Rodney George Laver is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was the No. 1 ranked professional for seven years from 1964 to 1970, spanning four years before and three years after the start of the Open Era in 1968. He also was the No. 1 ranked amateur in 1961–62.
The 1968 Wimbledon Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament was held from Monday 24 June until Saturday 6 July 1968. It was the 82nd staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand Slam tennis event of 1968.
World Championship Tennis (WCT) was a tour for professional male tennis players established in 1968 and lasted until the emergence of the ATP Tour in 1990. A number of tennis tournaments around the world were affiliated with WCT and players were ranked in a special WCT ranking according to their results in those tournaments.
The 1971 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament was held from Monday 21 June until Saturday 3 July 1971. It was the 85th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand Slam tennis event of 1971. John Newcombe and Evonne Goolagong won the singles titles.
The 1971 World Championship Tennis Finals was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor Sportface carpet courts. It was the first edition of the WCT Finals and the concluding event of the 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit. The eight top players in points qualified for the event. The quarterfinals and semifinals were played at the Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston, Texas from November 19 through November 21 while the final, watched by 8,200 spectators, was played at the Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, Texas, United States on November 26. Ken Rosewall win the event and the accompanying $50,000 first-prize money. Neil Armstrong presented the prizes.
The 1973 Australian Indoor Championships was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia. It was part of the 1973 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix as a Group B category tournament. The tournament was held from 4 November through 11 November 1973. Rod Laver won the singles title and the accompanying $10,000 first-prize money.
The 1971 Pepsi Cola Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year. It incorporated three of the four grand slam tournaments, the Grand Prix tournaments. It was the second edition of the Grand Prix circuit and was run by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ITLF). In addition to regular tournament prize money a bonus prize money pool of £60,000 ($150,000) was available to be divided among the 20 highest ranking players after the last tournament. To be eligible for a share of the bonus pool a player had to compete in a minimum of nine tournaments. The circuit culminated in a Masters event in Paris, France for the seven highest point scoring players. Stan Smith was the winner of the circuit with 187 ranking points and four tournament victories.
The Open Era is the current era of professional tennis. It began in 1968 when the Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs, ending the division that had persisted since the dawn of the sport in the 19th century. The first open event was the 1968 British Hard Court Championships held in April, followed by the inaugural open Grand Slam event, the 1968 French Open, a month later. Unless otherwise sourced, all records are based on data from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the official websites of the four Grand Slam tournaments. All rankings-related records are based on ATP Rankings, which began in 1973. The names of active players appear in boldface.
The 1970 season of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit was one of the two rival professional male tennis circuits of 1970. It was organized by World Championship Tennis (WCT).
The 1970 Embassy British Indoor Championships was a combined men's and women's Grand Prix tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 3rd edition of the British Indoor Championships in the Open era. The tournament took place at the Wembley Arena in London in England and ran from 16 November until 21 November 1970.
The 1970 Rothmans International Tennis Tournament was a men's professional tennis tournament held on indoor carpet courts in the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. It was the first edition of the tournament and was held from 4–7 March 1970. It was an independent event, i.e. not part of either the 1970 Grand Prix or 1970 World Championship Tennis circuit. Marty Riessen won both the singles and doubles competition and £2525 in prize money.
The 1971 Redwood Bank Pacific Coast Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Berkeley Tennis Club in Berkeley, California in the United States. The event was part of both the 1971 Grand Prix and World Championship Tennis circuit. It was the 81st edition of the tournament and ran from September 27 through October 3, 1971. First-seeded Rod Laver won the singles title.
The 1970 U.S. Pro Tennis Championships was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. It was classified as a Class 1 category tournament and was part of the 1970 Grand Prix circuit. It was the 43rd edition of the tournament and was held from August 3 through August 9, 1970. Fourth-seeded Tony Roche won the singles title and the accompanying $12,000 first prize money.
The 1971 U.S. Pro Tennis Championships was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA and was part of the 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit. It was the 44th edition of the tournament and was held from August 2 through August 8, 1971. Sixth-seeded Ken Rosewall won the singles title, his third U.S. Pro title, and the accompanying $10,000 first-prize money. The final was watched by 5,500 spectators.
The 1969 New South Wales Open was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on grass courts at the White City Stadium in Sydney, Australia. The tournament was held from 13 January through 19 January 1969. It was the 77th edition of the event and the first one in the Open era of tennis. The singles titles were won by Margaret Court and fourth-seeded Tony Roche. It was Roche's second singles title after 1967 and he won AUS$3,594 first-prize money. Court earned AUS$1,537 for her singles win which was her sixth singles title at the tournament.
The 1970 New South Wales Open, also known by its sponsored name Dunlop Open, was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts at the White City Stadium in Sydney, Australia. The tournament was held from 16 March through 22 March 1970. It was the 78th edition of the event and the second held in the Open era of tennis. The men's event consisted of a singles and doubles competition while the women only played a singles competition. The singles titles were won by Billie Jean King and Rod Laver who were both seeded first. It was Laver's second singles title after 1961 and he won AUS$5,000 first-prize money.
The 1969 Wills Open British Covered Court Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the second edition of the British Indoor Championships in the Open era. The tournament took place at the Queens Club and Wembley Arena in London, England and ran from 17 November through 22 November 1969.
The 1970 First National Tennis Classic, also known as the Louisville Open, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Louisville Tennis Center in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was held from July 29 through August 3, 1970. The tournament was part of the 1970 Grand Prix tennis circuit and categorized in Class 2 with total prize money of $25,000. The singles final was won by Rod Laver who earned eight ranking points.
The 1971 First National Tennis Classic, also known as the Louisville WCT, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Louisville Tennis Center in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from July 19 through July 25, 1971. The tournament was part of the 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit and offered total prize money of $50,000. The singles final was won by Tom Okker who earned $10,000 first-prize money.
The 1972 River Oaks Tennis Tournament, also known as the River Oaks Invitational, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas, U.S. in the United States. It was the 38th edition of the tournament and was held from April 3 through April 9, 1972. The tournament was part of the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit and offered total prize money of $50,000. The singles title was won by first-seeded Rod Laver who earned $10,000 first-prize money.
Rod Laver [2] 
