Rod laver tennis biography
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Rodney &#;Rod&#; George Laver AC MBE was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in as an Athlete Member for his contribution to the sport of tennis. He was elevated as a Legend of Australian Sport in
Nicknamed &#;Rocket&#; by Australian Davis Cup captain Harry Hopman, Rod Laver is the only player in tennis history to have twice won all Grand Slam singles titles in the same year &#; first as an amateur in , then again as a professional in For this achievement, Laver is considered by many tennis fans to be the greatest player of all time.
Although of only medium build (cm), Laver developed a complete serve-and-volley game, with aggressive groundstrokes to back it up. He was technically faultless, from his richly varied serve to his feather-light touch on drop volleys plus a backhand drive carrying destructive topspin when needed. His wristy groundstrokes on both flanks were hit with topspin, an innovation in the s, as was the attacking topspin lob, which Laver developed into a weapon, inspiring a wave of heavy-hitting topspin practitioners in the s. Laver was very quick and mobile, and had a gigantic left forearm.
As an amateur, Laver was a somewhat flashy player, often a late starter. When he turned professional, he learnt to control his adventurous shotmaking, and
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Rod Laver
Laver at Amsterdam in
Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
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Rod Laver
Australian tennis player (born )
For the American musical group, see Rod Laver (band).
Laver in | |
| Full&#;name | Rodney George Laver |
|---|---|
| Country&#;(sports) | Australia |
| Residence | Carlsbad, California, U.S. |
| Born | () 9 August (age&#;86) Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia |
| Height | &#;cm (5&#;ft 8&#;in)[1] |
| Turned&#;pro | (amateur tour from ) |
| Retired | |
| Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$1,, |
| Int. Tennis HoF | (member page) |
| Career&#;record | – in pre Open-Era & Open Era[2] |
| Career&#;titles | [3] (72 open era titles listed by ATP) |
| Highest&#;ranking | No. 1 (, Lance Tingay)[4] |
| Australian&#;Open | W (, , ) |
| French&#;Open | W (, ) |
| Wimbledon | W (, , , ) |
| US Open | W (, ) |
| Tour&#;Finals | RR – 2nd () |
| WCT&#;Finals | F (, ) |
| Professional majors | |
| US&#;Pro | W (, , ) |
| Wembley&#;Pro | W (, , , ) |
| French&#;Pro | W () |
| Career&#;record | –77 (%)[a] |
| Career&#;titles | 28[a] |
| Highest&#;ranking | No. 11 (per ATP) |
| Australian&#;Open | W (, , , ) |
| French&#;Open | W () |
| Wimbledon | W () |
| US Open | F (, , ) |
| Australian&#;Open | F () |
| French&#;Open | W () |
| Wimbledon | W (, ) |
| Davis Cup | W (, , , , ) |