Laver tops the list

1. Rod Laver

This site started as a personal tribute to the greatest tennis player I've seen in 47 years of watching tennis – from the beginning of the Open Era in 1968. And I know that's a big statement, given all the players you can probably think of right now.

So few tennis fans remember Rod Laver. The grainy videos shown on YouTube of a few minutes of his matches don't even begin to do him justice. (Note: he played many matches that were televised. If any of you know of footage of some of his matches, please let me know.)

You probably know he's the only player to win the true Grand Slam of tennis (all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year). He didn't do it just once, but twice. No other tennis player, male or female, has ever done it twice. And only one other male player has won a single calendar year Grand Slam – Don Budge, in 1938.

There's no telling how many more individual Grand Slam tournaments he might have won. Or even calendar year Grand Slams. Because Rod Laver was banned from playing the major tournaments for six years in his prime, after turning professional in 1962 and until the Open Era began (amateurs and professionals playing in the same tournament) in 1968. That's 24 possible Grand Slam tournaments missed, because of politics. Instead, he had to join a ragtag group of other professionals, including Pancho Gonzales, Bobby Riggs and others as they barnstormed across the U.S. playing exhibition matches for money.

When the tennis world opened up to professionals in 1968, Laver was back with a vengeance, winning his second complete Grand Slam. He remained a force in men's tennis well into the 1970s.

For those of you who were fortunate enough to see his great matches at Wimbledon in the late 1960s, and his epic battles with Ken Rosewall in the early 1970s, you'll know what I mean when I say Laver was one of the most exciting players ever.

He wasn't the first player to use a lot of topspin but he pioneered a kind of whippy forehand with excessive topspin that would jump across the net like a jackrabbit then dip down for a winner, because of all the topspin. He was the first left-hander, to my knowledge, to hit the ball off the backhand side with excessive topspin as well. He'd hit incredible winners, passing shots, while on the run outside the sidelines, running down an opponent's volley. Cross-court winners that left his opponents standing flat-footed and the crowd erupting.

He once said in an interview that when he got behind in a match, and was about to lose, he'd start hitting the ball harder. He'd go for the lines, not just the edges of the court. He'd go down in flames, or, more often than not, especially in his prime, he'd pull out the match in a glorious fashion.

Sure he had weaknesses, like all players. He wasn't tall enough to be a big server, and sometimes his serve would desert him. But he made up for it with outstanding fitness (he was, after all, coached by the legendary Harry Hopman of Australian Davis Cup fame, a fitness fanatic). He used weights and pulleys to build up a Popeye-sized left forearm that gave him tremendous strength on those topspin drives.

And yes, I know, that three out of the four major tournaments were still played on grass courts back then. And that racquet technology has come a long way beyond the old wooden racquets. And that perhaps men's tennis today has far more depth of talent. But Laver dominated in an era that included players such as Roy Emerson, Pancho Gonzales, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall, Tony Roche, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith and Ilie Nastase. All Grand Slam winners themselves.

One of my goals with this blog is to reach out to those of you who might know of some footage of Rod Laver's matches. What little I've looked at today on YouTube, even with the grainy quality and terrible camera angles, reminds me of his great talent. It's also fascinating to see how he hit the ball through the lens of over 40 years of competitive tennis. I can understand so much more now, rather than as a teenager standing beside his court at the London Grass Court Championships.

So join me … as we go through the rest of the list of the Greatest Players of All Time. You may not agree with all my choices and that's fine. Let me know why, or who you'd suggest instead. It's an argument we've heard a lot as Roger Federer closed in and then surpassed Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam victories. "Is he the best ever?" wondered the TV commentators. You'll see why (below) I still put Laver at the top.

And I'm sure you also know who Pete Sampras and Roger Federer say was their inspiration for greatness. You guessed it. Rod Laver.

2. Roger Federer

With Federer's recent triumph at the French Open and Wimbledon, I think most fans would agree he's edged ahead of Pete Sampras in the best-ever ratings. His more rounded game, along with a terrific record on clay (3-time finalist at the French, as well as numerous clay court titles), puts him ahead.

He continues to add versatility to his game, including greater use of the drop shot and forehand slice. Like Sampras, he has two dominating weapons in his forehand and serve. His forehand is a marvel of speed, power and topspin. If you've ever seen it up close to the court, it seems to explode after the bounce and actually accelerates as it comes off the ground.

Federer's forehand changed the way many players hit their forehands today. But Laver's use of excessive topspin on the backhand side also revolutionized the game in his era.

Federer has a bigger serve than Laver ever did, no question. They both have the explosive, dipping, sharply angled shots off both sides that make for thrilling winners.

I still give Laver a slight edge overall, lifetime, because of his two calendar year Grand Slams (all 4 majors in a single calendar year). Something that no male player has accomplished since. Plus, Laver was banned from playing any of the majors for 6 years in his prime, after he turned pro, and before the Open Era of tennis began in 1968. There's no telling how many more majors he could have won.

However, there's much to be said for the fluidity and variety of Federer's game. We're all fortunate to be able to watch him in his prime – hopefully for at least another few years.