Laver, Rod (1938—)
Laver, Rod (1938—)
In 1969, "Rocket" Rod Laver did what no other male tennis player had done before or has done since—he won the Grand Slam for the second time. Only one other men's player, American Don Budge, had ever won the Grand Slam—the Australian, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the United States Opens—even once. Laver is considered by many to have been the best tennis player ever, and his statistics make a good case for the Australian-born hall of famer. He was ranked number one in the world in 1961, 1962, 1968, and 1969. He won 11 grand slam titles—four Wimbledons, three Australian titles, two French Opens, and two United States championships. In addition, in Davis Cup competition he compiled a singles record of 16-4.
—Lloyd Chiasson Jr.
Further Reading:
Feinstein, John. Hard Courts: Real Life on the Professional Tennis Tours. New York, Random House, 1992.
Grimsley, Will. Tennis: Its History, People and Events. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, 1971.
Lorimer, Larry. The Tennis Book: A Complete A-to-Z Encyclopedia of Tennis. New York, Random House, 1980.
Noel, E., and Clark Noel. History of Tennis. Newburyport, Massachusetts, Focus Pub. R Pullins, 1991.
Schickel, Richard. The World of Tennis. New York, Random House, 1975.