- Born
- Birth nameRodney George Laver
- Nickname
- Rocket
- Height5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
- Possibly the greatest tennis player of all time. Winner of two Grand Slams, one Pro Slam and at least 199 tournaments, winner of 11 major titles. The amount of major titles probably would have been far more if he was not banned from playing in the majors from 1963 to 1967 and part of 1968 because he turned professional. Truly a legend in his own time.
Laver won the amateur Grand Slam in 1962 and then turned pro in 1963. Turning pro prevented him from entered the prestigious major tournaments (Australian, French, Wimbledon, US Championships) for five years. Laver played in the powerful Pro Tour in those years, winning eight Pro Majors in those years including the Pro Grand Slam in 1967 which consisted of the French Pro, Wembley Pro and the US Professional Championships. If you included the Pro Majors, Laver has won a total of 19 total majors in his unparalleled career.- IMDb Mini Biography By: pachin - Rod Laver is an Australian former tennis player.
He was the No. 1 ranked professional from 1964 to 1970, spanning four years before and three years after the start of the Open Era in 1968. He was the No. 1 ranked amateur in 1961-62.
Laver's 200 singles titles are the most in tennis history. This included his all-time men's record of 10 or more titles per year for seven consecutive years (1964-70). He excelled on all of the court surfaces of his time: grass, clay, hard, carpet, and wood/parquet.
Laver won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, though he was banned from playing those tournaments for the five years prior to the Open Era. Laver is the only player to twice achieve a Grand Slam, in 1962 and 1969, and the latter remains the only time a man has done so in the Open Era. He also won eight Pro Slam titles, including the "pro Grand Slam" in 1967, and he contributed to five Davis Cup titles for Australia during an age when the Davis Cup was deemed as significant as the four majors.
Laver was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981. The Laver Cup Tournament and the Rod Laver Arena are named after him.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tango Papa
- SpouseMary S. Benson(June 20, 1966 - November 12, 2012) (her death, 1 child)
- One of five players to date to win a calendar-year Grand Slam (Don Budge, Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, and Steffi Graf). Only player to win a calendar-year Grand Slam twice (1962, 1969).
- Only living person to have a Grand Slam arena named after him, Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne where the Australian Open is played each year.
- The next point - that's all you must think about.
- The time your game is most vulnerable is when you're ahead; never let up.
- There's a lot of ingredients go into being a good tennis player.
- When you've got your man down, rub him out.
- When you have the opportunity, you strike.
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