Rod Laver: A Memoir (Rod Laver, Pan Macmillan)

Rod Laver is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time; he is the only player to win the Grand Slam twice and holds the record for most singles titles in the history of tennis. Laver was born in Rockhampton in Queensland, and from an early age showed a natural talent for tennis. He left school at 14 to pursue a career in amateur tennis and by the age of 22 had won all four major titles. His prize for Wimbledon? A handshake and a £15 voucher for approved products. Laver writes well about his amateur years but it’s after he breaks into the professional sphere that the colour, the personalities and the circus-like stories, from towing a tennis court across America to playing on ice-skating rinks, start to emerge. In the beginning, the professional tennis circuit was disdained by the establishment, but as the sport started attracting sponsors and money, it wasn’t long before the Open era began and modern tennis was born. Laver’s memoir is a nostalgic journey. The highlights are his titanic battles and rivalries, his love of family and the massive changes to the game over the years.

Sarina Gale is a freelance writer and bookseller at the Sun Bookshop in Yarraville

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Category: Reviews