Novak Djokovic, el gran Rod Laver

The Serbian is close to becoming the second tennis player in history to win all four tennis Grand Slams in the same year in men’s singles.

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Thanks to Novak Djockvic these days the Grand Slam Fixtures. This consists of winning the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the United States Open in the same year. WTA tennis players Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court and Steffi Graf have accomplished this great feat. However, there is only one man who took the big four in a single season and his name is Rod Laver.

Laver may be known for the sneakers Adidas released under his name in 1970, but his glory goes beyond that. The Australian is considered the best player in all of history as he achieved the Grand Slam Calendar. He did it once as an amateur in 1962 and once more as a professional in 1969. Facing great champions such as John Newcombe, Arthur Ashe and Tony Roche.

By the 1960s, Australian tennis had started to reach its peak. There was almost always an Australian player in a Grand Slam final and even two Australians fighting for the title. Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson and Bob Hewitt were some of the players, but they were led by Rod ‘Rocket’ Laver.

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Coached by the legendary Harry Hopman, Laver played his first match in an amateur tournament at age twenty-one. Queensland southpaw’s first notable success The Queensland southpaw had his first notable success in 1957, when he became champion of Australia and the United States. He became famous in 1959, reaching three finals in Wimbledon and beating him for the first time in 1961 against the American Chuck McKinley.

In 1962, Laver was a 24-year-old fan who accomplished the unimaginable – winning the big four in a single year. Each of the title fights was against a compatriot and in three of these finals it was against Roy Emerson, the main rival in his entire career. To close the year with a flourish, in December he was part of the Australian team that won the Davis Cup for the fourth consecutive year.

Tennis showed little sign of abandoning its amateur spirit and Laver turned professional in 1963. The main problem with his decision was that professional players were not allowed to compete in the big four, as they were originally reserved for amateur players. . So as a professional tennis player, he had to miss all 21 Grand Slam tournaments played between 1963 and 1967.

The Open Era began in 1968, which meant that for the first time in tennis professional and amateur players could compete in the same tournaments, including Grand Slam. And after five years away from the main tournaments, Laver returned to the courts. However, it seems that nothing had happened: the southpaw managed to win the Wimbledon title after beating Tony Roche in a match of only three sets.

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In 1969, Laver, now 31, wanted to repeat what he achieved in 1962. The year began with the Australian Open, where he faced the Spaniard Andrés Gimeno and easily beat him in three straight sets. At Roland Garros he met Ken Rosewall again in a Grand Slam final, Laver surpassed him and became the first player to win this tournament in the Open Era.

At the end of June Wimbledon arrived and Laver was ready to defend the title won the previous year. This time his rival in the final would be fellow Australian John Newcombe, with a final result of 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–4. The triumph over Newcombe allowed him to take his ninth Grand Slam tournament. Now he only had one more step to make history again.

The US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year, was dominated by Australians and Arthur Ash, defending champion and big favorite. In the semifinals, Laver played against Ash and in a great three-set match, the American was eliminated. Now Tony Roche was the only thing that separated him from glory. The rain made New York’s grass courts slippery and they gave Roche the first set. After the fall Laver pulled out all his strength, won the next three sets 6–1, 6–2, 6–2 and became champion. On Tuesday, September 9, 1969, Rod Laver achieved the Grand Slam calendar once again.

So not in vain the main court of Melbourne Park, complex where the Australian Open is played, is named Rod Laver Arena. In 2017, the Laver Cup was created, an annual tournament in honor of the Australian player. This cup features 12 of the best active players divided into two groups: Team Europe versus Team World. The captains of each of the teams are the Swedish Björn Borg and the American John McEnroe, protagonists of one of the most iconic tennis rivalries.

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This 2021 Djokovic has taken the trophy of the three Grand Slams played. At the Australian Open, the Serbian defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final in just one hour and 53 minutes. In June, he faced the young Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas on the courts in Paris. Djokovic managed to come back from the match and after five sets he established himself as Roland Garros champion. Finally, on July 11, Nole defeated Matteo Berrettini to take the Wimbledon title for the sixth time in his career.

Djokovic is preparing for his fourth Grand Slam final this year and will face Medvedev again. Winning your 21st trophy has two historical meanings. The former means that he will become the player with the most titles in this category, ahead of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Also, it is the litmus test where the Serbian will show that he is at the height of one of the great figures of tennis and achieve the Grand Slam Calendar 52 years after Rod Laver did.

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