The Laver–Rosewall rivalry was a tennis rivalry in the 1960s and 1970s between Australian players Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall, widely regarded as two of the greatest tennis players of all time. In 1956 both players toured in the amateur circuit but never faced each other. Rosewall turned professional in January 1957 and the two did not meet until January 1963 when Laver turned pro. They played many times until 1977 when both semi-retired from the main tour.
Analysis
Including tournaments and single-night events, they played at least 165 matches with Laver leading 90–75.
Their meetings took place in the span 1963–77. They met in 13 individual years in that span, and in 9 of those 13 Laver had an edge, which can be explained considering that Laver faced an already declining Rosewall: in their first meeting ever, Rosewall was already 28 years of age.
After their 1969 Roland Garros final, Laver said, "Ken has consistently been my toughest opponent, on any surface, and we've played each other, I don't know, well over 200 times."
Head-to-head tallies
The following is a breakdown of their documented head-to-head results:
Player 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 Total Rod Laver 13 17 16 11 8 5 8 5 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 90 Ken Rosewall 38 7 7 8 5 2 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 2 1 75
All matches: Laver 90–75 All finals: Laver 36–20 Grand Slams: 1–1 Pro Slams: Rosewall 6–5
Results per court surface
Grass courts: Laver 18–13 Hard courts: Laver 21–13 (18–12 on outdoor hard courts and 3–1 on indoor hard courts) Clay courts: Laver 13–11 Indoor courts (carpet, wood, canvas – not including indoor hard courts and clay courts): Rosewall 39–34
List of all matches
Legend: Rod Laver wins Ken Rosewall wins