Rod Laver

Rodney George " Rod" To wash , born the August 9th 1938 with Rockhampton, is a former player of Tennis Australia N. He is the only player to have carried out the large slam twice: in 1962 as an amateur then in 1969 as a professional.

Biography

To wash gains its first title of the Grand Slam in 1960, with the Open of Australia against Neale Fraser, in a epic final which sees it going up a handicap of 2 sets to 0. The following year it gains its first Wimbledon. In 1962, It gains three of the four finales with depends on its compatriot Roy Emerson. It also gains the Coupe Davis with the Australia in 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962.

In 1963, it passes professional, and its prize list amateur remains blocked then with 6 major titles, since at the time the tournaments of the Grand Slam, and the Coupe Davis in addition, are prohibited to the professionals but it forges an enormous occupational prize list, with at least 65 gained tournaments, becoming thus the owner of the occupational circuit about 1964-1965, before being réadmis, like the other professionals, in the traditional tests at the time of the advent of open tennis.

In 1968, it joins again with the victory with Wimbledon, and in 1969, it carries out a Grand Slam. It will also regain the Coupe Davis once, when this one becomes also open to the professionals.

It gave the trophy of the Open of Australia, with Roger Federer in 2006, this last could not retain its tears under the blow of the emotion.

Prize list in Large Slam (Amateur):

Victories: (6)

Finales: (5)

Prize list in Large Slam (Open Era):

Victories: (5)

Finale: (1)

Rod Laver thus gained a total of 11 tournaments of the Large Slam, which places it in 4th place in this hierarchy behind Pete Sampras (14), Roy Emerson and Roger Federer (12), and with equality with Björn Borg. However one can imagine that it would have gained some much more if it had been able to play them between 1963 and 1967. There will remain forever the only player of the history of the tennis which carried out the Large Slam among amateurs and in the open era.

Prize list and rewards:

Rod Laver was the first player to exceed the million dollars of profits in November 1971 after 9 years of career in the pros (and more than 15 years of international career).

He was also regarded per many experts as the indisputable world n°1 of 1965 to 1969.

See also: Tennis players world numbers 1

(in 1961 and especially in 1962 with its Large Slam Laver amateur was not " que" n°1 world of the amateurs and it could quickly measure the variation which separated it from the best professionals: in January 1963, Rod Laver became professional in her turn and this month Ken Rosewall beat it 11 times in 13 matches and Lew Hoad did not concede any defeat in 8 meetings).

During the publication of first classification ATP on August 23rd, 1973 To wash, 35 years old, was still classified third world player behind Ilie Nastase and Manuel Orantes but in front of players like Stan Smith, Tom Okker, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe and the young people Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg.

The Web site of the ATP which lists most of the tennistic meetings since 1968 (nevertheless its statistics are non-existent for the period preceding the open era and are far from being exhaustive at the beginning of this same open era in 1968) listed Laver 39 titles into simple and 27 in double like 392 victorious matches for 99 defeats.

But over the whole of its Rod Laver career gained at least 184 tournaments including 74 for the only open era. It is to date and for a long time the most prestigious player from his prize list which will remain without any inaccessible doubt.

Titles of Rod Laver 1960-1976 (184 gained tournaments):

Sources: Joe McCauley, History off Professional Tennis, London 2001; Michel Sutter, Winners-Winners 1946-1991, Paris 1992; Rod Laver (with Bud Hakes), The Education off has Tennis Player, New York 1971; John Barrett, World off Tennis Yearbook 1970-1976, London 1970-1976; Betty To wash, The Red-headed Rocket from Rockhampton, Rockhampton 2001.

Titles Amateurs (1960-1962): 44

Professional titles (1963-1967): 66

Titles during the open era (1968-1976): 74 (included the Pro tournaments and tournaments on invitation) including only 39 listed by the ATP

¹: Tournament with 4-Players (the tournaments of Milan, Abidjan and Dakar in 1966 included/understood perhaps more than 4 players)

Note: This list of 184 titles is perhaps incomplete because at the time any official authority, like the ITF (International Tennis Federation) or the ATP today, did not record the whole of the results. The historian Robert Geist would have listed 188 titles (without publishing them). However this record largely exceeds the record " officiel" of 109 titles of James Scott " Jimmy" Connors.

Lost finales Amateurs (1959-1962): 20

Lost finales Professional (1963-1967): 33

Lost finales Open Era (1968-1976): 28 (included the tournaments pro and tournaments on invitation)

Principal results

International of France: Winner in 1962 & 1969: Finalist in 1968: Semi-finalist in 1961
Tournament of Wimbledon: Winner in 1961,1962,1968 &1969: Finalist in 1959 & 1960
US Open: Winner in 1969: Finalist in 1960 & 1961: Semi-finalist in 1962
Open of Australia: Winner in 1960,1962 & 1969: Finalist in 1961
International of France professionals: Winner in 1967,1968: Finalist in 1963,1964,1965 & 1966
Wembley pro: Winner in 1964,1965,1966,1967,1969 & 1970: Finalist in 1971
U.S.Pro: Winner in 1964,1966,1967,1968,1969: Finalist in 1963,1965 & 1970
Masters of Hamburg: Winner in 1961 & 1962
Masters of Canada: Winner in 1970
Masters of Rome: Winner in 1962 & 1971: Finalist in 1961
Masters: Finalist in 1970
Tournament of Paris: Pros: Winner in 1967

The honors which were to him fact are numerous: he was established with the " International Tennis Hall off Fame" in 1981, the Open of Australia has famous short sound central Rod Laver Arena in 2001, it appeared in a series of postal stamps on the Australian legends in 2003.

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