GOAT Index

Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.

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Rod Laver: the case for the GOAT

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    Rod Laver: the case for the GOAT

    Australia · Born 9 August 1938, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia · Career 1956–1979

    Left-handed Australian known as 'Rocket', whose wristy topspin and all-court attack made him the dominant player of the 1960s as both an amateur and a professional.

    Career highlights

    Why Rod Laver could be the GOAT

    Laver is the only player to win the calendar Grand Slam twice, once as an amateur and once in the Open Era. In between he was barred from majors for five years after turning pro, during which he won pro majors instead. Many believe that without the ban his Grand Slam total would rival anyone's.

    What fans say

    Rod Laver is #8 of 20 in the fan ranking, with a 3–2 head-to-head record from 52 Men's tennis votes. See the full Men's tennis GOAT ranking

    Rod Laver head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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    Photo credits

      Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under the licenses listed. Each links to its source page.