Depicting the monumental achievements of a world-class athlete, this firsthand account documents Rod Laver’s historic 1969 Grand Slam sweep of all four major tennis titles. Coauthored with renowned tennis expert Bud Collins, this frank memoir details Laver’s childhood, early career, and his most important matches. Each chapter also contains a companion tennis lesson, providing tips on how players of all levels can improve their own game and sharing strategies that garnered unparalleled success on the courts. Fully updated on the 40th anniversary of the author’s most prominent triumph, this revised edition contains brand new content, including the story of Laver’s courageous recovery from a near-fatal stroke in 1998.
Great guy . . . great player . . . great read! —Tom Tebbutt,Toronto Globe and Mail
Rod was the most respected player I've known. His game was marvelous, and he revolutionized the backhand for left-handers. —Richard Evans, TennisWeek.com
It was watching Rod Laver that gave me my first understanding of what greatness means. Who better than Bud to tell the tale? —Simon Barnes,Times of London
Rod Laveris the only tennis player in history to twice achieve a Grand Slam sweep of all four major titles—Wimbledon, U.S., French, and Australian championships—within a single calendar year. He has won 11 major singles titles and nearly 200 singles titles while also guiding Australia to five Davis Cup titles. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981. He lives in Carlsbad, California.Bud Collinsis a world-famous tennis journalist and historian, a longtime columnist for theBoston Globe, and a television broadcaster for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, ESPN, and the Tennls5