John McEnroe has often described Rod Laver as his tennis idol, having grown up watching him dominate the sport.
Australian legend Laver won 11 Grand Slams and 8 Pro major titles during his career, a then-record tally.
Competing from 1956 to 1971, Laver carved out a one-of-a-kind legacy on the ATP Tour.
Photo by RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images
Remarkably, when reflecting on his career, many argue that Laver had the ability to win more titles than he did.
Weighing in with his thoughts, McEnroe has explained the problem Laver encountered that stopped him from adding to his Grand Slam count.
John McEnroe explains why Rod Laver could not play Grand Slams during the 1960s
Appearing as a guest on the ‘Served’ podcast, McEnroe shared what Laver did during the 1960s that prevented him from competing at major tournaments.
“Here is the problem, unlike now, where some guys can make a tremendous living, there was no money in tennis. He had a kid, so he had to find a way to make money,” said McEnroe.
“So he had to turn pro, and when you turned pro back in the ’60s, you weren’t allowed to play the Grand Slam events, so for five years, Rod Laver played zero Grand Slam events, even though he was the best player in the world.”
When tennis entered the ‘Open Era’ in 1968, Laver was allowed to re-enter the Grand Slam sphere, and it didn’t take him long to rise to the top.
“In ’68, finally, tennis came to the realisation that it would be better if all the best players competed, so they opened it,” he said.
“In ’69, I think at 30, 31 years old, Rod won the Grand Slam for the second time, beating everybody, which was even more impressive than it was the first time.”
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup
To complete the Grand Slam, a player must win all four major tournaments in a calendar year, a feat only two players have accomplished in the history of the men’s game.
“He won the Grand Slam twice, which is unheard of; no guy has done that,” said McEnroe.
“No one has done that since. A couple of guys have been reasonably close, Novak [Djokovic] most recently, who had won three in a row and lost to [Daniil] Medvedev four years ago at the US Open. But it was unheard of. Don Budge did it in the 30s.”
Men’s singles Grand Slam winnersDon Budge – 1930Rod Laver – 1962Rod Laver – 1969
Laver continued to play after completing his second Grand Slam in 1969, for one key reason.
“He continued to play because he still hadn’t really made any money. I’ll tell you, he made $100,000; he played like 35 tournaments [in 1970] to reach $100,000 in prize money. First round loser at the US Open gets $110,000,” said McEnroe.
Chiming in with his thoughts, Andy Roddick said the stars of today have Laver to thank for their prize money.
“That’s because of Rod Laver, I hope all of the players that are in these tournaments, playing for these sums of money, fans that can go into this beautiful building and have a great experience [can appreciate Laver],” he said.
Laver’s efforts won’t be forgotten, having achieved more in the sport than most could even dream of.
McEnroe noted that Djokovic came close to adding his name to the list of Grand Slam winners a few years ago, but has anyone challenged since?
Recent Grand Slam attempts
Since Djokovic came a match away from the Grand Slam in 2021, there have been four attempts at tennis’ most impossible achievement.
YearAustralian Open winnerFrench Open performanceWimbledon performance% of Grand Slam2022Rafael NadalWinnerLost in SF 68%2023Novak DjokovicWinnerLost in F71%2024Jannik SinnerLost in SF–43%2025Jannik SinnerLost in F–46%Grand Slam attempts (ATP Tour since 2021)
Rafael Nadal in 2022 and Djokovic in 2023 both won the first two Grand Slams of the year, but came up short during the latter stages of Wimbledon.
Djokovic came painfully close to winning the title at Wimbledon in 2023, losing out in a deciding set to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.
Italy’s Jannik Sinner has won the Australian Open in each of the last two years, but has failed to follow it up with a title in Paris.
Returning to Melbourne as the favorite in 2026, Sinner will hope to make a better run at the Grand Slam.
It remains to be seen if anyone will follow in the footsteps of Budge and Laver and complete the Grand Slam, but it will certainly be something to look out for in the future.