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Rod Laver

Birth and Nationality

Rodney George Laver, known as Rod Laver, was a former Australian professional tennis player. He was born on August 09, 1938 in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. His parents were both tournament lawn tennis players.

Career and Awards

Because of his built, Rod Laver was too small to start a career in tennis. But he was not discouraged and instead, honed his skills in tennis in the Australian outback. He became a member of the Davis Cup at the young age of 18 when the cup’s captain Harry Hopman noticed his extraordinary talent in tennis. What marked the beginning of his career was when he and his tournament partner played and won an overseas competition in doubles championship in 1956. From then, Rod Laver had become a familiar face in the tennis scene. He eventually ended his amateur career and became a professional in 1963.

He ruled in the professional tournaments and in 1968 when the professional open tournament was introduced, he won his first Wimbledon title. In his 23-year career as a professional tennis player, he won 11 Grand Slam singles and also became a four-time Wimbledon champion. In 1971, he was the first tennis player who exceeded the $1 million mark in total earnings and he retained the position for seven years. When Rod Laver joined the San Diego team to compete in the World Team Tennis, he was awarded Rookie of the year. He also received severalhonours, such as the following:

1981- Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame

1985 – Inducted into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame

2000 - Awarded the Australian Sports Medal

2009 - Inducted into the Queensland Hall of Fame

Family

In 1966 at the age of 27, Rod Laver married Mary Benson who was a divorcee with three children. They were blessed with another son named Rick later. Mary passed away on November 2012 at the age of 84.