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Rod Laver: An autobiography
The 1960s and '70s was an era of Australian tennis giants - Roy Emerson, Fred Stolle, Neale Fraser, Lew Hoad, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall - but Rod Laver stood head and shoulders above them all. A diminutive, left-handed, red-headed country boy from Rockhampton, Rod Laver is one of Australia's greatest ever sporting champions and arguably the best tennis player the world has ever seen. He is the only male player to have won the Grand Slam - all four major titles in the same calendar year - in the Open era, and he is the only player to have won two Grand Slams. He was the dominant force in world tennis for almost two decades, playing and defeating some of the greatest players of the 20th century. Rod Laver writes vividly of his life, from the early days growing up in a Queensland country town, playing on makeshift backyard courts, to breaking into the amateur circuit and eventually the professional realm. He also writes movingly about the stroke he suffered in 1998, and of his beloved wife of more than 40 years, Mary, who died last year after a long illness. Rod Laver's memoir is a wonderfully nostalgic journey into Australia's sporting past, filled with anecdotes about the great players and great matches, set against the backdrop of a tennis world changing from rigid amateurism to the professional game we recognise today.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 17, 2022
If Roger Federer considers Rod Laver to be the greatest ever men’s tennis player that’s good enough for me.
For Roger is a fine student of the game, au fait with tennis history and traditions. When Federer triumphed on the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne to win the 2006 Australian Open he was visibly emotional as the great man handed him the winner’s trophy.
To Australians in the 1950s and sixties Rod Laver, the ‘Rockhampton Rocket’, was a great hero. Mind you he had a lot of mates; Australia dominated men’s tennis during that time; it was often a matter of which Australian was going to win.
This memoir has the feel of Rod talking unaffectedly, as a result of Laver spending time with author Larry Writer, who was armed with lots of tapes. The book was published shortly after the death of Laver’s American wife Mary who at the end of her life suffered long and debilitating illnesses. Their marriage raised eyebrows in 1966 because Mary Benson was ten years Laver’s senior and already had three children: ‘Australian National Hero to Wed Corona Del Mar Divorcee’ (p177). Their devotion to each other is clear however: Mary looked after Laver’s lengthy rehabilitation following a severe stroke in 1998, later when the situation was reversed, Laver became Mary’s primary carer.
Laver won eleven grand slam singles titles, including two calendar Grand Slams: in 1962 immediately before he turned professional, and in 1969 at the commencement of the open era. This has only ever been done one other time, by Donald Budge, the American, in 1938, although Federer, Novak Djokovic and Raphael Nadal have had their chances in more recent times. My first tennis racket was an ancient Donald Budge autograph number belonging to my father, who was careful with his money: ‘nothing wrong with a twenty year old racket’, he said. So I knew who Donald Budge was. There’s a lovely photo of Laver with the venerable American, one of the first to congratulate Laver on his 1962 feat.
In his introduction Federer refers to the 21 Grand Slam events Laver missed during the period 1963 to 1968 inclusive, while Laver was on the professional circuit. He wonders how many Laver would have won. It’s academic, because Laver struggled initially as a professional, against the likes of Pancho Gonzales and Lew Hoad, but steadily rose to the top. What remains certain is that Laver was strong and fit, benefitting from a sunny country childhood in North Queensland, his talent honed by coaches Charlie Hollis and Harry Hopman, creating an all-round game with few if any weaknesses. He also had the incredible ability to play his best tennis under extreme pressure, something which the three modern masters, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, share.
Since the death of his wife and his own recovery, Laver has been more outgoing and public. My most recent memory is his enthusiastic yet judicious support for Ash Barty on her rise to greatness: some time before she won her first (of three) Grand Slam titles, Laver predicted she would do just that. Add good judgement to his tenacity, skill and modesty.
For Roger is a fine student of the game, au fait with tennis history and traditions. When Federer triumphed on the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne to win the 2006 Australian Open he was visibly emotional as the great man handed him the winner’s trophy.
To Australians in the 1950s and sixties Rod Laver, the ‘Rockhampton Rocket’, was a great hero. Mind you he had a lot of mates; Australia dominated men’s tennis during that time; it was often a matter of which Australian was going to win.
This memoir has the feel of Rod talking unaffectedly, as a result of Laver spending time with author Larry Writer, who was armed with lots of tapes. The book was published shortly after the death of Laver’s American wife Mary who at the end of her life suffered long and debilitating illnesses. Their marriage raised eyebrows in 1966 because Mary Benson was ten years Laver’s senior and already had three children: ‘Australian National Hero to Wed Corona Del Mar Divorcee’ (p177). Their devotion to each other is clear however: Mary looked after Laver’s lengthy rehabilitation following a severe stroke in 1998, later when the situation was reversed, Laver became Mary’s primary carer.
Laver won eleven grand slam singles titles, including two calendar Grand Slams: in 1962 immediately before he turned professional, and in 1969 at the commencement of the open era. This has only ever been done one other time, by Donald Budge, the American, in 1938, although Federer, Novak Djokovic and Raphael Nadal have had their chances in more recent times. My first tennis racket was an ancient Donald Budge autograph number belonging to my father, who was careful with his money: ‘nothing wrong with a twenty year old racket’, he said. So I knew who Donald Budge was. There’s a lovely photo of Laver with the venerable American, one of the first to congratulate Laver on his 1962 feat.
In his introduction Federer refers to the 21 Grand Slam events Laver missed during the period 1963 to 1968 inclusive, while Laver was on the professional circuit. He wonders how many Laver would have won. It’s academic, because Laver struggled initially as a professional, against the likes of Pancho Gonzales and Lew Hoad, but steadily rose to the top. What remains certain is that Laver was strong and fit, benefitting from a sunny country childhood in North Queensland, his talent honed by coaches Charlie Hollis and Harry Hopman, creating an all-round game with few if any weaknesses. He also had the incredible ability to play his best tennis under extreme pressure, something which the three modern masters, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, share.
Since the death of his wife and his own recovery, Laver has been more outgoing and public. My most recent memory is his enthusiastic yet judicious support for Ash Barty on her rise to greatness: some time before she won her first (of three) Grand Slam titles, Laver predicted she would do just that. Add good judgement to his tenacity, skill and modesty.
March 16, 2023
3,5 ⭐
Iubesc tenisul, așa că nu aveam cum să ratez autobiografia celui ce este considerat de mulți cel mai bun jucător din toate timpurile. Rod Laver este singurul care a câștigat Marele Șlem Complet de două ori, ceea ce înseamnă că în doi ani diferiți i-a bătut pe toți ceilalți jucători la toate cele patru turnee de Mare Șlem.
Scris de Rod Laver în colaborare cu Larry Writer, volumul ne duce prin toate etapele vieții marelui campion australian. De la copilăria în care juca tenis împreună cu frații săi pe un teren din pământul mușuroaielor de furnici, la trecerea de la tenisul de amatori la cel pentru profesioniști, Rod își descrie lungul și impresionantul traseu în lumea acestui sport minunat. Am scris mai multe despre volum într-un articol publicat pe blog.
„Îmi place să cred că am primit toate aceste onoruri nu doar pentru că am jucat tenis, ci și pentru că am încercat întotdeauna să mă comport cumsecade, în cariera și în viața mea. Orice aș fi făcut și oriunde aș fi făcut-o, am considerat că îmi reprezint mereu țara, familia și sportul. Nu aș fi făcut niciodată ceva prin care să risc să le murdăresc numele. Am jucat jocul pe care l-am iubit și am putut să-i înfrunt pe cei mai buni jucători din lume. Sper că am fost un campion onorabil.„
https://ciobanuldeazi.home.blog/2023/...
Iubesc tenisul, așa că nu aveam cum să ratez autobiografia celui ce este considerat de mulți cel mai bun jucător din toate timpurile. Rod Laver este singurul care a câștigat Marele Șlem Complet de două ori, ceea ce înseamnă că în doi ani diferiți i-a bătut pe toți ceilalți jucători la toate cele patru turnee de Mare Șlem.
Scris de Rod Laver în colaborare cu Larry Writer, volumul ne duce prin toate etapele vieții marelui campion australian. De la copilăria în care juca tenis împreună cu frații săi pe un teren din pământul mușuroaielor de furnici, la trecerea de la tenisul de amatori la cel pentru profesioniști, Rod își descrie lungul și impresionantul traseu în lumea acestui sport minunat. Am scris mai multe despre volum într-un articol publicat pe blog.
„Îmi place să cred că am primit toate aceste onoruri nu doar pentru că am jucat tenis, ci și pentru că am încercat întotdeauna să mă comport cumsecade, în cariera și în viața mea. Orice aș fi făcut și oriunde aș fi făcut-o, am considerat că îmi reprezint mereu țara, familia și sportul. Nu aș fi făcut niciodată ceva prin care să risc să le murdăresc numele. Am jucat jocul pe care l-am iubit și am putut să-i înfrunt pe cei mai buni jucători din lume. Sper că am fost un campion onorabil.„
https://ciobanuldeazi.home.blog/2023/...
October 1, 2019
Do you want to read 388 pages of tennis statistics? Then this book is for you! I kept hoping that there would be something more. No such luck.
He talked about what a great guy Charlton Heston was to loan his home in New York during a tennis tournament. Did we ever learn how he met Heston? Of course not. We learned that he nearly missed his wedding because he was playing in a tournament. There was maybe a paragraph about how he met his wife.
In searching for this book I was shocked to see that he wrote a memoir in addition to an autobiography. I have no desire to read any of his other books
He talked about what a great guy Charlton Heston was to loan his home in New York during a tennis tournament. Did we ever learn how he met Heston? Of course not. We learned that he nearly missed his wedding because he was playing in a tournament. There was maybe a paragraph about how he met his wife.
In searching for this book I was shocked to see that he wrote a memoir in addition to an autobiography. I have no desire to read any of his other books
September 10, 2018
This is my kind of book - a story about an Australian tennis legend. Rod Laver was an unassuming tennis hero to a generation, yours truly included in that number. He seems to have had everything as a player. A left-hander with a fantastic all round game and then something extra. The professional tennis tour that he joined in the 1960s was an ongoing marathon, so it is now no wonder that he has had hip and knee surgery and what about Ken Rosewall, who is the other hero of this story and kept playing at the top level for such a long period. And then there is Lew Hoad, Pancho Gonzales, Jack Kramer, Roy Emerson, John Newcombe, Tony Roach, Frank Sedgeman and so on. The legendary tennis players of an era when they loved and respected the game and their opponent, poor on court histrionics was almost non-existent (except for Pancho) and Australia had eight of the players in the top ten. Those were the days.
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May 5, 2020In my eyes Rocket Rod is arguably the games greatest players ever to grace the courts of Wimbledon, Paris, Melbourne and New York. However, this autobiography was ok. It did not grip me like many other sports autobiographies. It did not really explore with any detail or dept the characters of the game or being a tennis player in the 50s/60/70s. Shame really.
December 2, 2018
Sweet story for tennis fans. He's smart, tough and a very nice guy.
November 26, 2020
To win 2 tennis Grand Slams, consecutively, puts Rod Laver in a league of 1. How is it possible to win the 8 major tournaments across 2 calendar years, first as an amateur then years later when the same events finally all went professional. There are clues about how he did it in the book, as well as how he held the number 1 ranking for years. If you're a fan of that golden era of tennis you can relive moments of his matches against other greats, Hoad, Rosewall, Gonzales and pick up on the obsessive determination to win. It must have been devastating for his opponents to know that the better they played, the further they got ahead in a match, the higher their chances of losing in the end, compared to any other player they met. But what comes through it all is the humility and sportsmanship of the man, on and off court. It continues in retirement with his nearly fatal stroke, his recovery and terrible loss of his wife Mary. The very highest sporting heroics can bring tears to the eyes of fans and it's hard to know why that is. Maybe it's just the pure appreciation and awe you feel for the greatest sporting heros.
August 23, 2018
Rod Laver shares his genius and his humanity in one great read.
Before anyone decides who the greatest tennis player of all time is, this book may influence your decision. A great read about and by a legendary sportsman. You are also taken into the world of the profession circuit that Rod played with such greats as Muscles Rosewall and the lively Pancho Gonzalez. These guys would play eachhundreds of times to earn their hard fought fortunes. They were barred from the amateur Grand Slam events until Tennis became open in 1968. Laver is up there with the greats of more recent times such as Federer, Sampras, Djokovic and Nadal, and this great autobiography helps you to grasp why.
Before anyone decides who the greatest tennis player of all time is, this book may influence your decision. A great read about and by a legendary sportsman. You are also taken into the world of the profession circuit that Rod played with such greats as Muscles Rosewall and the lively Pancho Gonzalez. These guys would play eachhundreds of times to earn their hard fought fortunes. They were barred from the amateur Grand Slam events until Tennis became open in 1968. Laver is up there with the greats of more recent times such as Federer, Sampras, Djokovic and Nadal, and this great autobiography helps you to grasp why.
September 22, 2019
Great book
If you like tennis, this is a heartwarming & insightful story of how modern tennis was built on the shoulders of those great players in the earlier era. The treatment & hardship is unbelievable. Entwined with that is the rather magical tale of Lavers life where it’s all about hard work & then so me more.
If you like tennis, this is a heartwarming & insightful story of how modern tennis was built on the shoulders of those great players in the earlier era. The treatment & hardship is unbelievable. Entwined with that is the rather magical tale of Lavers life where it’s all about hard work & then so me more.
September 8, 2023
The story of Rod Laver's life in his own words. Fascinating to learn more about his early life in the Australian bush and what the life of a tennis pro was like in the early years. The tennis pros and fans of today do not appreciate the greatness of the players from Laver's era and how they really created tennis as we know it today. Fun to hear all the Aussie-isms he used to describe situations.
July 25, 2018
A truly great tennis player and a person. Learned a lot about focus, hard work, and dedicating to the goal. I have to admire him even more for his behavior considering how the Australian cricketers ruined cricket with trash talking and cheating.
January 4, 2023
Awesome read, what a legend! Great look into Rod's life as well as how hard a life dedicated to tennis was before the Open Era.
July 28, 2015
Grande libro, grandissimo personaggio, di un'umiltà unica a dispetto dei suoi impareggiabili successi. Il mio consiglio, tutt'altro che spassionato, è di leggersi il testo in lingua originale. La traduzione mi dà l'impressione di essere stata brutalmente rovinata in fase di revisione. Io, prima di ridurmi a scrivere "Il più grande campione del nostro sport che HO conosciuto" e metterlo anche in copertina, preferirei cambiare mestiere. Ed è solo uno degli innumerevoli errori (non solo grammaticali ma anche di interpretazione) che compaiono tra le pagine e in copertina. Detto questo, se potete leggerlo in inglese, lo consiglio agli amanti di ogni sport perché racconta la vita di chi ha capito a fondo cosa significhi essere un vero sportivo. Rod Laver è davvero un grande della storia!
April 2, 2016
As a tennis fanatic, I loved this true and honest story of one of the worlds best tennis players. Rod Laver is a very humble person despite his massive success. This is a wonderful insight into the world of pre professional tennis, and also the friendships and rivalries on and off the court. Thankyou Rod Laver for writing this book and sharing your life with us. I played a better game last week thanks to some of his tips!
December 22, 2020
I got this book in the Laver Cup 2018 in Chicago and I was lucky to get it signed by the same Rod Laver. It was an amazing experience. The auto biography shows all the career of the australian and at the same time illustrates the transition to the Open Era of tennis. It is very detailed when referring to matches and events. A must read for everyone interested in tennis history!
February 27, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this from a historical perspective of the game of tennis from amateur to professionals in the sixties as well as learning so much more about Rod Laver himself.
October 19, 2014
I love this guy!!! Now that I have translated his entire book I WANT TO MEET HIM!!! So humble through 400 pages of absolute success. Hats off!
October 7, 2022
Loved this book what a legend ! Long live Rod
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews