Who is Rod Laver?
Rod Laver is an Australian tennis champion who is the only player to win the calendar-year Grand Slam twice, in 1962 and 1969. He won all four major singles titles in the same year on both occasions.
Laver was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1938. Known as the Rocket, he was a left-handed player with a powerful game and great speed around the court.
He won his first Grand Slam in 1962 as an amateur. He then turned professional, which meant he could not play in the major tournaments for several years.
The Open era
When professionals were allowed back into Grand Slam events in 1968, Laver returned. In 1969 he won the Grand Slam again, becoming the only player to achieve the feat in the Open era.
Laver won 11 Grand Slam singles titles in total. He also helped Australia win the Davis Cup several times.
The main stadium at Melbourne Park was renamed Rod Laver Arena in 2000 in his honor. The Laver Cup, a team competition between Europe and the rest of the world, is also named after him.
Did You Know?
Laver was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981.