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Rod Laver. Photo by Brisbane City Council. .

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Rod Laver

Rodney George Laver is a tennis legend born on the 9th of August 1938 in Rock Hampton, Queensland, Australia. He is regarded as one of the highest professional tennis echelon champions of all time.

He has won singles, grand slam singles, doubles, grand slam doubles, and numerous other tournaments that have gained him immense fame.

He is a U.S. and Australian champion who was versatile and could play excellently on any court surface be it grass, wood, clay, hard, or carpet.

He won multiple Davis cups, two prestigious honors bestowed by the government. He has been inducted into walls of fame for his Exquisite skills in the courtyard.

He was also honored with his portrait on a postage stamp by the Australia Post Australian Legends Award, a tournament cup named after him as well as an arena.

Here are 10 fun facts about Rodney Laver:

1. He was honored with the Order of Australia

Medal of the Order of Australia. Photo by Tralis2. .

The Order of Australia is an esteemed honor awarded for outstanding achievement and service.

It was established on the 14th of February 1975 by Queen Elizabeth the II on the advice of the Australian Government.

The honor is bestowed to Australian citizens or other persons whose actions are regarded as Achievements and merit in service to Australia or humanity.

Rod Laver was awarded this exemplary honor for his achievement in the field of tennis sport.

He was called to be Knighted within the order after its brief reintroduction in 2014 but it was abolished and he became the companion of the Order of Australia in 2016.

2. Rodney was awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British award that was established on the 4rth of June 1917 by King George V.

It is an order of chivalry that honors outstanding contributions to the arts and sciences, and public service outside the civil service, charitable, and welfare organizations.

It comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight or dame according to gender.

The recommendations are usually made by the United Kingdom, the self-governing Dominions of the Empire, and the Viceroy of India.

Rod was bestowed with this precious honor for his skillset and strategy in the courtyard.

3. The Laver Cup Tournament was named after him

The laver cup tournament is an international indoor hard court men’s team tennis tournament between Europe and World that was founded in 2017.

Roger Federer’s management company, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Tennis Australia, and TEAM8, partnered to create the Laver Cup.

It was intended to be the Ryder Cup of the tennis world.

The tournament is named and dedicated to honoring Australia’s tennis legend Rod Laver who is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in the history of the sport

4. The Rod Laver Arena is eponymous to him

Rod Laver Arena. Photo by slgckgc..

The Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose stadium that began construction in 1985 and was completed in 1987.

It was created to replace the old Kooyong Stadium which was a lawn tennis club located within Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its name has been changed severally.

It was initially known as the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park in 1988. 1i1t then changed to Centre Court in 1996 and finally to Rod Laver Arena on the 16th of January 2000.

It was renamed to pay tribute to Rod Laver, a three-time winner of the Australian Open and one of the world’s greatest tennis players

5. He has been inducted into several halls of fame

Rodney was privileged by being inducted into three different halls of fame.

The first was in 1981, the International Tennis Hall of Fame which was established in 1880 to honor both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis.

It is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The second is the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.

It was established on the 10th of December 1985 to recognize the achievements of Australian athletes and was later upgraded to a Legend of Australian Sport in 2002.

Lastly is the Southern California Tennis Hall of Fame which occurred On the 1st of October 2017.

6. He got married to a divorcee

Rodney George Laver was a third of four children born to Roy Laver who was a cattleman and butcher and his wife Melba Roffey.

At the age of 27, he wed Mary Benson in San Rafael, California in 1966.

After the wedding, his friends and tennis players including Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, Mal Anderson, and Barry MacKay, raised tennis rackets that formed an archway for the newlyweds to walk under outside the church.

The couple had four children three of which were Mary’s as she was a divorcee with three children. She died at the age of 84 in November 2012 at their home in Carlsbad.

7. Laver was the World’s No. 1 ranked professional from the period 1964-1972

Lavers’ fame skyrocketed during the period of 1964-1970.

His fame and fortune spanned four years before and three years after the start of the Open Era in 1968.

His 198 singles titles are the most in tennis history including his all-time men’s record of 10 or more titles per year for seven consecutive years.

In 1971 he also became the first professional tennis player to surpass the $1,000,000 mark in career prize money

8. Rodney is the only individual to win a Grand slam twice

Picture of Rodney Laver. Photo by Joost Evers / Anefo.

Laver won numerous championships ranging from the singles, doubles grand slam, pro grand slam, tour finals, Wembley, etc.

The most memorable is his Grand Slam in 1969 at the US Open at Forest Hills where he defeated Tony Roche to become the only person in history to win two Grand Slams as the first one was in 1962

9. He is the first male player to be the Winner and Runner Up at all four grand slams

A bust of Rod by sculptor Barbara McLean. Photo by RegionalQueenslander.

Laver, left school as a teenager to pursue a tennis career that lasted 24 years.

He was coached initially by Charlie Hollis in Queensland then Harry Hopman, Australias Davis Cup team captain.

He won 4 grand slam singles from 1960-1969, the grand slam doubles with one first runner-up at the U.S. Open and the grand slam mixed doubles.

10. Laver won five Davis Cup titles

The Davis Cup is the premier international team tournament in men’s tennis that is directed by the International Tennis Federation.

The ITF also runs the women’s equivalent called the Billie Jean King Cup. It is played annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format.

Some refer to the event as the World Cup of Tennis which began in 1900. Laver Participated in the Davis Cup competition representing Australia.

He won four consecutive times from 1959 to 1962 and the fifth time was when professionals were allowed to play in 1973 because Rodney was on the winning team.