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50 free Rod Laver trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Rod Laver is the only man ever to win the calendar-year Grand Slam twice, and the only one to do it in the Open Era. This Rod Laver trivia quiz walks through his whole career: the Rockhampton butcher's son nicknamed 'Rocket', the 1962 amateur Slam, the five years banished to the barnstorming pro circuit, the 1969 sweep, and a record 200 singles titles that no one is likely to touch. Along the way you will meet the rivals who defined him (Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, Pancho Gonzales), the 53-minute Wimbledon final, the first million dollars in prize money, and the show court in Melbourne that carries his name. Questions range from easy to expert, and every answer is verified and cited to its reference page. If you enjoy this one, try our other tennis and sports quizzes.
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Q 01Which country is Rod Laver from?
Australia
He was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1938, though he has lived in California for decades.
Q 02How many times did Laver win the calendar-year Grand Slam in singles?
Twice
He did it in 1962 as an amateur and again in 1969 as a professional; no other man has done it even twice.
Q 03In which year did Laver win the only men's calendar Grand Slam of the Open Era?
1969
He sealed it with a four-set win over Tony Roche in the US Open final and won 18 of the 32 tournaments he entered that year.
Q 04How many career singles titles is Laver credited with, a record for any player?
200
The tally spans his amateur, touring-pro and Open Era years and is generally regarded as unbreakable.
Q 05How many major singles titles did Laver win?
11
Six came as an amateur and five after tennis went open in 1968; he also won eight Pro major titles while banned from the Slams.
Q 06In which Queensland city was Laver born?
Rockhampton
A bronze bust of him stands on the banks of the Fitzroy River there, and the riverside precinct is named Rod Laver Plaza.
Q 07What was the trade of Laver's father, Roy?
Cattleman and butcher
Rod was the third of four children; two cricketers, Frank and Jack Laver, were among his relatives.
Q 08What nickname did Davis Cup captain Harry Hopman give Laver?
Rocket
The tag stuck for life; 'Muscles' was in fact the ironic nickname of his great rival Ken Rosewall.
Q 09Which hand does Laver play with?
Left
His serve from that side was well disguised and wide swinging, and his backhand hit on the run was a point-ender.
Q 10How tall is Laver?
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Of average height and medium build, he compensated with quick shoulder turns and a famously strong left forearm.
Q 11Which title did Laver win at Wimbledon in 1959, his breakthrough year?
Mixed doubles
He reached all three finals that year, partnering Darlene Hard to the mixed title but losing the singles final to Alex Olmedo.
Q 12Which Peruvian beat the unseeded Laver in the 1959 Wimbledon singles final?
Alex Olmedo
Laver had survived an 87-game semifinal against American Barry MacKay just to get there.
Q 13Laver's first major singles title came in 1960 at which event?
Australian Championships
He came back from two sets down against Neale Fraser and saved a championship point in the fourth set.
Q 21Which 1964 match, won from 5-3 down in the fifth, is said to have begun Laver's reign as No. 1?
Wembley final v Rosewall
Raymond Lee of Tennis Week called it possibly their best match ever and one that changed tennis history.
Q 22In which year did Laver complete the professional Grand Slam?
1967
He swept the Wimbledon Pro, US Pro, Wembley Pro and French Pro; the Wimbledon Pro was the only pro event ever held on Centre Court before the Open Era.
Q 23Whom did Laver beat in the 1968 final to become Wimbledon's first Open Era champion?
Tony Roche
He beat Ashe, the best amateur, in the semifinal and his fellow Australian in the final, both in straight sets.
Q 14How long did Laver's straight-sets 1961 Wimbledon final win over Chuck McKinley last?
53 minutes
It is one of the shortest men's singles finals on record; his 1962 final over Martin Mulligan was a minute quicker still.
Q 15Who was the last man before Laver to win the calendar Grand Slam, in 1938?
Don Budge
Laver matched him in 1962, adding 18 more titles that year for a season total of 22.
Q 16Which three cities make up the 'clay court triple' Laver completed in 1962?
Paris, Rome and Hamburg
Only Lew Hoad, in 1956, had previously swept the French, Italian and German Championships in one season.
Q 17Whom did Laver beat in the 1962 Australian and US finals to bookend his first Grand Slam?
Roy Emerson
The two Queenslanders met from 1958 onward; Laver leads the head-to-head 49-18 overall.
Q 18On which US panel game show did Laver appear in February 1963?
To Tell the Truth
All four panellists identified him, thanks to his knowledge of tennis history.
Q 19When did Laver turn professional?
December 1962
He did so right after winning the Davis Cup, and was then barred from the Grand Slam events until the Open Era began in 1968.
Q 20How many matches in a row did Lew Hoad win against Laver at the start of 1963?
Eight
The rookie pro was beaten regularly by Hoad and Rosewall early on, but by 1966 he led Hoad 38-21.
Q 24Who beat Laver in the final of the first French Open in 1968?
Ken Rosewall
The two shared a friendly rivalry of at least 164 documented matches, with Laver ahead 89-75.
Q 25How many singles tournaments did Laver win in 1969, still an Open Era record?
18
He entered 32 events and finished the year with a 106-16 win-loss record.
Q 26How many games did Laver's marathon 1969 Australian semifinal, played in tropical heat, run to?
90
Played in tropical heat, it was the hardest match of his second Grand Slam year.
Q 27Whom did Laver defeat in the 1969 US Open final to clinch his second Grand Slam?
Tony Roche
He won in four sets on slippery grass, having beaten Ralston, Emerson and Ashe earlier in the tournament.
Q 28Whose record of 31 straight Wimbledon match wins did Björn Borg break in 1980?
Rod Laver's
The streak ran from 1961 to 1970, over four consecutive Wimbledon titles.
Q 29Laver was the first tennis player to pass which career prize-money milestone, in 1971?
US$1 million
His US$292,717 that year was a record; his career earnings ended at roughly $1.54 million.
Q 30How many consecutive winner-take-all matches did Laver win in the 1971 Tennis Champions Classic?
13
The streak earned him US$160,000 as he defended the title.