Rodney George Laver AC, MBE (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former tennis player widely regarded as one of the greatest in the history of the sport. He was the No. 1 ranked professional 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.
Laver's 200 singles titles are the most in tennis history. This included his all-time men's record of 10 or more titles per year for seven consecutive years (1964–70). He excelled on all of the court surfaces of his time: grass, clay, hard, carpet, and wood/parquet.
Despite being banned from playing the Grand Slam tournaments for the five years prior to the Open Era, he won 11 singles titles. Laver is the only player to twice achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam, in 1962 and 1969, and the latter remains the only time a man has done so in the Open Era. He also won eight Pro Slam titles, including the "pro Grand Slam" in 1967, and he contributed to five Davis Cup titles for Australia during an age when Davis Cup was deemed as significant as the Grand Slams. Given these achievements, some players and analysts consider Laver the greatest tennis player of all time.