Born in 1938, Rod Laver was an
Australian tennis player whose
speed on the court earned him the nickname of the "
Rocket". One of the great
modern players, he won all the
major championships. He is the only player to have won the
Grand Slam twice (1962, 69), and was
Wimbledon champion four times. Laver was the first player to earn $1 million in prize money, and he won eleven Grand Slam singles titles.
Laver's first major success was winning the Australian Open in 1960. In 1961 he was victorious in twelve major tournaments and became the second player to win the Grand Slam. He turned
professional in 1963, having won Wimbledon the previous two years, and returned to win in 1968 and 1969 when Wimbledon went open. He returned to the Davis Cup in 1973 and won all his matches, his third successful Davis Cup campaign.
Rod Laver retired in 1975, and currently resides in the
United States.