Rod Laver is one of the most legendary names in tennis history and also has an arena at the Australian Open named after him, so here is everything that you need to know.
Few would rival Laver on a court at the peak of his career, which started in the amateur era and continued into the open era. He was an all-conquering force on every surface and Laver achieved the Calendar Grand Slam twice, a feat only Don Budge in 1938 had realised before.
Laver kicked off the open era in truly devastating fashion by winning the Australian Open for the Queensland native’s third and final Grand Slam title at home. The 1969 season even saw him get top honors at the French Open, at Wimbledon and at the US Open for the final time.
Still, Laver is the sole player to achieve the Calendar Grand Slam in the open era, with Novak Djokovic coming the closest but not in the same year by winning all four titles consecutively in 2015 and 2016. Multiple players before and after Laver have done the Career Grand Slam.
His successes were not confined to singles competitions, either, as Laver also won a number of doubles titles in his career. The Australian Open also named Laver a doubles champion in 1959, 1960 and 1961 with Bob Mark and once again in 1969 with Roy Emerson for a double.
Laver also won doubles titles at the French Open in 1961 and also at Wimbledon in 1971. He even earned mixed doubles honors at Roland Garros in 1961 plus at Wimbledon in 1959 and 1960. But doubles trophies at the US Open always evaded Laver, despite making three finals.
So, with that in mind, The Tennis Gazette has looked into everything that you need to know about Laver from his tennis career and Grand Slam titles to his arena at the Australian Open.
Who is tennis legend Rod Laver?
Rod Laver is one of the most successful tennis players in history and was blessed with a fluid game that allowed the Australian to cover any court. Rival players would also often struggle to find a flaw in his game to exploit, allowing Laver to claim the Pro Slam in the 1967 season.
One of Laver’s greatest weapons was his natural swerve as a left-handed player, which could take the ball away from his right-handed rivals. But he was also incredibly strong with serves and at the net, resulting in Laver taking a whopping 18 singles titles in just the 1969 season.
Rod Laver’s tennis profile
- Playing style: Left-handed, single-handed backhand
- Turned pro: 1963
- Retired: 1976
- Career-high professional ranking: No3
- Career-high world ranking: No1
Why is Rod Laver’s nickname ‘Rocket’?
Harry Hopman gave Rod Laver the nickname ‘Rocket’ whilst the Australian former Davis Cup team captain acted as his compatriot’s coach. Hopman gave Laver the nickname of ‘Rocket’ ironically owing to the latter initially being slow to get to the ball during their time together.
“He was the Rocket because he wasn’t,” Hopman once said about why he gave Laver such a nickname. Laver also once admitted about his 13-year-old self who trained with Hopman: “I was short and skinny, freckle-faced, crooked-nosed, bow-legged and painfully shy to boot.”
When did Rod Laver retire?
Rod Laver decided to turn professional in 1963 after winning his first Calendar Grand Slam in the year before. It marked the start of his 13-year professional career, with Laver eventually hanging up his racket and retiring in 1976 after winning 200 professional tour tournaments.
How old is Rod Laver? What is his age?
As of the time of writing, Rod Laver is 86 years old and he was born on August 9, 1938.
Where was Rod Laver born? What is his nationality?
Rod Laver is Australian and was born in Rockhampton, a city in Central Queensland. It has a growing population, with only 63,151 residents as of Australia’s most recent census in 2021.
It was whilst Laver grew up in Rockhampton that he learned to play tennis aged six and also used a hand-me-down racket with the handle shaved to fit his tiny hand. Laver later started to take the sport more seriously during his teenage years and started to make the headlines.
But despite his roots being in Australia, Laver moved to America in the 1960s and continues to live in the USA. America became his home after Laver married his late wife, Mary Benson Laver, in 1966 and built a family with her in the States upon eventually settling in Carlsbad.
How tall is Rod Laver? What is his height in feet?
Standing at a height of 1.73m, Rod Laver measures in at 5 ft 8 in feet and inches.
Rod Laver won 11 Grand Slam singles titles
Rod Laver was hugely successful during his playing career and won 11 Grand Slam titles. The Australian even achieved the Calendar Grand Slam twice, with Laver lifting all four majors in the amateur era during 1962 and then also later in the first year of the open era come 1969.
Had it not been for Laver turning professional before the start of the open era, then he may well have won considerably more Grand Slam titles, as well. The Australian was barred from competing at the Grand Slams from 1963 through 1968 as all amateurs who went pro were.
| ROD LAVER’S GRAND SLAM SINGLES TITLES | |||
| GRAND SLAM | ALL-TIME TITLES | AMATEUR ERA | OPEN ERA |
| Australian Open | 3x (1960, 1962, 1969) | 2x (1960, 1962) | 1x (1969) |
| French Open | 2x (1962, 1969) | 1x (1962) | 1x (1969) |
| Wimbledon | 4x (1961, 1962, 1968, 1969) | 3x (1961, 1962, 1968) | 1x (1969) |
| US Open | 2x (1962, 1969) | 1x (1962) | 1x (1969) |
The Australian Open named a court after Rod Laver in 2000
Tennis Australia moved to recognize Rod Laver and his impact in tennis in January 2000 by renaming the main arena used for the Australian Open at Melbourne Park since 1988 after him. What was the Centre Court Stadium became the Rod Laver Arena and it remains such.
Rod Laver Arena seating capacity
The Rod Laver Arena’s seating capacity of 15,000 makes it the biggest of the main courts at Melbourne Park staging the Australian Open. It also makes the Rod Laver Arena the second-largest indoor sports venue across Australia, only behind the Qudos Bank Arena at 21,000.
Roger Federer helped to create the Laver Cup after Rod Laver
Tennis Australia even joined up with Roger Federer and Brazilian businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann to establish the Laver Cup, named after Rod Laver, in 2017. The tournament is one of the premier men’s team tennis competitions in which Team Europe takes on Team World.
Rod Laver’s net worth and career earnings
Despite his success and legend in tennis, Rod Laver made just $1,565,413 in career earnings from singles and doubles competitions throughout a 23-year career as a professional player.
But while his career earnings are barely a sniff in the modern professional game, Laver was the first tennis player to break the $1m mark through earnings made solely from results on a court. His earnings outside of a court have even taken Laver’s net worth to $20m, as well.
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