Rod Laver: An Autobiography

" The Education Of A Tennis Player " is one of my favorite tennis books, partly because of all the tips & Rod's insight into the game. That book is focused on the Open Slam in 1969. His memoir is far more reaching into his experiences in the game throughout his life & even more than " The Education Of A Tennis Player " into his personal life & personality. For the student of the game, this is the best look into professional tennis I have ever read & even though the pro game has changed, you can't know where you are if you don't know where you've been. For any serious player today, this is a must read & should be a required read. His insights into the game as it moved into the Open area changed my understanding a great deal & you can't loose by getting this information from both a player who lived the time & a great champion of & for the game. I have read this twice so far & it's a consistently enjoyable read. I agree with another reviewer who said it should be fleshed out more as I would be perfectly happy to be able to spend more time with my favorite tennis player. Perhaps Rod should have a look at Tolstoy to get a good lesson on going for the tome of his life. Tolstoy did, after all, play tennis............Another aspect I liked, which is very much in the style of " The Education Of A Tennis Player " is that the text reads more like a conversation or story telling than a narration. This makes Rod's memoir read more like a personal journal or that he is sitting there in your head telling you his story. Since I have listened to a number of interviews with him, it's easy to hear his voice through his book.To conclude, even if you aren't familiar with Rod Laver, this is a great book. If you are, you will even more get an idea of the history of the game & the only two time Grand Slam winner.I also would like to express my personal thanks & appreciation to him for the inspiration I have gotten from watching him play & reading his books. I even got a chance to shake his hand at a Legends stop in Nashville in the early 80's. I got to see him warming up for the finals against Rosewall which Laver won & then he teamed up with Ken in the doubles final. I still consider that the greatest tennis day of my life.So read this book & enjoy !

This is the story of the world of Australian tennis during the 1950's and 1960's when Australians were among the best tennis players in the world. It is also the story of the early days of professional tennis as told by its greatest player, Rod Laver.Laver is the only man ever to win the Tennis' Grand Slam in Singles twice. More astonishingly, although Laver's status as a professional player prevented him from competing in the four Grand Slam tournaments for a significant portion of his best years as a player, he still won all four of the Grand Slam tournaments twice in the same year-in 1962 before he turned pro and again in 1969, after tennis professionals were allowed to compete in these tournaments again.Laver is the only player ever to win the Grand Slam in Singles two times. He stands alone among players as having accomplished such a physically and psychologically demanding achievement.

Like the man himself, this is a pretty straight ahead retelling of his life. I wanted to keep reading , I didn't have to ... if that tells you about the actual storytelling quality. I think Mr Laver was interviewed about his life and then the co writer put it to paper. Sadly, it comes out like an extended interview for a tennis magazine instead of compelling reading or storytelling. I did learn about how amateur and professional tennis clashed and then ultimately were united and the circus that was pro tennis in the 60's. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I read it , I just wish someone worked with Mr Laver who pushed harder for deeper and more interesting angles and stories ... I'm sure he has them.

I thought this was a very good biography not only of Rod but also the fact he didn't include endless records. I knew him as I was playing for UK in the good old amateur days and can remember so well Hoad and Rosewall's arrival at Wimbledon before him. Harry Hopman used to include some of us girls in his 2 on 1 or 1 on 2 practices - exhausting. Everything written was so true of the man and seeing him attending major Championships now nothing in his demeanour seems to have changed - just to observe how small and slight he was compared to nowadays champs...

Wonderful book. Reading it could make me feel like I was watching the Rocket hitting the ball. The book really caught the Rod Laver I knew. It was as though he was close by telling the story of his wonderful like. There will only ever be one Rod Laver.

If you like tennis, this is a heartwarming & insightful story of how modern tennis was built on the shoulders of those great players in the earlier era. The treatment & hardship is unbelievable. Entwined with that is the rather magical tale of Lavers life where it’s all about hard work & then so me more.

One of the main reasons I picked this book up is my tennis idol Roger Federer who posted about this book in his Facebook page not so long ago. I was glad to note that the foreword was also written by Roger.I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book - it gives the reader enormous insight into the history of the great game and also gives one an idea about how the game has evolved over all these years. It is also a great story about how Laver coped with his illness and successfully defied death with his gritty will. The only reason I gave the book four stars is because it has its share of borrowed text from newspapers, magazines and books but all of them are credited appropriately and they go along with the book's flow.After reading about Laver's career, I somehow feel that Roger and Rafa are still far behind in the GOAT discussion. Thank you, Rocket Rod Laver, for recounting your inspiring life story and for everything that you have done to the beautiful game of tennis.

For someone like me in their mid-sixties Rod Laver was my tennis hero. The book then is a fascinating insight into those days when there were two strands to the tennis scene, professional and amateur. The author gives some very interesting context to those times and how life was on a day to day basis for players. Like a lot of these sports books one doesn't read them for the fabulous prose but to learn more about the individuals and their fellow competitors. A really worthwhile read for anyone who is interested in the 50s and 60s and early 70s tennis scene and the very top players like Hoad, Rosewall, Gonzales who all travelled together with Rod and others promoting the pro-tennis circuit.

Rod Laver, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, reveals all in his stunning autobiography.A great read from start to finish, Laver describes his upbringing and the emotions he felt when winning his two Gand Slams in 1962 and 1969.Such a humble man, he is however, not afraid to dish the dirt and give his opinion on rivals arch rivals including Pancho Gonzales and Ken Rosewall and gives his thoughts on more recent champions including Federer, Sampras, Agassi and McEnroe.Just get itFor real tennis lovers this is an incredible look back to another era

I can see something of how my modest hero came to be the champion he was. My favourite parts include are stories of playing with family and friends in some challenging Australian weather and conditions!

Before anyone decides who the greatest tennis player of all time is, this book may influence your decision. A great read about and by a legendary sportsman. You are also taken into the world of the profession circuit that Rod played with such greats as Muscles Rosewall and the lively Pancho Gonzalez. These guys would play eachhundreds of times to earn their hard fought fortunes. They were barred from the amateur Grand Slam events until Tennis became open in 1968. Laver is up there with the greats of more recent times such as Federer, Sampras, Djokovic and Nadal, and this great autobiography helps you to grasp why.

The days of Laver, Rosewall and Newcombe will never be surpassed, for me. So many great matches from that era. Ashamed to say I wasn't aware of Laver's stroke and his wife's illness. Ever Mr. Modesty, throughout the book he rarely slags anyone off. A champion and a classy one at that.