What Rod Laver said he hoped would never happen to Wimbledon back in 2009

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Rod Laver is a Wimbledon legend, winning four titles on the grass courts at SW19.

The Aussie icon first visited Wimbledon back in 1956 and won his first title five years later.

Laver won Wimbledon in back-to-back years (1961, 1962) but was unable to defend his title in 1963 after turning professional.

Returning to the All England Club in 1968, it didn’t take long for Laver to find his form, as he won the title, defeating Tony Roche in the final.

Another triumph followed in 1969, the year he won the Calendar Grand Slam.

Having enjoyed as much success on grass as almost anyone in tennis history, when Laver talks about Wimbledon, people listen.

Back in 2009, Laver shared what he hoped would never happen to the tournament he loves so dearly.

Rod Laver hoped that Wimbledon would never move away from grass

As reported by the Irish Times, Laver said this about the future of the Wimbledon tournament 16 years ago.

“I would say this is going to be the last event that will have grass. I hope that Wimbledon never loses the grass,” he said.

“I remember when we were coming up, certain players didn’t play well on grass, so they hated it.

“So they would say, ‘Get rid of this grass’. Then some press people would write a big article, ‘Why don’t we get rid of the grass?’

“But, no, I can’t see Wimbledon leaving grass.

“This has been here forever, and it’s not going to go anywhere.”

Of the three surfaces (Hard, Clay, Grass) in use on the ATP Tour, grass is by far the least common.

In 2025, only seven tournaments were played on the surface, four of which were ATP 250 events.

2025 ATP Tour grass-court season

That’s a big difference from what the tour looked like during Laver’s playing career, when three of the four Grand Slams were played on grass.

History of Grand Slam surfaces

• Australian Open: Grass (1905-1987), Hard (1988-Present)
• French Open: Grass (1891), Sand (1892-1907), Clay (1908-Present)
• Wimbledon: Grass
• US Open: Grass (1881-1974), Clay (1975-1977), Hard (1978-Present)

Laver will be happy knowing that Wimbledon seems set on grass, for now at least, although the schedule could certainly do with a few more tournaments on the surface!

Could the ATP Tour add a grass-court Masters 1000 tournament?

From 2028, there will be 10 Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour, none of which are expected to be played on grass.

The new Saudi Arabian Masters tournament is expected to be played on hard courts, but would that be a missed opportunity?

For several reasons, fans haven’t exactly warmed to the idea of a Masters tournament in the Middle East, so making a few adjustments could make sense.

There has been demand for a grass-court Masters for a while now, and answering those demands in Saudi Arabia could be a compromise worth making.

It would, of course, be difficult, if not impossible, to run a grass-court event in Saudi Arabia due to the climate, but if it is a feasible idea, it should be given some thought.

Only time will tell whether the tournament organizers choose to make such a decision, but it will certainly be something to keep an eye on.

The Saudi Arabian Masters 1000 event will begin in 2028.