Gonzales–Laver rivalry

Australian tennis player Rod Laver had a rivalry with Pancho Gonzales, whom he played from 1964 to 1970. Laver had a lead of 35–19 or 38–21, depending on the source. ^{[1] [2]}

Analysis

Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter, writes that although Laver was "absolutely unbeatable for a year or two late in the 1960s", a "careful comparison" could be made between Laver and the somewhat older Gonzales and that Kramer is "positive that Gonzales could have beaten Laver regularly." ^[3]

Kramer sees as evidence of Gonzales's superiority over Laver the fact that Gonzales defeated Laver in a U.S.$10,000 winner-take-all, five-set match before 15,000 spectators in New York City's Madison Square Garden in January 1970, when Gonzales was 41 years old and Laver was still considered the World No. 1 player. On the other hand, Gonzales was still a top ten player when this match occurred and Laver subsequently won this event, beating Gonzales in a straight sets semifinal.

During the span of seven years that they faced each other, Laver was 26–32 and Gonzales was 36–42 years old. While the peak of Laver was in the late 1960s, the peak of Gonzales was in the middle 1950s. Gonzales had a great longevity that made possible that this rivalry was competitive. However, the overall record could be biased in favor of Laver because of the difference of 10 years between them.

Head-to-head tallies

The following is a breakdown of their documented head-to-head results:

Player	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	Total
Rod Laver	5	9	2	9	9	7	2	43
Pancho Gonzales	7	4	4	2	2	0	3	22

• All matches: Laver 43–22
• All finals: Laver 14–7
• Grand Slams: Laver 1–0
• Pro Slams: Laver 2–0

List of matches

See also

• List of tennis rivalries

References