Rod Laver

Rodney George "Rod" Laver AC, MBE (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former tennis player widely regarded as one of the greatest in tennis history. He was the No. 1 ranked professional from 1964 to 1970, spanning four years before and three years after the start of the Open Era. He also was the No. 1 amateur in 1961–62 according to Lance Tingay.

Laver's 200 singles titles are the most in tennis history, and he holds the all-time male singles records of 22 titles in a single season (1962) and seven consecutive years (1964–70) winning at least 10 titles per season. He excelled on all of the court surfaces of his time: grass, clay, hard, carpet, and wood/parquet.

Despite being banned from playing the Grand Slam tournaments for the five years prior to the Open Era, he still won 11 singles titles because he is the only player to twice achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam, in 1962 and 1969, and remains the only man to do so during the Open Era. He also won eight Pro Slam titles, including the calendar year Pro "Grand Slam" in 1967, and contributed to five Davis Cup titles for Australia during an age when Davis Cup was deemed as significant as the Grand Slams.

Rod Laver Arena

Coordinates: 37°49′18″S 144°58′42″E / 37.82167°S 144.97833°E / -37.82167; 144.97833

Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose arena located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Located within Melbourne Park, it is the main venue for the Australian Open in tennis since 1988, replacing the aging Kooyong Stadium. Construction began in 1985 and completed in 1987 at a cost of AU$94 million, the arena opened on 11 January 1988 for the 1988 Australian Open. The arena has seating capacity of 15,000 and currently attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year.

Originally known as the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park in 1988, the arena has officially changed name twice. First in 1996, when it was known as the Centre Court and again in January 2000 to honour Rod Laver, a three-time winner of the Australian Open and one of the world's greatest tennis players.

Features and history

The arena features a retractable roof allowing competitors to continue play during rain or extreme heat. It is the centrepiece of the National Tennis Centre, and besides tennis, the arena hosts motorbike super-crosses, music concerts, conferences, World Wrestling Entertainment events (since 2003), and ballet.

Australian Open

The Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually over the last fortnight of January in Melbourne, Australia. First held in 1905, the tournament is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year – the other three being the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. It features men's and women's singles; men's, women's and mixed doubles and junior's championships; as well as wheelchair, legends and exhibition events. Prior to 1988 the tournament had been played on grass. Since 1988 two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used at Melbourne Park – green Rebound Ace to 2007 and blue Plexicushion from 2008.

The Australian Open typically has high attendance, second only to the US Open. It was also the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its three primary courts, the Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena and the refurbished Margaret Court Arena equipped with retractable roofs.

History

The Australian Open is managed by Tennis Australia, formerly the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA), and was first played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne in 1905. This facility is now known as the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre.

Laver

Laver may refer to:

See also