Rod Laver’s Net Worth : Career & Watches

The former Australian tennis player Rod Laver has a net worth of $20 million.

Rod Laver, by the name of Rodney George Laver, was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.

In fact, He is regarded as by far the greatest tennis player with 11 Grand Slam singles titles to his name.

Rod Laver in tennis court
Rod Laver in front of Australian Flag

Firstly, with 200 singles titles, he holds the record for most titles won in the history of Tennis.

Secondly, he was ranked No.1, ranked Tennis player for straight 7 years (1964-1970), covering four years before and three years after the beginning of an open era in 1968.

Thirdly and, most importantly, the most astonishing achievement of his career is winning the Calendar Grand Slam in 1962 and 1969.

As a result, he is the only open-era player to have won the Calendar Grand Slam and the only player to win it twice in the history of Tennis.

Moreover, Laver began his tennis career as an amateur player in 1956, began a professional career-making debut in 1963, and retired in 1979.

In conclusion, he had a remarkable career with a win rate of 78.4%, racking up 1,473 wins and 407 losses.

Quick Facts

Let’s look out for some quick facts about tennis legend Rod Laver

Birth Name Rodney George Laver
Nickname Rockhampton Rocket
Date of Birth August 9, 1938
Age 86 years old
Ethnicity White
Birth Place/City Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Residence Carlsbad, California, USA
Profession Professional Tennis Player
Nationality Australian
Net Worth $20 million
Horoscope Leo
Weight 68 kg
Height 173 cm (5 ft. 8 inches)
Hair color Blonde
Eye color Blue
Skin Tone/Complexion White, Fair
Father’s Name Roy Laver
Mother’s Name Melba Laver
Wife Mary Benson Laver (1928-2012)
Children Rick Laver
Relationship Status In relationship
Girlfriend Susan Johnson
Playing Status Retired
Playing Career 1963-1979
Playing Style Left-handed(one-handed backhand)
Career Record
  • Singles: 1473-407 (78.4%)
  • Doubles: 235–77 (75.32%)
Career Titles
  • Singles: 200
  • Doubles: 28
Grand Slam Titles 11
International Tennis Hall of Fame 1981
Australian Tennis Hall of Fame 1993
Southern California Tennis Hall of Fame 2017
Awards & Achievements 
  • Wimbledon – 1961, 1962, 1968, 1969
  • Australian Open – 1960, 1962, 1969
  • French Open – 1962, 1969
  • US Open – 1962, 1969
  • Tennis Hall of Fame
  • Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) Award
  • Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
  • Rod Laver Arena
Social Media Twitter
Last Update December, 2024

Rod Laver | Net Worth and Income

Rod Laver, a former professional tennis player, has an astounding net worth of $20 million.

Further, he made $1.56 million prize money, and in regards to inflation adjustment, he earned approximately $5 million from his professional career.

Likewise, he owns several houses and properties, also a lucrative tennis camp.

Moreover, Laver has a few business investments and also spread out endorsement deals.

Rod Laver | Personal Life

Laver, son of Roy and Melba Laver, was born on 9th August 1938 and was born and raised in Rockhampton, Australia, alongside his three siblings.

Further, He gave up school at the age of 22, to go after a tennis career.

In 1966, at the age of 28, Laver married his long-time partner and lover, Mary Benson.

Moreover, Marry Benson was from Illinois, USA, and in fact, was a divorced woman with three children before getting married to Laver.

They tied the knots in San Rafael, California, USA, and their wedding guest list included big tennis names such as Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewell, Mal Anderson, and Lew Hoad.

And these players’ acclaimed newlyweds forming an archway with their rackets, under which they ambled.

Rod Laver weds Mary Benson
Rod Laver weds Mary Benson

Rod and Mary have a son named Rick Laver.

Sadly, in November 2012, Mary passed away after a long illness at the age of 84.

Currently, Rod Laver is dating Susan Johnson. Susan Johnson’s partner also passed away in 2016.

Earlier, Rod and Susan first crossed paths in the 1990s and recently in 2018.

Rod Laver | House, Watches & Shoes

House

Rod’s current primary residence is in Carlsbad, California, USA.

The tennis legend has bought a mansion there for $636K in September of 2000.

In fact, it has a 4-bed, 4.5 baths covering 3,589 sq. ft.

Moreover, he also owns a huge mansion in Palm Springs and an impressive ranch in Solvang, California.

Watches

Rod wears the most recognized luxurious watches of all time, “Rolex.”

The Aussie player began wearing lavishing Rolex watch in 1981, the same year when he became an International Hall of Fame inductee.

He’s been an admirer and devotee of Rolex since its arrival in the market.

Rod Laver with his Rolex
Rod Laver with his Rolex

Also, in an interview named Every Rolex tells A Story in 2018, Rod said a stunning fact about him and his Rolex watch.

Thus, I quote, “The Rolex I have on my wrist today is so embedded in my whole career.”

Shoes

An original Adidas shoe model named “Rod Laver shoe” was the first Adidas pro model on the tennis court.

It’s a very light, comforting shoe as described by Rod himself, which helped him in his tennis career.

Rod Laver | Lifestyle

Rod Laver, born in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, and has three siblings.

His father was Roy Laver, a cattleman and butcher, and his wife, Melba Roffey.

Currently, Rod lives a luxurious life in his mansion situated in Carlsbad, California, USA.

The tennis legend is mostly into tennis to date, although he has been retired for 42 years.

Likewise, Rod’s travel around a lot as he’s invited to most of the tennis tournament worldwide as a guest of honor and to present the prestigious trophies.

Further, the player also has a Tennis tournament named after him which is called Laver Cup.

Moreover, this iconic player has this amazing arena named after him in Melbourne called Rod Laver Arena.

This arena is the premier venue for one of the Grand Slam, the Australian Open, in which he’s often invited as a Guest of honor.

He’s an inspiration and role model to many young tennis enthusiasts.

Rod is involved in many tennis camps where he encourages and advocates new youth generation about tennis.

Rod Laver | Charity

Laver surprised Roger Federer and the whole world at a charity match between Federer and Tsonga in Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, on January 8, 2014.

By the way, He and Roger played a few shots before the charity match between Federer and Tsonga.

Rod showed the world he isn’t done making his own tennis history.

Laver & Federer at a charity match
Laver & Federer at a charity match

On 11th February 2020, Rod organized an auction charity for his 1969 Dunlop racquet.

The Charity was done in Queensland with an effort to raise funds for bushfire recovery efforts to mitigate the catastrophic Australian bushfire.

Rod Laver | Media, Investments, Endorsements & Book Publications

Media

In 1998, Espn invited Rod Laver for an interview in which Laver suffered a terrifying stroke.

According to the Interviewer, as soon as he saw a change in Laver’s facial gesture

Afterward, the interviewer informed others quickly and was rushed to UCLA Medical Center.

Thankfully, he was taken quickly and, after that, recovered within a week.

Furthermore, he is often a guest of honor at the Australian Open.

In addition, he has been invited to present the championship trophy to the champions many times.

Likewise, many tennis events invite him as a guest of honor to present the trophies and prizes to the winners.

Investment and Endorsement

Rod Laver was one of the first athletes to set an example to earn money for modern-day players besides their sports careers.

Further, The Aussie tennis legend has several endorsements deal with several big named companies such as Rolex, Adidas.

Likewise, he has made investments in a few shares and bonds as well.

Book Publication

To date, Laver has 5 books written and published, and those are:
1. Rod Laver: An Autobiography
2. The Education of a Tennis Player
3. The Golden Era
4. How to Play Championship Tennis
5. Rod Laver’s Tennis digest

The book “The Golden Era” was the most popular and sold out more among the five books.

It was written in collaboration with Larry Writer, a fellow writer of Laver.

Particularly, The book encompasses the mesmerizing two decades of Australian dominance in the world of tennis.

In fact, All five books by Rod Laver are available on Amazon, where they can be ordered and purchased with ease.

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Rod Laver | Career

Rod Laver’s tennis career span was 24 years that is from 1956 to 1979. He began his amateur tennis career in 1956 and later in 1963 turned into a professional.

In 1960, Laver defeated Neale Fraser in a dramatic five-set final match of the Australian Open.

Laver came from two sets down to clinch a victory and clenched his first-ever major title, Australian open.

Later in 1962, Laver won all four grand slam titles in the same year and became the second tennis player ever to achieve a calendar grand slam.

Before Open Era, during his professional career, Laver bagged 17 titles, thus, became the No.1 ranked pro player for the first time in his career.

Likewise, in 1966, he won 16 events, and in 1967, he bagged 19 titles, including all majors Wimbledon Pro, Wembley Pro, US Pro, and French Pro Championships.

Laver uplifting Wimbledon Trophy
Laver uplifting Wimbledon Trophy

After Open Era, Laver created history by achieving Calendar Grand Slam for the second time in his career.

By the way, he holds 200 titles for most singles titles in Tennis history and has 11 Grand slams to his name.

Some Interesting Facts about Rod Laver

  • Laver is the only open-era player who won the calendar grand slam, which was achieved in 1969.
  • Moreover, He holds the record for most singles titles won in the history of tennis which is 200 titles.
  • The Hall of Famer was ranked No.1 for straight 7 years from 1964 to 1970 in the world tennis ranking.

FAQs | Rod Laver

Is Rod Laver a GOAT?

Yes, Rod Laver is GOAT and has been named as pre-Open Era GOAT by Tennis Hall of Famers.

What are Rod Laver Achievements?

He is the only player to achieve a calendar grand slam twice in 1962 (before the open era) and in 1969 (after the open era).

Above all, he is the only open-era player to win the calendar grand slam.

When did Rod Laver begin his Tennis career?

Tennis legend officially began his tennis career in 1956. Just to be clear, Laver began his amateur career in 1956 and later turned into a professional tennis career in 1963.

What is the Net worth of Rod Laver?

The former Australian tennis player Rod Laver has a net worth of $20 million. 

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