50 Fun Facts About Rod Laver

Which country is Rod Laver from?

He was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1938, though he has lived in California for decades.

How many times did Laver win the calendar-year Grand Slam in singles?

He did it in 1962 as an amateur and again in 1969 as a professional; no other man has done it even twice.

In which year did Laver win the only men's calendar Grand Slam of the Open Era?

He sealed it with a four-set win over Tony Roche in the US Open final and won 18 of the 32 tournaments he entered that year.

How many career singles titles is Laver credited with, a record for any player?

The tally spans his amateur, touring-pro and Open Era years and is generally regarded as unbreakable.

How many major singles titles did Laver win?

Six came as an amateur and five after tennis went open in 1968; he also won eight Pro major titles while banned from the Slams.

In which Queensland city was Laver born?

A bronze bust of him stands on the banks of the Fitzroy River there, and the riverside precinct is named Rod Laver Plaza.

What was the trade of Laver's father, Roy?

Rod was the third of four children; two cricketers, Frank and Jack Laver, were among his relatives.

What nickname did Davis Cup captain Harry Hopman give Laver?

The tag stuck for life; 'Muscles' was in fact the ironic nickname of his great rival Ken Rosewall.

Which hand does Laver play with?

His serve from that side was well disguised and wide swinging, and his backhand hit on the run was a point-ender.

How tall is Laver?

Of average height and medium build, he compensated with quick shoulder turns and a famously strong left forearm.

Which title did Laver win at Wimbledon in 1959, his breakthrough year?

He reached all three finals that year, partnering Darlene Hard to the mixed title but losing the singles final to Alex Olmedo.

Which Peruvian beat the unseeded Laver in the 1959 Wimbledon singles final?

Laver had survived an 87-game semifinal against American Barry MacKay just to get there.

Laver's first major singles title came in 1960 at which event?

He came back from two sets down against Neale Fraser and saved a championship point in the fourth set.

How long did Laver's straight-sets 1961 Wimbledon final win over Chuck McKinley last?

It is one of the shortest men's singles finals on record; his 1962 final over Martin Mulligan was a minute quicker still.

Who was the last man before Laver to win the calendar Grand Slam, in 1938?

Laver matched him in 1962, adding 18 more titles that year for a season total of 22.

Which three cities make up the 'clay court triple' Laver completed in 1962?

Only Lew Hoad, in 1956, had previously swept the French, Italian and German Championships in one season.

Whom did Laver beat in the 1962 Australian and US finals to bookend his first Grand Slam?

The two Queenslanders met from 1958 onward; Laver leads the head-to-head 49-18 overall.

On which US panel game show did Laver appear in February 1963?

All four panellists identified him, thanks to his knowledge of tennis history.

When did Laver turn professional?

He did so right after winning the Davis Cup, and was then barred from the Grand Slam events until the Open Era began in 1968.

How many matches in a row did Lew Hoad win against Laver at the start of 1963?

The rookie pro was beaten regularly by Hoad and Rosewall early on, but by 1966 he led Hoad 38-21.

Which 1964 match, won from 5-3 down in the fifth, is said to have begun Laver's reign as No. 1?

Raymond Lee of Tennis Week called it possibly their best match ever and one that changed tennis history.

In which year did Laver complete the professional Grand Slam?

He swept the Wimbledon Pro, US Pro, Wembley Pro and French Pro; the Wimbledon Pro was the only pro event ever held on Centre Court before the Open Era.

Whom did Laver beat in the 1968 final to become Wimbledon's first Open Era champion?

He beat Ashe, the best amateur, in the semifinal and his fellow Australian in the final, both in straight sets.

Who beat Laver in the final of the first French Open in 1968?

The two shared a friendly rivalry of at least 164 documented matches, with Laver ahead 89-75.

How many singles tournaments did Laver win in 1969, still an Open Era record?

He entered 32 events and finished the year with a 106-16 win-loss record.

How many games did Laver's marathon 1969 Australian semifinal, played in tropical heat, run to?

Played in tropical heat, it was the hardest match of his second Grand Slam year.

Whom did Laver defeat in the 1969 US Open final to clinch his second Grand Slam?

He won in four sets on slippery grass, having beaten Ralston, Emerson and Ashe earlier in the tournament.

Whose record of 31 straight Wimbledon match wins did Björn Borg break in 1980?

The streak ran from 1961 to 1970, over four consecutive Wimbledon titles.

Laver was the first tennis player to pass which career prize-money milestone, in 1971?

His US$292,717 that year was a record; his career earnings ended at roughly $1.54 million.

How many consecutive winner-take-all matches did Laver win in the 1971 Tennis Champions Classic?

The streak earned him US$160,000 as he defended the title.

Who beat Laver in the 1971 and 1972 WCT Finals playoffs in Dallas?

The 1972 match is rated among the greatest ever and drew a TV audience of over 20 million.

How many Davis Cup rubbers did Laver win in 1973, his last campaign?

Professionals were admitted that year for the first time and Australia beat the United States 5-0 in the final.

How many Davis Cup-winning teams did Laver play on?

Australia lifted the cup in every season he played: 1959 to 1962 and again in 1973.

What was Laver's head-to-head record against Arthur Ashe?

He won their first 18 meetings; Ashe's first victory came in 1974, when Laver was 35.

At what age was Laver named World Team Tennis Rookie of the Year?

He had semi-retired from the main tour in 1976 but still won five titles that WTT season.

How many surfaces did Laver win titles on, a feat unmatched by any player?

Grass, clay, hard, carpet and wood were all in use during his career.

The main show court of which tournament is named after Laver?

The centre court at Melbourne Park was renamed in his honour in 2000, and the Laver Cup team event also bears his name.

In which year was Laver inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame?

He was also made a Legend of Australian Sport in 2002 and a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2016.

Which BBC award did Laver win in 1969?

The same year he was ABC Sportsman of the Year in Australia.

What happened to Laver during a 1998 ESPN interview?

He was hospitalised for a month with memory and speech difficulties but recovered over the following year.

In which US state has Laver long made his home?

He married Mary Benson in San Rafael in 1966 and later settled in Carlsbad, occasionally attending Chargers games.

Which player did the 2012 Tennis Channel '100 Greatest of All Time' rank ahead of Laver?

Federer returned the compliment in 2017, calling Laver the greatest of all time.

Which honour did Laver receive in 2016?

It is the highest grade of Australia's national honours system.

Which sport did Laver's relatives Frank and Jack Laver play at the top level?

Laver himself left school as a teenager for a tennis career that lasted 24 years, coached early by Charlie Hollis.

With whom did Laver win the 1959 Wimbledon mixed doubles title, his first there?

That year the unseeded Laver reached all three Wimbledon finals, surviving an 87-game singles semifinal along the way.

How many singles titles did Laver win in total during his first Grand Slam season of 1962?

Beyond the four majors he added 18 more, including the Italian and German Championships.

What was Laver's win-loss record in his 1969 Grand Slam season?

He also won 18 of the 32 singles tournaments he entered that year, still an Open Era record.

Roughly how many matches did Laver and Ken Rosewall play against each other as professionals?

Their friendly rivalry ran from 1963 to 1976, though some results from barnstorming pro tours are lost.

How many Open Era singles titles did Laver win despite turning 30 just months after it began?

That still ranks seventh in the Open Era, and he added 37 doubles titles.

Where did Laver marry Mary Benson in 1966?

A divorcee ten years his senior with three children, she and Laver had a son named Rick.