He is the only man in history to win every Grand Slam in a single year and now has a stadium named after him

Winning a Grand Slam is the pinnacle of most player’s careers, but many dream of an achievement that only one has accomplished on the ATP Tour.

The four Major tournaments; the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open are the biggest on the tennis calendar and hold more prestige than any other.

Jannik Sinner won the Australian Open in 2024, his first Grand Slam title, as he beat Daniil Medvedev in the final.

Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

It was then the turn of Carlos Alcaraz, who won the French Open, before he defended his Wimbledon title, taking down Novak Djokovic in the final for the second year running.

Sinner won the US Open in New York, to round off the Grand Slam season, as two of the brightest stars in tennis shared the four Major titles in 2024.

It makes a change from the year prior, when Djokovic won three of the four Slams, as he came as close as ever to achieving the Calendar Grand Slam.

The Calendar Grand Slam (winning all four Slams in a single year) hasn’t been completed in 55 years when a certain Australian dominated the ATP Tour in 1969.

Rod Laver: The man who won all four Grand Slams in a calendar year

Australian legend Rod Laver entered the 1969 season as one of the most decorated players in the history of tennis, having won seven Grand Slam and eight Pro Major tournaments.

Things were about to get a whole lot better, as Laver embarked on what many believe to be the greatest season the sport has ever seen.

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Laver had completed the Calendar Grand Slam once before, in 1962, but was attempting to repeat the feat, this time in the Open Era.

1969 Australian Open

‘Rocket’ Rod Laver began his 1969 Major campaign at his home Australian Open where he battled his way to the final against Andres Gimeno.

In an era where players weren’t offered the respite of tiebreakers at 6-6, Laver played a knackering 212 games in the lead-up to the final, thanks to two mammoth second sets in the quarter and semi-finals.

Round Opponent Score Games played SF Tony Roche 7-5, 22-20, 9-11, 1-6, 6-3 90 QF Fred Stolle 6-4, 18-16, 6-4 54 3R Roy Emerson 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 9-7 43 2R Massimo Di Domenico 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 25 Rod Laver’s run to the 1969 Australian Open final

He showed no signs of fatigue in the final, however, as Laver dealt with his Spanish opponent with ease, taking him down in straights, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.

One down, three to go for the ambitious Aussie.

1969 French Open

Laver then took a trip to Paris, as he set his sights on the French Open title, but luckily didn’t spend nearly as long on the court this time around.

His Calendar Grand Slam dreams did very nearly go up in flames during the early stages at Roland Garros, however, as Laver trailed by two sets to love against his countryman Richard Crealy in the second round.

As he so often did, Laver pulled through and went on to qualify for the final where he came up against Ken Rosewall.

Again, ‘Rocket’ won in straight sets as he clinched his second Slam of the season, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Halfway there, he couldn’t could he?

1969 Wimbledon

Laver suffered another second-round scare at Wimbledon when he trailed India’s Premjit Lall by two sets, before advancing in five.

He then had to battle through another war in the fourth round, as he beat Stan Smith 6-4, 6-2, 7-9, 3-6, 6-3.

Cliff Drysdale and Arthur Ashe were beaten in the next two rounds, as Laver booked his place in the final against John Newcombe.

Despite dropping his first set in a 1969 Slam final, Laver won his third Major of the year, as he took down his fellow Aussie 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

JUL 1969: ROD LAVER OF AUSTRALIA LIFTS THE TROPHY AFTER WINNING THE MENS SINGLES TITLE AT THE 1969 WIMBLEDON TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS. LAVER DEFEATED …

He’d won three of the four, was this going to be Laver’s year?

1969 US Open

In the final Slam of the season, Laver advanced to the fourth round without a hitch as he won in straight sets against Luis-Augusto Garcia, Jaime Pinto Bravo, and Jaime Fillol Sr.

He did, however, trail two sets to one in his matchup against Dennis Ralston, before advancing to the quarter-finals in five sets.

Roy Emerson and Ashe were beaten in the next two rounds, as Laver stood across the court from Tony Roche in the final at Flushing Meadows.

Things began in the worst possible way as with the weight of the world on his shoulders, Laver dropped the first set against his fellow Aussie 9-7.

Perhaps it was what the ‘Rocket’ needed to lift off, as he took the next three sets dropping just five games as he won the US Open, and completed an unbelievable Calendar Grand Slam.

What happened to Rod Laver after 1969?

The 1969 US Open was poetically Laver’s final Major triumph as his form quickly dropped off following the completion of his second Calendar Grand Slam.

He continued to compete and won titles up until his retirement from the sport in 1979.

Laver had won 198 titles during his career, a record that stands to this day, as does his completion of the Calendar Grand Slam.

Rod Laver Arena: The stadium named after a legend

It only seems right for such a legend of the sport to be recognized after retirement, and that’s just what the Australian Open did in January 2000.

Centre Court was renamed Rod Laver Arena, a fitting tribute to the three-time Australian Open champion.

Photo by Peter Davis/Getty Images

The Arena is one of the most recognizable on the planet and has only grown in prestige since its renaming 24 years ago.

Naming the stadium in Melbourne after Laver wasn’t the only tribute that the now 86-year-old has been lucky enough to receive, as he was honoured once more in 2017.

Roger Federer founded the Laver Cup, tennis’ answer to the Ryder Cup, a tournament that pits the best of Europe against the best from the rest of the world.

The tournament quickly became a staple of the tennis calendar, as the legendary Swiss star was keen to keep Laver involved in proceedings.

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for Laver Cup

The biggest names in tennis have all participated in the event since its inaugural edition seven years ago, with the likes of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Nick Kyrgios, and Andy Murray all taking part.

Always an entertaining tournament, and one that serves as a well-deserved tribute to one of Australia’s finest ever sportsmen.

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