "second echelon" of great players, just behind the six best.<ref>Kramer considered the best player ever to have been either ] (for consistent play) or ] (at the height of his game). The next four best were, chronologically, ], ], ], and ]. After these six came the "second echelon" of Laver, ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. He felt unable to rank ] and ] accurately but felt they were among the very best.</ref> He writes that although Laver was "absolutely unbeatable for a year or two late in the 1960s," a "careful comparison" could be made between Laver and the somewhat older Gonzales and that Kramer is "positive that Gonzales could have beaten Laver regularly." Kramer's main argument for down grading Laver is that, " Rosewall]] beat Laver in those two World Championship of Tennis finals and that was a title Laver really wanted." Kramer sees as evidence of Gonzales's superiority over Laver the fact that Gonzales defeated Laver in a U.S.$10,000 winner-take-all, five-set match before 15,000 spectators in ] ] in January 1970, when Gonzales was 41 years old and Laver was still considered the World No. 1 player. On the other hand, Gonzales was still a top ten player when this match occurred and Laver subsequently won this event, beating Gonzales in a straight sets semifinal. Overall, his head-to-head-record with Gonzales was either 35-19 or 36-21 in favor of Laver, depending on the source. Laver was 12-5 against Gonzales during the open era.<ref>McCauley, Joe (2003). ''The History of Professional Tennis''; {{cite book |author=Collins, Bud; Laver, Rodney George |title=The Education of a Tennis Player |publisher=Simon and Schuster |location=New York |year=1973 |pages= |isbn=067121533-7 |oclc= |doi=}}</ref>

Revision as of 11:25, 26 July 2008

For the arena in Melbourne Park used for show matches in the Australian Open, see Rod Laver Arena

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Rod Laver
Country (sports)Australia
ResidenceCarlsbad, California, U.S.
Height172 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Turned pro1962
(Started playing in 1956)
Retired1979
PlaysLeft-handed
Prize moneyUS$1,564,213
Singles
Career record392 - 99 (79.8%) in the Open era as recorded by the ATP
Career titlesat least 184 including 40 listed by the ATP
Highest ranking1
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (1960, 1962, 1969)
French OpenW (1962, 1969)
WimbledonW (1961, 1962, 1968, 1969)
US OpenW (1962, 1969)
Doubles
Career record230 - 77 (74.9%) in the ATP statistics
Career titles27 in the ATP statistics
Highest ranking11 in the ATP statistics
Last updated on: N/A.

Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE (born August 9 1938, in Rockhampton, Australia) is a former tennis player from Australia who arguably was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years. He is the only tennis player to have twice won all four of tennis' Grand Slam singles titles in the same year — first as an amateur in 1962 and second as a professional in 1969. He is the only male player during the open era to have won a calendar year Grand Slam. Laver has been rated as the greatest male player of all time by several experts and polls.

Playing style

Although of a slightly short stature and medium build (1.72m), Laver developed a technically complete serve-and-volley game, with aggressive groundstrokes to back it up. As Dan Maskell put it, he was "technically faultless, from his richly varied serve to his feather-light touch on drop volleys plus a backhand drive carrying destructive topspin when needed or controlling slice when the situation demanded it." His left-handed serve was well disguised and wide swinging. His wristy groundstrokes on both flanks were hit with topspin, an innovation in the 1960s, as was the attacking topspin lob, which Laver developed into a weapon. His stroke technique was based on quick shoulder turns, true swings, and exquisite timing. His backhand, often hit on the run, was a point-ender that gave him an advantage. Laver was very quick and mobile and had a gigantic 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. Julius Heldman pointed out, "He is competent on low balls, handling them with underspin for control, but he will cream any ball at waist level or higher." He was difficult to lob, because of his springing agility, and when forced to retreat, he could come up with a vicious counterpunch.

As an amateur, Laver was a somewhat flashy player, often a late starter. He had to learn to control his adventurous shotmaking 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 great record in five-set-matches, often turning things around with subtle changes of tactics or by simply hitting his way out of danger. When he got into the "zone," he went for broke. Then he would, as Heldman explains, "literally jump and throw his racket at the ball with all the force he could muster, wrist and arm snapping over at the hit."

Career

Amateur career

Laver was a young boy when he left school to pursue a tennis career that lasted 23 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."

Laver was the U.S. junior champion in 1956 and the Australian 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. His first major singles title was the Australian Championships in 1960, where he defeated fellow Australian Neale Fraser in a five-set final. He then captured his first Wimbledon singles crown in 1961.

In 1962, Laver became only the second male player after Don Budge in 1938 to win all four Grand Slam singles titles in the same year and won an additional 17 titles. 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. 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 Roy 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. At the U.S. Championships, Laver lost only two sets during the tournament and defeated Emerson again in the final.

At the time, the Grand Slam events were open only to amateur players, who were given (under the table) little more than cost-of-living money for their appearances in tournaments.

Professional career

Before the open era

Laver turned professional after completing the Grand Slam in 1962. He quickly established himself among the leading professional players such as Pancho Gonzales and Ken Rosewall. During the next seven years, Laver won the U.S. Pro Championships five times, including four in a row beginning in 1966.

In the first half of 1963, Laver was beaten badly by both Rosewall and Hoad. Hoad won the first 8 matches against Laver, and Rosewall won 11 out of 13. By the end of the year, however, with four tournament titles, Laver had become the No. 2 professional player behind Rosewall. .

In 1964, Laver and Rosewall both won seven important titles (plus four minor events), but Laver won 12 of 15 matches against Rosewall and the two most prestigious titles, the U.S. Pro Championships over Gonzales and the Wembley Pro Championship over Rosewall, signalling the change of pro leadership. The the other prestige title, the French pro, was won by Rosewall.

In 1965, Laver was clearly the No. 1 professional player , winning 15 titles and 13 of 18 matches against Rosewall. In ten finals, Laver won eight against the still dangerous Gonzales.

In 1966, Laver won 15 events, including the U.S. Pro Championships, the Wembly Pro Championship, and eight other important tournaments.

In 1967, Laver won 18 titles, including the Wimbledon Pro, the U.S. Pro Championships, the Wembley Pro Championship, and the French Pro Championship, which gave him a clean sweep of the most important professional titles. The tournament in 1967 on Wimbledon's Centre Court was the only professional event ever staged on that court before the open era began. Laver beat Rosewall in the final 6–2, 6–2, 12-10.

During the open era

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. 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 U.S. Professional Championships on grass and the French Pro Championship on clay (both over John Newcombe). Laver also won the last big open event of the year, the Pacific Southwest in Los Angeles on hard courts. Ashe regarded Laver's 4–6, 6–0, 6–0 final win over Rosewall as one of his finest performances. Laver's post match comment, "This is the kind of match you always dream about. The kind you play at night in your sleep."

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 U.S. Open final. He won 18 of the 32 singles tournaments he entered 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 Andres 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 U.S. Open on slippery grass courts, Laver 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 U.S. Professional Championships at Boston) and the leading indoor tournaments (Philadelphia U.S. Pro Indoor and Wembley British Indoor). With US$124,000 in prize money, he was also the first player to break the US$100,000 barrier in a year.

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 due to his contracts with NTL and WCT. But on the WCT tours, he remained the leading player and by far the leading prize money winner.

In 1970, Laver won 13 titles 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. With only two majors played by all the best players (Wimbledon and the U.S. Open), there was no clear-cut World No. 1 in 1970. Wimbledon champion Newcombe, U.S. 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. Although Newcombe was top ranked by Lance Tingay, Newcombe wrote later in his autobiography "Newk-Life on and off the Court" (2002) that the top honour in 1970 belonged to Laver.

In 1971, Laver successfully defended his title at the "Tennis Champions Classic," winning 13 consecutive winner-take-all matches against top opponents and US$160,000. He also won seven tournaments, including the Italian Open in Rome on clay over Jan Kodes, the reigning French Open champion. 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. Beginning in 1972, Laver cut back his tournament schedule, partly due to back and knee injuries and his tennis camp businesses.

In 1973, Laver won seven tournaments 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 of 13 tournaments and ended the year as World No. 4 on the computer. 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.

In 1976, Laver 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.

Laver won a record 45 open titles after he turned 30 years old. And despite his relatively advanced age, his win-loss percentage during the open era was around 80%, which places him fifth on the open era list behind Borg, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, and John McEnroe but ahead of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.

Davis Cup

Laver helped Australia win the Davis Cup four consecutive times from 1959-62. 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.

Rivalry with Ken Rosewall

Laver had a long-running, friendly rivalry with 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. According to "Total Tennis," Laver won 62 of their matches while losing 49. Other counts and estimations by the tennis historian Robert Geist give possible results of 76-66 or 100-85 in favor of Laver. The bulk of Rosewall's wins came in the first half of 1963, when Laver was a rookie pro. Except the first year (1963) and the last year they played (1976), Laver always had a positive record against Rosewall. In the open era, a match score of 23-9 in favor of Laver can be documented, overall a score of 77-62 (see the details in Ken Rosewall). 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 47-18 in favor of Laver, with 7-2 in major Grand Slam tournaments. Against the older Pancho Gonzales, whom he played 1964 to 1970 on the pro tour, Laver had a lead of 35-19 or 36-21, depending on the source. Against Arthur Ashe, Laver had a head-to-head lead of 21-3, winning all of the first 18 matches. Ashe's first win only came in 1974, when Laver was 35.

Place among the all-time great tennis players

Sculpture depicting Rod Laver outside the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne.

The press, notably Lance Tingay of the Daily Telegraph, issued subjective rankings for amateur players before the start of the open era and for all players after the start of that era. Laver was ranked by the press as the World No. 1 player in 1961 and 1962 (as an amateur) and in 1968 and 1969 (as a professional).

The editors of the Misplaced Pages article "World number one male tennis player rankings" argue that Laver was the world's best player, amateur or professional, for up to seven consecutive years from 1964 through 1970. According to the article, Bill Tilden was the best player for seven years and Pancho Gonzales for eight years. While Laver was indisputably the best player from 1965 through 1969, the article asserts that Laver had a valid claim for the top spot also for 1964 and 1970.

Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and himself a candidate for the title of best player of all time, ranks Laver only in the "second echelon" of great players, just behind the six best. He writes that although Laver was "absolutely unbeatable for a year or two late in the 1960s," a "careful comparison" could be made between Laver and the somewhat older Gonzales and that Kramer is "positive that Gonzales could have beaten Laver regularly." Kramer's main argument for down grading Laver is that, " Rosewall beat Laver in those two World Championship of Tennis finals and that was a title Laver really wanted." Kramer sees as evidence of Gonzales's superiority over Laver the fact that Gonzales defeated Laver in a U.S.$10,000 winner-take-all, five-set match before 15,000 spectators in New York City's Madison Square Garden in January 1970, when Gonzales was 41 years old and Laver was still considered the World No. 1 player. On the other hand, Gonzales was still a top ten player when this match occurred and Laver subsequently won this event, beating Gonzales in a straight sets semifinal. Overall, his head-to-head-record with Gonzales was either 35-19 or 36-21 in favor of Laver, depending on the source. Laver was 12-5 against Gonzales during the open era.

Many experts disagree with Kramer's assessment of Laver. For example, Dan Maskell, John Barrett, Joe McCauley, Ted Schroeder, and Tony Trabert rank Laver as the best of all time. Schroeder has been quoted by Alan Trengove as saying, "You take all the criteria - longevity, playing on grass and clay, amateur, professional, his behaviour, his appearance - in all criteria, Laver's the best player 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. If someone in some other sport held a world record no one else had, you would say that person was the best in that sport. So in my view, you've got to say Laver is the best player of all time." Similarly, the tennis author Peter Bodo wrote in May 2008, "Give him credit? Shoot, the only real issue is whether the GOAT argument is a debate at all, given that posting those two Slams puts Laver in a league of his own." Other experts cite the fact that during his amateur, touring professional, and open era careers, Laver won a record 184 singles titles. He also holds the record for most titles won in a single year during the amateur era (22 in 1962), during the touring pro era (18 in 1967), and during the open era (18 in 1969). After turning professional in 1963, Laver won the U.S. Pro Championships five times and the Wembley Pro Championship four times between 1964 and 1967 (plus two more times in 1969 and 1970 when the event was known as the "British Covered Court Championships"). In 1967, Laver won a "Professional Grand Slam" by winning all four of the major professional tournaments: the U.S. Pro Championships, the Wembley Pro Championships, the French Pro Championship, and the Wimbledon Pro.

Laver came out on top in various experts polls for the best of all time. In 1986, the US magazine Inside Tennis polled 37 experts, which resulted in a computerized tournament. Laver ranked first on this list ahead of John McEnroe, Don Budge, Kramer, Björn Borg, Gonzales, Tilden, Jimmy Connors, Fred Perry, and Lew Hoad. In a poll by the Associated Press in 2000, Laver was voted "The Male Tennis Player of the Century," ahead of Pete Sampras, Tilden, Borg, Budge, McEnroe and Hoad (tied), Rosewall and Roy Emerson (tied), and Kramer. In an article in Tennis Week in 2007, the tennis historian Raymond Lee statistically analyzed the all-time best players. Laver topped his list ahead of Tilden and Borg (tied), Roger Federer, Gonzales, Rosewall, Budge, Ivan Lendl, Connors, Sampras, McEnroe, and Kramer.

In 1989, Bud Collins wrote, "I remain unconvinced that there ever was a better player than Rod Laver". Thirteen years later, however, as editor of the massive "Total Tennis, The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia", Collins was more guarded. He wrote on page 693 that Laver would "be known as possibly the greatest player ever." On page 673, Collins said that Gonzales was "probably as good as anyone who ever played the game, if not better." And on page 749, Collins called Tilden "perhaps the greatest player of them all." In an August 2006 article for MSNBC, Collins ranked Laver as one of the five top men's tennis stars of all time, along with Tilden, Gonzales, Borg, and Sampras. He pointed to Tilden's "phenomenal .938 winning percentage," said "If I had to choose someone to play for my life it would be Pancho Gonzalez," praised Borg's uncanny transition from the French Open to Wimbledon, cited Sampras's "assault on the citadels of the past," and called Laver "in my eyes, the greatest player ever".

In 1973, the ATP's computer rankings were established. Laver attained his highest ranking on that computer of World No. 3 in 1974. Laver's highest year-end ranking by the ATP was World No. 4 in 1974. Laver semi-retired from the main professional tennis tour in 1975 while still being ranked in the top 10.

In terms of yearly prize money won, Laver was the leader from 1964 until 1971.

The number of tournament singles titles that Laver won during his career varies depending on the source. The ATP credits Laver with 39 open era titles in ATP sanctioned events. Other sources, like "Total Tennis: The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia" (edited by Bud Collins), give him 47 or 54 titles during the open era alone. Laver's overall tally, however, undoubtedly is much higher. Collins credits him with 184 titles in amateur, professional, and open competition, without listing them in detail.

Laver's eleven Grand Slam singles titles currently place him tied with Borg for third place on the all-time list. Only Sampras, Emerson, and Roger Federer have won more Grand Slam singles titles. Laver also won eight Grand Slam doubles titles. Laver is the only player to have twice won all four Grand Slam singles tournaments during the same calendar year.

Laver was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981. Laver was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1970. He also is an Australian Living Treasure.

After retiring from tennis

In July 1998, Laver suffered a major stroke while being interviewed by ESPN for a series on greatest athletes of the 20th Century. Characteristically, tennis played an important role in his recovery.

In 2000, the centre court at Melbourne Park, which today hosts the Australian Open, was named the Rod Laver Arena in his honour.

In 2003, Laver, along with fellow Australian tennis superstar Margaret Court, was honoured with his portrait on a postage stamp by the "Australia Post Australian Legends Award".

Laver retired to Carlsbad, California.

Grand Slam singles finals

Wins (11)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
Before the Open Era: 6 Wins
1960 Australian Championships Australia Neale Fraser 5–7, 3–6, 6–3, 8–6, 8–6
1961 Wimbledon United States Chuck McKinley 6–3, 6–1, 6–4
1962 Australian Championships (2) Australia Roy Emerson 8–6, 0–6, 6–4, 6–4
1962 French Championships Australia Roy Emerson 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–2
1962 Wimbledon (2) Australia Marty Mulligan 6–2, 6–2, 6–1
1962 U.S. Championships Australia Roy Emerson 6–2, 6–4, 5–7, 6–4
During the Open Era: 5 Wins
1968 Wimbledon (3) Australia Tony Roche 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
1969 Australian Open (3) Spain Andres Gimeno 6–3, 6–4, 7–5
1969 French Open (2) Australia Ken Rosewall 6–4, 6–3, 6–4
1969 Wimbledon (4) Australia John Newcombe 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–4
1969 U.S. Open (2) Australia Tony Roche 7–9, 6–1, 6–2, 6–2

Runner-ups (6)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
Before the Open Era: 5 Runner-ups
1959 Wimbledon Peru Alex Olmedo 6–4, 6–3, 6–4
1960 Wimbledon (2) Australia Neale Fraser 6–4, 3–6, 9–7, 7–5
1960 U.S. Championships Australia Neale Fraser 6–4, 6–4, 9–7
1961 Australian Championships Australia Roy Emerson 1–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
1961 U.S. Championships (2) Australia Roy Emerson 7–5, 6–3, 6–2
During the Open Era: 1 Runner-up
1968 French Open Australia Ken Rosewall 6–3, 6–1, 2–6, 6–2

Singles titles (185)

This article is missing information about section. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.

Overview

  • 1960: 7 titles
  • 1961: 16 titles (including 1 tournament begun in 1961 but ended in 1962)
  • 1962: 21 titles
  • 1963: 6 titles (including 1 tournament begun in 1963 but ended in 1964)
  • 1964: 10 titles
  • 1965: 17 titles
  • 1966: 15 titles
  • 1967: 18 titles
  • 1968: 11 titles
  • 1969: 18 titles
  • 1970: 15 titles
  • 1971: 7 titles
  • 1972: 5 titles
  • 1973: 7 titles
  • 1974: 6 titles
  • 1975: 5 titles
  • 1976: 1 title

Amateur career: 1960 through 1962 (44)

No. Week of Tournament Name and Location Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. January 18, 1960 Australian Championships, Brisbane Grass Australia Neale Fraser 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6, 8-6
2. May 30, 1960 Lausanne Vaud International Championships, Switzerland ??? Brazil Ronald Barnes 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
3. July 25, 1960 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championships, Haverford, U.S. Grass United States Ronald Holmberg 9-7, 8-6, 6-3
4. August 1, 1960 Southhamptom Meadow Club Invitational, New York, U.S. Grass United States Ronald Holmberg (2) 12-10, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3
5. August 8, 1960 Eastern Grass Court Championships, South Orange, New Jersey, U.S. Grass United States Donald Dell 6-1, 10-8, 6-4
6. August 15, 1960 Newport Casino Invitational, Rhode Island, U.S. Grass United States Butch Buchholz 6-1, 6-8, 6-1, 6-2
7. October 31, 1960 Queensland Hard Court Championships, Kingaroy, Australia ??? Australia Roy Emerson or Australia Neal Fraser (2) ???
8. January 9, 1961 South Australian Championships, Adelaide, Australia Grass United Kingdom Mike Sangster 11-9, 3-6, 4-6, 14-12, 6-3
9. February 6, 1961 New Zealand Championships, Auckland Grass Australia Roy Emerson (2) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5
10. February 20, 1961 Saint Andrews Invitational, Kingston, Jamaica Grass Australia Roy Emerson (3) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
11. February 27, 1961 Altamira Invitational, Caracas, Venezuela Hard Chile Luis Ayala 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 8-6
12. April 10, 1961 River Oaks Championships, Houston, Texas, U.S. Clay Australia Roy Emerson (4) 7-5, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
13. June 26, 1961 Wimbledon, London Grass United States Chuck McKinley 6-1, 6-3, 6-4
14. July 24, 1961 Centennial Cup, Deauville, France ??? Czech Republic Jaroslav Drobny 6-2, 6-4
15. July 31, 1961 International Tournament, Bad Neuenahr, West Germany ??? Chile Luis Ayala (2) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
16. August 7, 1961 German Championships, Hamburg, West Germany Clay Chile Luis Ayala (3) 6-2, 6-8, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
17. August 21, 1961 Austrian Championships, Poertschach, Austria ??? Australia Roy Emerson (5) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
18. October 9, 1961 New South Wales Metropolitan, Sydney Grass South Africa Bob Hewitt 1-6, 6-2, 6-3
19. October 23, 1961 Queensland Hard Court Championships, Gladstone, Australia (2) ??? Australia Roy Emerson (6) 7-5, 6-3
20. October 30, 1961 Queensland Championships, Brisbane, Australia Grass Australia Roy Emerson (7) 4-6, 4-6, 6-0, 8-6, 6-3
21. December 4, 1961 Victorian Championships, Melbourne Grass Australia Roy Emerson (8) 4-6, 8-6, 9-7, 6-3
22. December 18, 1961 New South Wales Championships, Sydney Grass Australia Roy Emerson (9) 8-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4
23. December 25, 1961, Manly Seaside Championships, Sydney Grass South Africa Bob Hewitt (2) 6-3, 6-3
24. January 1, 1962 Australian Championships, Sydney (2) Grass Australia Roy Emerson (10) 8-6, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
25. January 22, 1962 Tasmanian Championships, Hobart, Australia Grass Australia Neale Fraser (3) 7-5, 0-6, 0-6, 6-1, 6-2
26. March 19, 1962 Altamira Invitational, Caracas, Venezuela (2) Hard Australia Roy Emerson (11) 9-7, 6-2, 6-0
27. April 9, 1962 River Oaks Championships, Houston, Texas, U.S. (2) Clay Australia Roy Emerson (12) 6-1, 7-5, 7-5
28. April 16, 1962 Rothmans, Connaught, Ireland ??? Australia Martin Mulligan 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
29. April 23, 1962 British Hard Court Championships, Bournemouth, United Kingdom Clay Australia Ian Crookenden 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
30. April 30, 1962 Torneo Internazionale, Palermo, Italy Clay Australia Neale Fraser (4) 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
31. May 7, 1962 Italian Championships, Rome Clay Australia Roy Emerson (13) 6-2, 1-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
32. May 14, 1962 Swiss International Tennis Tournament, Lugano Clay India Ramanathan Krishnan 6-4, 6-2
33. May 21, 1962 French Championships, Paris Clay Australia Roy Emerson (14) 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 9-7, 6-2
34. June 4, 1962 International Hard Court Championships, Oslo, Norway ??? Sweden Jan-Erik Lundquist 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
35. June 18, 1962 Queen's Club Championships, London Grass Sweden Roy Emerson (15) 6-4, 7-5
36. June 25, 1962 Wimbledon, London (2) Grass Australia Martin Mulligan 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
37. July 9, 1962 Irish Championships, Dublin Grass United Kingdom Robert Wilson Walkover
38. July 16, 1962 Swiss Championships, Gstaad Clay Australia Neale Fraser (5) 6-4, 6-4, 8-6
39. July 23, 1962 Dutch Championships, Hilversum, Netherlands Clay India Ramanathan Krishnan (2) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5
40. July 30, 1962 German Championships, Hamburg, West Germany (2) Clay Spain Manuel Santana 8-6, 7-5, 6-4
41. August 27, 1962 U.S. Championships, New York City Grass Sweden Roy Emerson (16) 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
42. October 8, 1962 Queensland Hard Court Championships, Warwick, Australia (3) ??? Australia Ken Fletcher 8-6, 6-3
43. October 15, 1962 Australian Hard Court Championships, Sydney ??? Australia Fred Stolle 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 4-6, 8-6
44. December 17, 1962 Victorian Championships, Melbourne (2) Grass Australia Neale Fraser (6) 3-6, 9-7, 6-1, 6-8, 6-0

Professional career: 1963 through 1967 (before the open era) (66)

No.
(Pro before
open era)
No.
(Overall)
Week of Tournament Name and Location Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. 45. August 5, 1963 Kitzbühel Professional Championships, Austria Clay Australia Ken Rosewall 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
2. 46. August 12, 1963 Cannes Professional Championships, France Indoor wood Australia Ken Rosewall (2) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
3. 47. August 19, 1963 Dutch Professional Championships, Noordwijk-on-Sea, Netherlands Clay United States Butch Buchholz 6-2, 6-3, 6-3
4. 48. October, 1963 Johannesburg Professional Championships, South Africa Hard United Kingdom Michael Davies ???
5. 49. October 21, 1963 Western Cape Province Professional Championships, Cape Town, South Africa Hard Peru Alex Olmedo 6-0, 6-4
6. 50. December 30, 1963 Western Australian Professional Championships (4-man round robin), Perth Grass Australia Ken Rosewall (finished second) N/A
7. 51. June 15, 1964 Monterey Professional Championships, California, U.S. ??? Peru Alex Olmedo (2) 10-8, 6-1
8. 52. July 6, 1964 U.S. Professional Championships, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, U.S. Grass United States Pancho Gonzales 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
9. 53. August 3, 1964 Biarritz Professional Championships (4-man), France ??? Australia Lew Hoad 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
10. 54. August 24, 1964 Geneva Professional Championships, Switzerland Clay (probably) United States Pancho Gonzales (2) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
11. 55. September 14, 1964 London Indoor Professional Championships, Wembley Arena, London Indoor Australia Ken Rosewall (3) 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, 8-6, 8-6
12. 56. October, 1964 Rhodesian Professional Championships, Salisbury ??? United States Butch Buchholz (2) 6-3, 4-6, 10-8
13. 57. October, 1964 Johannesburg Professional Championships, South Africa (2) Hard Australia Lew Hoad (2) 10-8, 6-3
14. 58. October, 1964 Eastern Cape Province Professional Championships, Port Elizabeth, South Africa ??? Australia Frank Sedgman 8-6 (pro set)
15. 59. November 9, 1964 Egyptian Professional Championships (4-man), Cairo, Egypt Clay Spain Andres Gimeno 6-3, 6-3
16. 60. November, 1964 Marseille Professional Championships (4-man), France ??? United States Butch Buchholz (3) 6-2, 6-4
17. 61. January 25, 1965 South Australian Professional Championships, Adelaide, Australia Grass Australia Ken Rosewall (4) 6-3, 6-4
18. 62. February 1, 1965 Western Australian Professional Championships, Perth (2) Grass United States Pancho Gonzales (3) 7-5, 11-9
19. 63. February 8, 1965 Victorian Professional Championships, Melbourne Grass Australia Ken Rosewall (5) 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
20. 64. February 15, 1965 Tasmanian Professional Championships (4-man), Hobart, Australia Grass Australia Lew Hoad (3) 3-6, 8-6, 7-5
21. 65. April 19, 1965 Oklahoma City Professional Championships (4-man), Oklahoma, U.S. ??? United States Pancho Gonzales (4) 6-3, 6-4
22. 66. April 26, 1965 U.S. Professional Indoor Championships, New York City Indoor United States Pancho Gonzales (5) 6-3, 6-2
23. 67. May 17, 1965 Los Angeles Professional Championships (round robin), U.S. ??? United States Pancho Gonzales (6) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
24. 68. May 24, 1965 Peacock Gap Professional Championships, San Rafael, California, U.S. ??? United States Pancho Gonzales (7) 6-1, 6-4
25. 69. June 14, 1965 Tahoe Racquet Club Professional Championships, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, U.S. ??? United States Pancho Gonzales (8) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
26. 70. July 5, 1965 Newport Professional Championships (round robin), Rhode Island, U.S. Grass Australia Ken Rosewall (finished second) N/A
27. 71. July, 1965 Belfast Professional Championships (4-man), United Kingdom ??? Spain Andres Gimeno (2) 6-4, 6-4
28. 72. August 23, 1965 Cannes Professional Championships, France (2) Indoor wood ? Spain Andres Gimeno (3) 7-5, 7-5, 6-3
29. 73. September 13, 1965 London Indoor Professional Championships, Wembley Arena, London (2) Indoor Spain Andres Gimeno (4) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
30. 74. October, 1965 Nairobi Professional Championships, Kenya ??? Australia Ken Rosewall (6) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
31. 75. October, 1965 Rhodesian Professional Championships, Salisbury (2) ??? Australia Ken Rosewall (7) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
32. 76. October, 1965 Durban Natal Professional Championships, South Africa ??? Australia Ken Rosewall (8) 6-2, 8-6
33. 77. November 1, 1965 Western Cape Province Professional Championships, Cape Town, South Africa (2) ??? Australia Ken Rosewall (9) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
34. 78. January 19, 1966 (final) Queensland Professional Championships, Brisbane, Australia Grass Spain Andres Gimeno (5) 6-3, 6-4
35. 79. January 22, 1966 (final) Victorian Professional Championships, Melbourne (2) Grass Australia Ken Rosewall (10) 6-3, 6-0
36. 80. January 24, 1966 Western Australian Professional Championships, Perth (3) Grass Australia Ken Rosewall (11) 6-2, 10-8
37. 81. April 4, 1966 (final) Nancy Professional Championships (4-man), France ??? Spain Andres Gimeno (6) 7-5, 6-3
38. 82. April 10, 1966 (final) Cannes Professional Championships (4-man), France (3) Indoor wood ? Spain Andres Gimeno (7) 7-5, 6-3
39. 83. June 6, 1966 Forest Hills Professional Championships (round robin), New York City Grass Australia Ken Rosewall (12) 31-29
40. 84. July 11, 1966 U.S. Professional Championships, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, U.S. (2) Grass Australia Ken Rosewall (13) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 8-10, 6-3
41. 85. July, 1966 Binghamton Professional Championships (round robin), New York, U.S. ??? Ecuador Pancho Segura 31-18, 31-18
42. 86. August 15, 1966 Oporto Professional Championships, Portugal ??? France Pierre Barthes 6-4, 8-6
43. 87. September 12, 1966 London Indoor Professional Championships, Wembley Arena, London (3) Indoor Australia Ken Rosewall (14) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
44. 88. October 3, 1966 Milan Professional Championships (4-man), Italy ??? Spain Andres Gimeno (8) 4-6, 6-1, 9-7
45. 89. October 10, 1966 South African Professional Championships, Johannesburg (3) Hard Spain Andres Gimeno (9) 6-4, 6-2
46. 90. October 17, 1966 Western Cape Province Professional Championships, Cape Town, South Africa (3) ??? Australia Ken Rosewall (15) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
47. 91. November 10, 1966 (final) Abidjan Professional Championships (4-man), Ivory Coast ??? Spain Andres Gimeno (10) 2-6, 6-4, 6-0
48. 92. November 14, 1966 (final) Dakar Professional Championships (4-man), Senegal ??? Spain Andres Gimeno (11) 2-6, 6-1, 9-7
49. 93. February 27, 1967 U.S. Professional Indoor Championships, New York City (2) Indoor United States Pancho Gonzales (9) 7-5, 14-16, 7-5, 6-2
50. 94. March 6, 1967 San Juan Professional Championships, Puerto Rico ??? Spain Andres Gimeno (12) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
51. 95. March 13, 1967 Orlando Professional Championships, Florida, U.S. ??? United States Pancho Gonzales (10) 6-4, 2-6, 6-0
52. 96. March 20, 1967 Planters Professional Challenge, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. ??? Spain Andres Gimeno (13) 6-3, 6-3
53. 97. March 27, 1967 Boston Garden Professional Championships, Massachusetts, U.S. Indoor Australia Ken Rosewall (16) 6-4, 6-0
54. 98. April 3, 1967 Paris Professional Championships, France Indoor Australia Ken Rosewall (17) 6-0, 10-8, 10-8
55. 99. April, 1967 Marseille Professional Championships (4-man), France (2) ??? United States Dennis Ralston 6-4, 6-3
56. 100. May 8, 1967 Pacific Professional Championships, San Diego, California, U.S. ??? United States Dennis Ralston (2) 6-4, 12-10
57. 101. June 5, 1967 Madison Square Garden Professional Championships, New York City, U.S. Indoor Australia Ken Rosewall (18) 6-4, 6-4
58. 102. June 26, 1967 World Professional Championships, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. (2) ??? Australia Ken Rosewall (19) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
59. 103. July 10, 1967 U.S. Professional Championships, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, U.S. (3) Grass Spain Andres Gimeno (14) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
60. 104. July 17, 1967 Newport Professional Championships (round robin), Rhode Island, U.S. (2) Grass Spain Andres Gimeno (finished second) N/A
61. 105. July 24, 1967 Binghamton Professional Championships, New York, U.S. (2) ??? Spain Andres Gimeno (15) 6-1, 6-3
62. 106. August 7, 1967 Colonial Professional Championships, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. ??? United States Dennis Ralston (3) 8-6, 6-0
63. 107. August 21, 1967 Wimbledon World Professional Championships, London Grass Australia Ken Rosewall (20) 6-2, 6-2, 12-10
64. 108. September 18, 1967 Johannesburg Professional Championships, South Africa (4) Hard Australia Ken Rosewall (21) 6-1, 8-6
65. 109. October 9, 1967 French Professional Championships, Paris Indoor Spain Andres Gimeno (16) 6-4, 8-6, 4-6, 6-2
66. 110. October 23, 1967 London Indoor Professional Championships, Wembley Arena, London (4) Indoor Australia Ken Rosewall (22) 2-6, 6-1, 1-6, 8-6, 6-2

Professional career: 1968 through 1976 (during the open era) (75 including 40 listed by the ATP Website)

No. (during
open era)
No. (overall) Start date Tournament Name and Location Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. 111. March 18, 1968 South American Professional Championships, Buenos Aires, Argentina ??? United States Pancho Gonzales 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
2. 112. April 15, 1968 BBC-2 World Invitational Tournament (4-man), London ??? Australia Ken Rosewall 6-3, 10-8
3. 113. April 29, 1968 National Tennis League Professional Championships, Wembley Arena, London Indoor Australia Ken Rosewall (2) 6-0, 6-1, 6-0
4. 114. May 13, 1968 Madison Square Garden Professional Championships, New York City (2) Indoor Australia Ken Rosewall (3) 4-6, 6-3, 9-7, 6-4
5. 115. June 10, 1968 U.S. Professional Championships, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, U.S. (4) Grass Australia John Newcombe 6-4, 6-4, 9-7
6. 116. June 24, 1968 Wimbledon, London (3) Grass Australia Tony Roche 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
7. 117. July 8, 1968 French Professional Championships, Roland Garros, Paris (2) Clay Australia John Newcombe (2) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
8. 118. September 16, 1968 Pacific Southwest Open, Los Angeles Hard Australia Ken Rosewall (4) 4-6, 6-0, 6-0
9. 119. September 30, 1968 South Texas Professional Championships, Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. ??? Spain Andres Gimeno 6-2, 6-4
10. 120. November, 1968 Sao Paulo, Brazil (4-man round robin) ??? Spain Andrés Gimeno, Australia Fred Stolle,
Australia Roy Emerson (finished tied for second)
11. 121. November, 1968 La Paz, Bolivia (4-man round robin) ??? Spain Andrés Gimeno, Australia Fred Stolle,
Australia Roy Emerson (finished tied for second)
12. 122. January 20, 1969 Australian Open, Brisbane (3) Grass Spain Andrés Gimeno (2) 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
13. 123. February 3, 1969 Philadelphia Indoor Open WCT, Pennsylvania, U.S. Carpet Australia Tony Roche (2) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4
14. 124. February 10, 1969 Orlando Professional Championships, Florida, U.S. (2) ??? Australia Ken Rosewall (5) 6-3, 6-2
15. 125. March 3, 1969 Los Angeles Professional Championships, U.S. (2) ??? United States Marty Riessen 6-4, 10-8
16. 126. March 31, 1969 South African Open, Johannesburg Hard Netherlands Tom Okker 6-3, 10-8, 6-3
17. 127. April 21, 1969 Anaheim Professional Championships, California, U.S. ??? United States Ronald Holmberg 31-16, 31-28
18. 128. May 12, 1969 Madison Square Garden Invitational, New York City (3) Indoor Australia Roy Emerson 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
19. 129. May 19, 1969 BBC2 World Professional Championship, Wembley Arena, London Indoor Australia Ken Rosewall (6) 8-6, 6-0
20. 130. May 26, 1969 French Open, Paris (2) Clay Australia Ken Rosewall (7) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
21. 131 June 23, 1969 Wimbledon, London (4) Grass Australia John Newcombe (3) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
22. 132. July 7, 1969 U.S. Professional Championships, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, U.S. (5) Uni-Turf (outdoor) Australia John Newcombe (4) 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
23. 133. August, 1969 Saint Louis Professional Championships, Missouri, U.S. ??? Australia Fred Stolle 7-5, 3-6, 7-5
24. 134. August 11, 1969 Fort Worth Professional Championships, Texas, U.S. (2) Hard Australia Ken Rosewall (8) 6-3, 6-2
25. 135. August, 1969 Binghamton Professional Championships, New York, U.S. (3) ??? United States Pancho Gonzales (2) 6-1, 6-2
26. 136. August 18, 1969 Baltimore Professional Championships, Maryland, U.S. (3) Grass United States Pancho Gonzales (3) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 4-6, 8-6
27. 137. August 25, 1969 U.S. Open, New York City (2) Grass Australia Tony Roche (3) 7-9, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
28. 138. November 17, 1969 British Covered Court Championships, London (2) Indoor Australia Tony Roche (4) 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
29. 139. December 1, 1969 Madrid Professional Championships, Spain ??? United Kingdom Roger Taylor 6-3, 6-2
30. 140. February 2, 1970 Philadelphia Indoor Open WCT, Pennsylvania, U.S. (2) Carpet Australia Tony Roche (5) 6-3, 8-6, 6-2
31. 141. March 16, 1970 Dunlop Slazenger International WCT, Sydney Grass Australia Ken Rosewall (9) 3-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
32. 142. March 30, 1970 South African Open, Johannesburg (2) Hard South Africa Frew McMillan 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2
33. 143. May 25, 1970 Rawlings Classic WCT, Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S. (2) Carpet Australia Ken Rosewall (10) 6-1, 6-4
34. 144. June 15, 1970 Rothman's Open, Queen's Club, London (2) Grass Australia John Newcombe (5) 6-4, 6-3
35. 145. July 16, 1970 (date of final) Tennis Champions Classic, Madison Square Garden, New York City (site of final) Indoor Australia Ken Rosewall (11) 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
36. 146. July 27, 1970 First National Classic, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. Clay Australia John Newcombe (6) 6-3, 6-3
37. 147. August 10, 1970 Bretton Woods (4 man), U.S. Clay Australia Roy Emerson (2) 6-3, 6-3
38. 148. August 10, 1970 Rothman's Canadian Open, Toronto Clay United Kingdom Roger Taylor (2) 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
39. 149. August 17, 1970 National Invitation Tournament WCT, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. (3) Hard Australia Roy Emerson (3) 6-3, 7-5
40. 150. August 24, 1970 Marlboro Open, South Orange, New Jersey, U.S. (2) Grass Australia Bob Carmichael 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
41. 151. September 21, 1970 Pepsi Pacific Southwest, Los Angeles, U.S. (2) Hard Australia John Newcombe (7) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6
42. 152. September 28, 1970 Rothman's International WCT, Vancouver, Canada ??? Australia Roy Emerson (4) 6-2, 6-1, 6-2
43. 153. October, 1970 Invitational Round Robin (4-man), Berlin, Bonn, & Sarrebruck, West Germany Carpet Netherlands Tom Okker (finished second) N/A
44. 154. November 16, 1970 British Covered Court Championships, Wembley Arena, London (5) Carpet United States Cliff Richey 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
45. 155. February 22, 1971 Rothman's International, London Hard (I) Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nikola Pilić 6-4, 6-0, 6-2
46. 156. March 19, 1971 (date of final) Tennis Champions Classic, New York City, Madison Square Garden (site of final) (2) indoor Netherlands Tom Okker (2) 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
47. 157. May 3, 1971 Italian Open, Rome (2) Clay Czech Republic Jan Kodeš 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
48. 158. August 16, 1971 Colonial Championships WCT, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. (4) Hard United States Marty Riessen (2) 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
49. 159. August 23, 1971 CBS Classic (4-man), Hilton Head, South Carolina, U.S. Clay Australia John Newcombe (8) 6-2, 7-5
50. 160. September 27, 1971 Redwood Bank Pacific Coast Open, Berkeley, California, U.S. Hard Australia Ken Rosewall (12) 6-4, 6-4, 7-6
51. 161. November 7, 1971 Rothman's Open WCT, Bologna, Italy Carpet United States Arthur Ashe 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
52. 162. February 2, 1972 Richmond WCT, U.S. Carpet South Africa Cliff Drysdale 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3
53. 163. February 7, 1972 Philadelphia WCT, U.S. Carpet Australia Ken Rosewall (13) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
54. 164. February 14, 1972 Toronto WCT, Canada Carpet Australia Ken Rosewall (14) 6-4, 6-1
55. 165. April 3, 1972 Houston WCT, U.S. Clay Australia Ken Rosewall (15) 6-2, 6-4
56. 166. April 24, 1972 Denver WCT, U.S. Carpet United States Marty Riessen 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
57. 167. January 15, 1973 Miami WCT, U.S. Hard United States Dick Stockton 7-6, 6-3, 7-5
58. 168. January 30, 1973 Richmond, U.S. Carpet Australia Roy Emerson (5) 6-4, 6-3
59. 169. February 11, 1973 Toronto WCT, Canada Carpet Australia Roy Emerson (6) 6-3, 6-4
60. 170. March, 1973 Hilton Head CBS Classic, U.S. Clay United States Stan Smith 6-2, 6-4
61. 171. September, 1973 Hilton Head World Intvitational Tennis Classic (4-man), U.S. Clay United States Stan Smith 7-6, 7-5
62. 172. October 29, 1973 Hong Kong Hard United States Charlie Pasarell 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
63. 173. November 4, 1973 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Australia John Newcombe 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
64. 174. January 21, 1974 Philadelphia WCT, U.S. Carpet United States Arthur Ashe 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
65. 175. March 25, 1974 Palm Desert WCT, U.S. Hard United States Roscoe Tanner 6-4, 6-2
66. 176. April 8, 1974 Tokyo WCT, Japan Other Spain Juan Gisbert 5-7, 6-2, 6-0
67. 177. April 15, 1974 Houston, U.S. Clay Sweden Björn Borg 7-6, 6-2
68. 178. May 13, 1974 Las Vegas, U.S. Hard United States Marty Riessen 6-2, 6-2
69. 179. August 11, 1974 Bretton Woods, U.S. Clay United States Harold Solomon 6-4, 6-3
70. 180. January 13, 1975 San Juan CBS Classic, Porto Rico Hard Australia Allan Stone 6-2, 6-2
71. 181. February 17, 1975 La Costa WCT, U.S. Hard Australia Allan Stone 6-2, 6-2
72. 182. March 10, 1975 São Paulo WCT, Brazil Carpet United States Charlie Pasarell 6-4, 6-4
73. 183. March 17, 1975 Caracas WCT, Venezuela Hard Mexico Raúl Ramírez 7-6, 6-2
74. 184. March 24, 1975 Orlando WCT, U.S. Hard United States Vitas Gerulaitis 6-3, 6-4
75. 185. January 23, 1976 Detroit, U.S. Indoor carpet United Kingdom Mark Cox 6-3, 6-4

Notes and sources for this section

This list of 184 singles titles from 1960 through 1976 may be incomplete. The last count by tennis historian Robert Geist, which is still unpublished, is 188 singles titles. Nevertheless, Laver won far more titles than the "official" open era record of Jimmy Connors with 109 singles titles.

  • Association of Tennis Professionals
  • Collins, Bud; Laver, Rodney George (1973). The Education of a Tennis Player. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 067121533-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • International Tennis Federation (1970). BP Yearbook of World Tennis 1970. London. Edited by Barrett, John.
  • International Tennis Federation (1971). World of Tennis '71. London. Edited by Barrett, John.
  • International Tennis Federation (1972). World of Tennis '72. London. Edited by Barrett, John.
  • International Tennis Federation (1973). World of Tennis '73. London. Edited by Barrett, John.
  • International Tennis Federation (1974). World of Tennis '74. London. Edited by Barrett, John.
  • International Tennis Federation (1975). World of Tennis '75. London. Edited by Barrett, John.
  • International Tennis Federation (1976). World of Tennis '76. London. Edited by Barrett, John.
  • Laver, Betty (2001). Rod Laver: The Red-headed Rocket from Rockhampton. Gladstone, Qld: Betty Laver. ISBN 095799320x. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  • McCauley, Joe (2003). The History of Professional Tennis. London.
  • Sutter, Michel (1992). Vainqueurs-Winners 1946-1991. Paris. (forewords by Arthur Ashe and Mark Miles).

Singles runner-ups during the open era as listed on the website of the Association of Tennis Professionals (15)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 1968 French Open, Paris Clay Australia Ken Rosewall 6–3, 6–1, 2–6, 6–2
2. 1968 Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay Australia Roy Emerson 9–7, 6–4, 6–4
3. 1970 Boston, U.S. Hard Australia Tony Roche 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
4. 1970 Barcelona, Spain Clay Spain Manuel Santana 6–4, 6–3, 6–4
5. 1970 Masters, Tokyo Carpet United States Stan Smith 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
6. 1971 Philadelphia WCT, U.S. Carpet Australia John Newcombe 7–6, 7–6, 6–4
7. 1971 Miami WCT, U.S. Hard South Africa Cliff Drysdale 6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
8. 1971 Quebec WCT, Canada Indoor Netherlands Tom Okker 6–3, 7–6, 6–7, 6–1
9. 1971 Wembley, England Hard (i) Romania Ilie Năstase 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4
10. 1971 Dallas, U.S. Carpet Australia Ken Rosewall 6–4, 1–6, 7–6, 7–6
11. 1972 Quebec WCT, Canada Indoor United States Marty Riessen 7–5, 6–2, 7–5
12. 1972 Dallas WCT, U.S. Carpet Australia Ken Rosewall 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6
13. 1973 Atlanta WCT, U.S. Clay United States Stan Smith 6–3, 6–4
14. 1973 St. Louis WCT, U.S. Carpet United States Stan Smith 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
15. 1973 Brussels WCT, Belgium Carpet United States Stan Smith 6–2, 6–4, 6–1

Doubles titles during the open era as listed on the website of the Association of Tennis Professionals (27)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponent in the final Score
1. 1969 Australian Open, Melbourne Grass Australia Roy Emerson Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle
6–4, 6–4
2. 1969 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Australia Roy Emerson Spain Andrés Gimeno
Australia Fred Stolle
6–4, 6–2
3. 1970 Boston, U.S. Hard Australia Roy Emerson United Arab Republic Ismail El Shafei
Denmark Torben Ulrich
6–1, 7–6
4. 1971 Wimbledon, London Grass Australia Roy Emerson United States Arthur Ashe
United States Dennis Ralston
4–6, 9–7, 6–8, 6–4, 6–4
5. 1971 Québec WCT, Canada Indoor Australia Roy Emerson Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen
7–6, 6–3
6. 1971 U.S. Pro Tennis Championships, Boston WCT, U.S. Hard Australia Roy Emerson Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen
6–4, 6–4
7. 1971 Berkeley, U.S. Hard Australia Roy Emerson Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle
6–3, 6–3
8. 1971 Vancouver WCT, Canada Outdoor Australia Roy Emerson Australia John Alexander
Australia Phil Dent
6–3, 7–6
9. 1972 Houston WCT, U.S. Clay Australia Roy Emerson Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle
6–4, 7–6
10. 1972 Las Vegas WCT, U.S. Hard Australia Roy Emerson Australia John Newcombe
Australia Tony Roche
7–6, 1–6, 6–2
11. 1973 Miami WCT, U.S. Hard Australia Roy Emerson Australia Terry Addison
Australia Colin Dibley
6–4, 6–4
12. 1973 La Costa WCT, U.S. Hard Australia Roy Emerson Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nikola Pilić
Australia Allan Stone
6–7, 6–3, 6–4
13. 1973 Richmond WCT, U.S. Carpet Australia Roy Emerson Australia Terry Addison
Australia Colin Dibley
3–6, 6–3, 6–4
14. 1973 Atlanta WCT, U.S. Clay Australia Roy Emerson South Africa Robert Maud
Rhodesia Andrew Pattison
7–6, 6–3
15. 1973 Gothenburg WCT, Sweden Carpet Australia Roy Emerson Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nikola Pilić
Australia Allan Stone
6–7, 6–4, 6–1
16. 1973 Bretton Woods, U.S. Clay Australia Fred Stolle Australia Bob Carmichael
South Africa Frew McMillan
7–6, 4–6, 7–5
17. 1973 Montreal, Canada Hard Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Owen Davidson
Australia John Newcombe
7–5, 7–6
18. 1973 Tehran, Iran Clay Australia John Newcombe Australia Ross Case
Australia Geoff Masters
7–6, 6–2
19. 1973 Hong Kong Hard Australia Colin Dibley United States Paul Gerken
United States Brian Gottfried
6–3, 5–7, 17-15
20. 1973 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Australia John Newcombe Australia Mal Anderson
Australia Ken Rosewall
7–6, 6–2
21. 1974 Houston, U.S. Clay Australia Colin Dibley United States Arthur Ashe
United States Roscoe Tanner
4–6, 7–6, 6–4
22. 1974 Las Vegas, U.S. Hard Australia Roy Emerson South Africa Frew McMillan
Australia John Newcombe
6–7, 6–4, 6–4
23. 1974 Bretton Woods, U.S. Clay United States Jeff Borowiak France Georges Goven
France François Jauffret
6–3, 6–2
24. 1975 Denver WCT, U.S. Carpet Australia Roy Emerson Australia Bob Carmichael
Australia Allan Stone
6–2, 3–6, 7–5
25. 1976 Philadelphia WCT, U.S. Carpet United States Dennis Ralston South Africa Bob Hewitt
South Africa Frew McMillan
7–6, 7–6
26. 1976 Rotterdam WCT, Netherlands Carpet South Africa Frew McMillan United States Arthur Ashe
Netherlands Tom Okker
6–1, 6–7, 7–6
27. 1976 Houston WCT, U.S. Clay Australia Ken Rosewall United States Charlie Pasarell
Australia Allan Stone
6–4, 6–2

Doubles runner-ups during the open era (14)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponent in the final Score
1. 1968 French Open, Paris Clay Australia Roy Emerson Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle
6–3, 6–2, 10-8
2. 1969 French Open, Paris Clay Australia Roy Emerson Australia John Newcombe
Australia Tony Roche
3–6, 5–7, 9–7, 6–1, 6–4
3. 1970 St. Louis WCT, U.S. Carpet Australia Roy Emerson Spain Andrés Gimeno
Australia John Newcombe
6–4, 6–2
4. 1970 Louisville, U.S. Hard Australia Roy Emerson Australia John Newcombe
Australia Tony Roche
8–6, 5–7, 6–4
5. 1970 South Orange, U.S. Hard Spain Andrés Gimeno Chile Patricio Cornejo
Chile Jaime Fillol
3–6, 7–6, 7–6
6. 1970 U.S. Open, New York City Grass Australia Roy Emerson France Pierre Barthes
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nikola Pilić
5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 7–6
7. 1971 Miami WCT, U.S. Hard Australia Roy Emerson Australia John Newcombe
Australia Tony Roche
7–6, 7–6
8. 1971 Cologne WCT, Germany Carpet Australia Roy Emerson Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen
6–7, 3–6, 7–6, 6–3, 6–4
9. 1972 Toronto WCT, Canada Carpet Australia Roy Emerson Australia Bob Carmichael
Australia Ray Ruffels
3–6, 6–2, 6–3
10. 1972 Miami WCT, U.S. Hard Australia Roy Emerson Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen
6–2, 6–4
11. 1972 Chicago WCT, U.S. Carpet Australia Roy Emerson Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen
6–3, 6–7, 7–6
12. 1972 Philadelphia WCT, U.S. Carpet Australia Roy Emerson United States Brian Gottfried
United States Dick Stockton
4–6, 6–3, 6–4
13. 1972 Toronto WCT, Canada Carpet Australia Roy Emerson Australia John Alexander
Australia Phil Dent
3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–2
14. 1972 U.S. Open, New York City Grass Australia Roy Emerson Australia Owen Davidson
Australia John Newcombe
7–6, 6–7, 6–2, 7–6

Notes

  1. Bud Collins on MSNBC (2006)
  2. Alistair Campbell and others on Times Online (2004)
  3. Bruce Jenkins in San Francisco Chronicle (2006)
  4. David Miller in Daily Telegraph (2007)
  5. The Tennis Week Interview: Tony Trabert
  6. John Barrett and Peter Burwash (2004)
  7. Ray Bowers on Tennis Server (2000)
  8. Raymond Lee: The greatest tennis player of all time. A statistical Analysis, on Tennis week, September 14, 2007
  9. a) "The History of Professional Tennis" by Joe McCauley : Chapter 27 title, p. 123 :"New pro Laver takes second place to Rosewall, b) " - Rod Laver - The red-headed rocket from Rockhampton" by Betty Laver (Rod's sister-in-law) p. 61 and 153, c) Earl "Butch" Buchholz in World Tennis Volume 13 Number 8 (January 1966) p. 38
  10. Earl "Butch" Buchholz in World Tennis Volume 13 Number 8 (January 1966) p. 38
  11. Deford, Frank; Ashe, Arthur. Arthur Ashe: Portrait in Motion. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. p. 198. ISBN 0-7867-0050-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. 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.
  13. McCauley, Joe (2003). The History of Professional Tennis; Collins, Bud; Laver, Rodney George (1973). The Education of a Tennis Player. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 067121533-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. See McCauley, Joe (2003). The History of Professional Tennis, page 156.
  15. The Tennis Week Interview: Tony Trabert
  16. Laver in a class of his own
  17. McCauley, Joe (2003). The History of Professional Tennis, p. 121
  18. McCauley, Joe (2003). The History of Professional Tennis, p. 137
  19. Collins, Bud; Laver, Rodney George (1973). The Education of a Tennis Player. New York: Simon and Schuster. pp. 308–10. ISBN 067121533-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. Collins, Bud (1989). My Life With the Pros. New York: E.P. Dutton. ISBN 0-525-24659-2.
  21. Collins, Bud (2003). Total Tennis: The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia. Kingston, NY: Sport Media Publishing. pp. 673, 693, 749. ISBN 0973144343.
  22. The Collins article: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14489546/
  23. Collins, Bud (2003). Total Tennis: The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia. Kingston, NY: Sport Media Publishing. ISBN 0973144343.
  24. Paris, Jay (2005-06-17). "Federer is Laver's Wimbledon favorite". North County Times. Retrieved 2007-09-25.

Facts and figures

  • In 1970, Adidas made a signature shoe called the "Rod Laver." This shoe has become very popular among freestyle footbag players.
  • Laver was a childhood influence of John McEnroe, according to McEnroe's autobiography, "You Cannot Be Serious."

Sources

  • Barrett, John Gilchrist; Maskell, Dan (1989). Oh, I say!. London: Fontana. ISBN 0-00-637434-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Bellamy, Rex (1990). Love Thirty. Three Decades of Champions.
  • Collins, Bud; Laver, Rodney George (1973). The Education of a Tennis Player. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 067121533-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Deford, Frank; Kramer, Jack (1979). The Game: My 40 Years in Tennis. New York: Putnam. ISBN 0-399-12336-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Heldman, Julius. The Style of Rod Laver. In Phillips, Caryl (1999). The Right Set: A Tennis Anthology. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-375-70646-1.
  • Laver, Betty (2001). Rod Laver: The Red-headed Rocket from Rockhampton. Gladstone, Qld: Betty Laver. ISBN 095799320x. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  • McCauley, Joe (2003). The History of Professional Tennis.
  • Newcombe, John; Writer, Larry (2002). Newk - Life On and Off the Court.
  • Sutter, Michel (1992). Vainqueurs-Winners 1946-1991 (forewords by Arthur Ashe and Mark Miles).
  • Trengove, Alan (2003). Advantage Australia. Rod Laver and Margaret Court: Legends of the Grand Slam.

External links

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