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Rod Laver (born August 9, 1938) was a professional tennis player. Born Rodney George Laver at Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia, he is still considered by many to be the greatest player to ever play the game of tennis, although there are a number of rivals for that title.

Laver was a young boy when he left school to pursue a career in tennis, a career that would last 23 years. A left-hander, he began playing at a time when amateur tennis players were given (under the table) little more than cost of living money for their appearances in tournaments. When American business tycoon Lamar Hunt formed a professional tennis tour and forced the beginning of the Open era in 1968, it changed the game forever, even for Laver who was approaching the end of his career. With the start of open tennis in Laver became the first tennis player to surpass the $1 million mark in lifetime prize money.

Like many previous great players such as Jack Kramer, Frank Sedgman, Pancho Gonzales, Ken Rosewall, and Lew Hoad who had turned professional and were thereafter unable to compete in the four Grand Slam tournaments, Laver might well have won a number of additional titles had he been allowed to play. Despite losing five years as a professional, Laver still won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. His victories include winning the Australian Open singles championship in 1962. That same year he won the US Open singles championship and repeated as winner in 1969. In addition, he won the French Open singles championship twice and the Wimbledon singles title 4 times.

Rod Laver won the singles Grand Slam in tennis in 1962, becoming only the second person (and first man) in tennis history to accomplish the feat since the American player Don Budge did it in 1938. He defeated Roy Emerson in the Australian and French Open finals, Marty Mulligan at Wimbledon, and Emerson again in the U.S. Open to complete his Grand Slam. However, Laver's greatest accomplishment is that he did it again in 1969, the only person to ever do it twice. That year he defeated Andres Gimeno in the Australian Open final, Ken Rosewall in the French Open, John Newcombe at Wimbledon, and Tony Roche in the U.S. Open to complete his second Grand Slam.

For approximately 35 years, from about 1920 to 1955, "Big Bill" Tilden was generally considered the greatest player who had ever lived, his only rivals being Ellsworth Vines and Don Budge. In the mid-1950s most observers began to think that Pancho Gonzales had claimed that title. With the emergence of Laver in the 1960s, opinion began to swing away from the now nearly forgotten Gonzales to the great champions of the Open era, first to Laver, then to John McEnroe, and finally to Pete Sampras. Almost certainly Laver is one of the six or seven best players to have ever lived. It is interesting to note, however, that even into his 40s, an age at which few top players are still competing, Gonzales could still beat Laver at times. The most notable occasion was a 5-set match at Madison Square Garden in which the 42-year-old Gonzales rallied to beat the number 1 player in the world. Gonzales beat Laver again a few weeks later in a Las Vegas tournament.

In 1981, Rod Laver was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, in Newport, Rhode Island. In his native country Australia, Melbourne's major tennis facility the Rod Laver Arena is named in his honour, and hosts the Australian Open tennis tournament.

In July 1998, Laver suffered a major stroke while being interviewed by ESPN for a series on greatest athletes of the 20th century. Characteristically, tennis played an important role in his recovery.

In 2003, Rod Laver, along with fellow Australian tennis superstar Margaret Smith Court, were honoured with their portrait on a postage stamp by the "Australia Post Australian Legends Award".

Grand Slam titles (11)

1960   Australian Open          Neale Fraser                5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6, 8-6 
1961   Wimbledon                Charles McKinley            6-3, 6-1, 6-4 
1962   Australian Open          Roy Emerson                 8-6, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
1962   Roland Garros            Roy Emerson                 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 9-7, 6-2
1962   Wimbledon                Martin Mulligan             6-2, 6-2, 6-1 
1962   U.S. Open                Roy Emerson                 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4           
Open Era
1968   Wimbledon                Tony Roche                  6-3, 6-4, 6-2 
1969   Australian Open          Andres Gimeno               6-3, 6-4, 7-5 
1969   Roland Garros            Ken Rosewall                6-4, 6-3, 6-4
1969   Wimbledon                John Newcombe               6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
1969   U.S. Open                Tony Roche                  7-9, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 

• 1938 births
• Australian tennis players
• People of Queensland