Just ask the one and only Rod Laver. Nearly 50 years later ... a year before The Rocket would win all four majors. (Getty Images) Most of all, though, Laver relished the chance to play such ...

In a rather pleasing coincidence, Rod Laver was born on August 9—one day after Roger Federer’s birthday. Add to this that another tennis great, Pete Sampras, was born on August 12.

The competition is named after Rod Laver, a man considered by some to be the greatest player in the history of the men's game and a pioneering figure in tennis and Australian sport. The Sporting ...