Australian Tennis Player Rod Laver's Biography
Rod Laver, by the name of Rodney George Laver, was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. Here in this Rod Laver Biography article, we frequently interchange the word Rodney George Laver and Rod Laver, so don't get confused; both people are the same. He is regarded as the greatest tennis player with 11 Grand Slam singles titles to his name. A former Australian tennis player Rod Laver has a net worth of $20 million.
Firstly, with 200 singles titles, he holds the record for the most titles won in the history of Tennis.
Secondly, he was ranked No.1, ranked Tennis player for straight seven years (1964-1970), covering four years before and three years after the beginning of an open era in 1968.
Thirdly and, most importantly, the most astonishing achievement of his career is winning the Calendar Grand Slam in 1962 and 1969.
As a result, he is the only open-era player to have won the Calendar Grand Slam and the only player to win it twice in the history of Tennis. Moreover, Laver began his tennis career as an amateur player in 1956, started a professional career-making debut in 1963, and retired in 1979. In conclusion, he had a remarkable career with a win rate of 78.4%, racking up 1,473 wins and 407 losses.
Quick Facts About Australian Tennis Player Rod Laver
Let’s lookout for some quick facts about tennis legend Rod Laver. Without these facts, Rod Laver's biography is incomplete.
Full Name: Rodney George Laver
Net Worth: $20 million
Birth Date: August 9, 1938
Birth Place: Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Residence: Carlsbad, California, USA
Nick Name: Rocket
Religion: Christian
Nationality: Australian
Ethnicity: White
Education: N/A
Horoscope: Leo
Father’s Name: Roy Laver
Mother’s Name: Melba Laver
Siblings: Three Siblings
Age: 82 yrs.
Height: 173 cm (5 ft. 8 inches)
Weight: 150 lbs. (68kg)
Skin Tone: White, Fair
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Sexual Orientation: Straight Male
Wife: Mary Benson Laver (1928-2012)
Children: Rick Laver
Relationship Status: In a relationship
Girlfriend: Susan Johnson
Profession: Professional Tennis Player
Playing Status: Retired
Professional Career: 1963-1979
Playing Style: Left-handed
Career Record:
- Singles: 1473-407 (78.4%)
- Doubles: 235–77 (75.32%)
Career Titles:
- Singles: 200
- Doubles: 28
Grand Slam Titles: 11
International Tennis Hall of Fame: 1981
Australian Tennis Hall of Fame: 1993
Southern California Tennis Hall of Fame: 2017
Awards & Achievements:
- Wimbledon – 1961, 1962, 1968, 1969
- Australian Open – 1960, 1962, 1969
- French Open – 1962, 1969
- US Open – 1962, 1969
- Tennis Hall of Fame
- Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) Award
- Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
- Rod Laver Arena
Social Media Status: Active
Must use Social Media: Twitter
Rod Laver: Net Worth and Income
In Rod Laver's biography, net worth and income play the most important role. According to online sources, Rod Laver, a former professional tennis player, has an astounding net worth of $20 million.
Further, he made $1.56 million in prize money, and regarding inflation adjustment, he earned approximately $5 million from his professional career.
Likewise, he owns several houses and properties, also a lucrative tennis camp.
Moreover, Laver has a few business investments and also spread out endorsement deals.
Rod Laver's Personal Life
If we forget to talk about his personal life then Rod Laver's biography is incomplete. So let's talk about his personal life:
Laver, son of Roy and Melba Laver, was born on 9th August 1938 and was born and raised in Rockhampton, Australia, alongside his three siblings.
He gave up school to go after a tennis career.
In 1966, at the age of 28, Laver married his long-time partner and lover, Mary Benson.
Marry Benson was from Illinois, USA, and was a divorced woman with three children before getting married to Laver.
They tied the knot in San Rafael, California, USA, and their wedding guest list included big tennis names such as Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewell, Mal Anderson, and Lew Hoad.
And these players’ acclaimed newlyweds formed an archway with their rackets, under which they strolled.
Rod and Mary have a son named Rick Laver.
Sadly, in November 2012, Mary passed away after a long illness at the age of 84.
Currently, an Australian legend is dating Susan Johnson.
Likewise, Laver, Susan’s partner, passed away unfortunately in 2016. They first came across in the 1990s and recently in 2018.
Rod Laver House, Watches & Shoes
House
Rod’s current primary residence is in Carlsbad, California, USA.
The tennis legend bought a mansion there for $636K in September of 2000. It’s a 4-bed, 4.5 baths covering 3,589 sq. ft.
Moreover, he also owns a massive mansion in Palm Springs and an impressive ranch in Solvang, California.
Watches
Rod wears the most recognized luxurious watch of all time, “Rolex.”
The Aussie player began wearing lavishing Rolex watch in 1981, the same year when became an International Hall of Fame, the inductee.
He’s been an admirer and devotee of Rolex since its arrival in the market.
Also, in an interview named Every Rolex tells A Story in 2018, Rod said a stunning fact about himself and his Rolex watch, and I quote, “The Rolex I have on my wrist today is so embedded in my whole career.”
Shoes
An original Adidas shoe model named Rod Laver shoe was the first Adidas pro model on the tennis court. It’s a very light, comforting shoe, as described by Rod Laver himself, which helped him in his tennis career.
Rod Laver Lifestyle
Rod Laver was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, and has three siblings.
His father was Roy Laver, a cattleman and butcher, and his wife, Melba Roffey.
Currently, Rod lives a luxurious life in his mansion situated in Carlsbad, California, USA.
The tennis legend is mostly into tennis to date, although he has been retired for 42 years.
Likewise, Rod travels around a lot as he’s invited to most of the tennis tournaments worldwide as a guest of honour and presents prestigious trophies.
Further, the player also has a Tennis tournament named after him which is called Laver Cup.
Moreover, this iconic player has this fantastic arena named after him in Melbourne called Rod Laver Arena.
This arena is the premier venue for one of the Grand Slams, the Australian Open, to which he’s often invited as a Guest of honour.
He’s an inspiration and role model to many young tennis enthusiasts. Rod is involved in many tennis camps where he encourages and advocates for the new youth generation about tennis.
Charity
Charity is a significant field; without us talking about this makes Rod Laver's biography incomplete.
Rod surprised Federer and the whole world at a charity match between Federer and Tsonga in Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, on January 8, 2014.
He and Roger played a few shots before the charity match between Federer and Tsonga. Rod showed the world he isn’t done making his tennis history.
On 11th February 2020, Rod organized an auction charity for his 1969 Dunlop racquet.
The Charity was done in Queensland with an impetus to raise funds for bushfire recovery efforts to alleviate the catastrophic Australian bushfire.
Media, Investments, Endorsements & Book Publications
Media
In 1998, Espn invited Rod Laver for an interview in which Laver suffered a terrifying stroke.
According to the Interviewer, as soon as he saw a change in Laver’s facial gesture, he informed others quickly and was rushed to UCLA Medical Center. Thankfully he was swiftly taken and, after that, recovered within a week.
He is often a guest of honour at the Australian Open. In addition, I presented the championship trophy to the champion many times.
Furthermore, many tennis events invite him as a guest of honour to present the trophies and prizes to the winners.
Investment and Endorsement
Rod Laver was one of the first athletes to set an example to earn money for modern-day players besides their sports careers.
The Aussie tennis legend has several endorsements and deals with several big named companies such as Rolex, and Adidas.
Furthermore, He has made investments in a few shares and bonds.
Book Publication
To date, Laver has 5 books written and published, and those are:
1. Rod Laver: An Autobiography
2. The Education of a Tennis Player
3. The Golden Era
4. How to Play Championship Tennis
5. Rod Laver's Tennis digest
The book "The Golden Era" was the most popular and sold out more among the five books.
It was written in collaboration with Larry Writer, a fellow writer of Laver. The book encompasses the mesmerizing two decades of Australian dominance in the world of tennis.
All five books by Rod Laver are available on Amazon, where they can be ordered and purchased with ease.
Career
If we forget to talk about his career then Rod Laver's biography is incomplete. So let's talk about Career:
Rod Laver's tennis career span was 24 years that is from 1956 to 1979.
He began his amateur tennis career in 1956 and later in 1963 turned into a professional.
In 1960, Laver defeated Neale Fraser in a dramatic five-set final match of the Australian Open. Laver came from two sets down to clinch a victory and clenched his first-ever major title, the Australian Open.
Later in 1962, Laver won all four grand slam titles in the same year and became the second tennis player ever to achieve a calendar grand slam.
Before Open Era, during his professional career, Laver bagged 17 titles, therefore, became the No.1 ranked pro player for the first time in his career.
Likewise, in 1966, he won 16 events, and in 1967, he bagged 19 titles, including all majors Wimbledon Pro, Wembley Pro, US Pro, and French Pro Championships.
After Open Era, Laver created history by achieving Calendar Grand Slam for the second time in his career. He holds 200 titles for most singles titles in Tennis history and has 11 Grand slams to his name.
Some Interesting Facts about Rod Laver
- Laver is the only open-era player who won the calendar grand slam, which he was awarded in 1969.
- Moreover, He holds the record for the most singles titles won in the history of tennis which is 200 titles.
- The Hall of Famer was ranked No.1 for seven straight years from 1964 to 1970 in the world tennis ranking.
FAQs About Rod Laver
Q. Is Rod Laver a GOAT?
Ans: Yes, Rod Laver is GOAT and has been named as pre-Open Era GOAT by Tennis Hall of Famers.
Q. What are Rod Laver's Achievements?
Ans: He is the only player to achieve a calendar grand slam twice in 1962 (before the open era) and in 1969 (after the open era). Above all, he is the only open-era player to win the calendar grand slam. Rod has a record of 200 singles titles with 11 grand slams to his name.
Q. When did Rod Laver begin his Tennis career?
Ans: The tennis legend officially began his tennis career in 1956. However, to be clear, Laver started his amateur career in 1956 and later turned into a professional tennis career in 1963.
Q. What is the Net worth of Rod Laver?
Ans: The former Australian tennis player Rod Laver has a net worth of $20 million.
Conclusion
In Conclusion of this article, this article is about Australian Tennis Player Rod Laver's Biography, here we are trying to address all of your queries about your favourite star player Rod Laver. So here in this Rod Laver biography, we cover all the essential topics like Rod Laver's net worth, personal life, and lifestyle, along with some exciting and quick facts about him.
