Who is Rod Laver? Career and titles of grand slam legend many consider to be the GOAT of men’s tennis

Who is Rod Laver? Career and titles of grand slam legend many consider to be the GOAT of men’s tennis originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Laver Cup returns to London in 2026, with Yannick Noah’s Team Europe and Andre Agassi’s Team World meeting at The O2 for the ninth edition of the annual men’s team competition.

Often described as tennis’ answer to golf’s Ryder Cup, the Laver Cup brings together six players from Europe and six from the rest of the world for three days of singles and doubles matches. Team World heads into this year’s tournament as the defending champion after beating Team Europe in San Francisco in 2025.

The competition is named in honor of Australian tennis legend Rod Laver, one of the most accomplished players in the history of the sport. Laver remains the only player to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam twice, accomplishing the feat in 1962 and again in 1969.

The Sporting News looks back at Laver’s career, accomplishments and lasting legacy in tennis.

Who is Rod Laver?

Rod Laver is a legend of Australian sport and considered by some to be the greatest male tennis player of all time.

Born in Rockhampton, Queensland in August 1938, Laver left school to pursue a tennis career, first as an amateur and then on the developing professional circuit in the 1960s.

He went on to win a world-record haul of nearly 200 titles (72 of which are considered verified Open Era singles titles by the ATP), including 20 grand slam titles across singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles. He was ranked No. 1 in the world as an amateur and professional, including for five straight years from 1965 to 1969, the year in which he became the first and only male player in the Open Era to win all four major championships in the same year for the second time — a feat known as the ‘Grand Slam’. 

Had he not chosen to turn professional from 1963 until the Open Era began in 1968 — only amateurs could enter the majors at this point in history — it is likely “The Rocket” would have won several more slam titles.

Before retiring in 1979, Laver also won eight titles on the old professional circuit that predated the Open Era, and he helped Australia to five Davis Cup crowns. His legacy in tennis and Australian sport saw the main show court in Melbourne Park, the home of the Australian Open, renamed the Rod Laver Arena in 2000. The Laver Cup was also named after him.

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How many grand slams did Rod Laver win?

Laver won 11 singles titles at the four grand slam tournaments — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open — and a further nine in doubles events.

As an amateur in 1962 and a professional in the new Open Era in 1969, he won all four major singles titles in the same year. No male player has achieved this since.

Laver is joint-sixth with Bjorn Borg on the all-time list for most major singles titles among male players.

Rod Laver grand slam singles titles

• Australian Open (3): 1960, 1962, 1969
• French Open (2): 1962, 1969
• Wimbledon (4): 1961, 1962, 1968, 1969
• US Open (2): 1962, 1969

MORE:The top grand slam winners of all time in men’s and women’s tennis

Rod Laver career titles

Laver won 200 tournaments as an amateur and a professional across his 23-year career, according to the International Tennis Hall of Fame website, although other sources place that number at 198. In the Open Era, only six men have won more than Laver’s 72 singles titles.

He is one of only 11 men to have won at least 100 tournaments in the Open Era in both singles and doubles.

Although prize money and earnings today dwarf those on offer during Laver’s career, he was still the first player to win more than $1 million on the tour.

Is Rod Laver the GOAT of men’s tennis?

Notable tennis journalist and broadcaster Bud Collins wrote in 1989: “I remain unconvinced that there was ever a better player than Rod Laver.” Although this remark preceded the peak years of Pete Sampras and the dominance of the ‘Big Three’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, it’s still a sentiment shared by many.

It is naturally difficult to compare sporting prowess across different eras due to the way sport (and equipment) evolves, but Laver’s place among the greatest is often put down to what he could have won, as much as the (many) things he did win. For instance, had he not been barred from competing at the majors between 1963 and 1969 thanks to his decision to turn professional, it is almost inarguable that Laver would have won many more such titles in both singles and doubles, and perhaps completed at least one more calendar Grand Slam — a feat that has yet to be achieved in the Open Era by a male player. 

Laver also played at a time when tennis was not the athletic, power-driven sport it has become thanks to modern racquets and balls, yet he could mix up his approach play like few others: although only 5ft 8in, his agility, precision, and shot-making variety meant his was a game with few weaknesses. A combination of ability, passion, and astonishing success as both pro and amateur makes Laver’s legacy one to which few, if any, can compare.

Most career titles in men’s tennis

*200 figure from ITHOF. Others from The Tennis Base, via Wikipedia