Remember the 2006 Australian Open? He presented the trophy to a weeping Roger Federer, who rested his snuffly nose and red eyes on Laver's shoulder, a moment that became instantly iconic. Popping up in the front row at Melbourne Park these past few years, he's almost become the silent face of the tournament – the one who reminds Australia of its history in the game – but it's easy to forget such visits home were once infrequent. What you are witnessing is a genial old man wading into a reverent sea of adoration he did not fully know existed, one that will continue washing warmly over him through 2019, the golden anniversary of his defining achievement in tennis, the year he became the only person in history to complete two Grand Slams (winning all four major tournaments – the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open – in a calendar year). You might have seen him at an event or two recently – the standing ovations are hard to miss. All of which means he stayed mostly within mournful shadow for around 15 years until, slowly, he began inching back into the light of public life. Upon emerging from rehabilitation, his wife Mary fell ill with an array of her own crippling, cruel ailments, meaning their two traumas virtually overlapped, Laver doting on her every need for almost a decade before she died in 2012. Twenty years ago, you see, Laver suffered a serious stroke – one that all but killed him. It turns out, however, that his avoidance of the spotlight owes precious little to country-boy shyness or the magnanimous modesty of a champ, and instead to a long and painful run of grave personal misfortune. He's not quite so reclusive as the late Sir Donald Bradman (a man who, in many ways, the world never fully knew) but nor has he graced the retirement stage as eagerly as, say, Pelé, or Jack Nicklaus, or Michael Jordan, or the late Muhammad Ali – and make no mistake, Laver is comfortably in that immortal club. That last part is crucial because Laver, now 80, has become one of those mythic figures in the global sporting firmament. We cover the bones of the biography that built a tennis champion – probably the greatest of all time (more on that later) – but more importantly, we discuss what's been happening in his life lately. Over three hours together, we enjoy a drive around his posh hilly neighbourhood in suburban Carlsbad, lunch at a sandwich shop in a strip mall, and kick back for a nice rest in the shade of his backyard. Over the next hundred or so shanks and cuts and occasional flush strikes, the still wiry and ever-ruddy Laver proves a great golfer and greater company. He flashes a grin: "You're gonna kill someone." "I might have a hit," he says, turning from my shame. Our heads swivel silently in sync, together tracking the uncooperative Titleist as it drifts to the right, a vicious skyward slice soaring over the boundary netting of the driving range and onto the aluminium roof of a faraway outbuilding, where it crashes. "Now's your chance to go whack."Īnd so I cradle the TaylorMade driver I bought only yesterday, and you better believe I wallop that ball triumphantly long and hard and high and … oh dear, wait a minute … wide. "Well, we're here," says Laver, sighing contentedly, squinting into the sun at La Costa country club. Only my rusty swing, performed at a driving range in front of a designated National Living Treasure – a man with a statue, a stadium and an international tennis tournament named after him – could spoil this moment. And the sky, well, the sky is that wondrous geo-specific hue of Pacific Ocean azure and misty heat haze that might as well be its own trademarked Pantone. The sunshine is burnishing every coppery ridge and mesa in the coastal desert north of San Diego. The warm breeze on the American west coast is perfumed with sage and buckwheat. How about we actually do something for our interview, I asked his manager, instead of chatting in an office?Īnd I should be giddy that my plan has come to pass. I negotiated the creation of this moment. Waiting for me to hit the first golf ball of the morning. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size
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