He is viewed as one of the best players of all time.

A pioneer. Rod Laver, who turned 80 in 2018, is the only one to have one of the biggest courts in the world named after him: the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. Even Roger Federer pays him due, naming the team competition launched in 2017 the Laver Cup. Rod Laver lived through it all, from the amateur era to the Open Era. He also won it all: 78 tournaments recognised by the ATP and nearly 200 according to statisticians. But most importantly, Rod Laver became a legend twice over by pulling off two calendar year Grand Slams, in  1962 and 1969. The elegant lefty also won multiple Davis Cups, at a time when Australia dominated the competition. Laver, with his offensive game, is adored by all the generations who have come after him and who enjoy participating in the many tributes and ceremonies to which he is regularly invited. The eight-something has only one regret: he never ranked higher than third in the world because the ATP ranking was created too late, after his days of glory.