Rod Laver vs Tony Roche in pursuit of the first Open Era Grand Slam! | US Open 1969 Final

se jugaba muy difernte al tennis se subian mas rapido a la red , ahora es de golpes mas desde la linea de saque que interesante❤

Rof

With due respect to the players but how can you appreciate this type of tennis. A player is serving and then comes to net immediately and this is happening again and again. I'm sorry to say it's boring to watch if you're used to watching the modern tennis. I'm no expert but an avid watcher but modern tennis is way to exciting to watch.

What color was the ball?

Laver was 31 years old here. This was OLD for a tennis player back then. Not so much nowadays (2024), but retirement age up until 2000 ish. To win the calendar year Grand Slam at 31 is legendary. Seeing old videos of how he played into his late 30s is insane. No wonder he's in the conversation for THEEEEE GOAT.

My GOAT list:
Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Laver, Sampras, Borg, Connors (an argument for each).

My Top 20:
1. Djokovic (and he's a long way from my favorite player. But it's hard to argue with numbers & results, unless you're a politician ;-)
2. Federer
3. Nadal
4. Laver
5. Sampras
6. Borg
7. Connors
8. McEnroe
9. Lendl
10. Agassi
11. Elsworth Vines
12. Rosewall
13. Wilander
14. Becker
15. Edberg
16. Hoad
17. Newcombe
18. Lleyton Hewitt
19. Vilas
20. Courier

On their Best Day (most talented:
1. Federer
2. McEnroe
3. Pancho Gonzalez
4. Lew Hoad
5. Elsworth Vines
6. Laver
7. Sampras
8. Ashe
9. Ivanisevic
10. Del Potro

This is how I arrive each day to my job at McDonald's

Interesting you can see at the end what a self effacing type of person Laver is. Zero ego, he seems almost embarrassed to be receiving the winners rewards, for him it's just the love of the game and competing at the highest level. Still like that today from what you see in interviews. Enormous achievement, you can see why he was idolised by the top players who came after him and still to this day by those at the top.

Thanks for this amazing historical video. Looks like they play Serve and volley. They don’t play other parts of tennis at all. Just going for fast points. I assume the rackets were limiting factor, but I would love to see some longer rallies.

Met laver while in the biz along with many others,this match is all serve & volley,most of these players didnt have much of a backhand,was mostly serve & forehand,todays players are like machines & have it all

The time machine is real

Roche just told a flag to stop rippling in the breeze, it stopped immediately.

Much as I love seeing these old matches, i have to wonder; Why was grass such a widespread surface? I suppose the pro's were just used to it, but honestly, looking at this I thought, "What other sport in the world would consent to play on a torn up field where you couldn't count on any consistency?"
I love Wimbledon, and i believe the grass care has improved so that the final matches aren't played on dirt, but I always wonder why it's the premier event.

$16,000 for Laver winning the 1969 Open (and becoming the only man to win a double grand slam). The winner of the 2023 US Open (Djokovic) won $3,000,000

Tennis has come a long way since 1969. Credit to these guys for paving the way for the players today. A lot of improvement has been made in every aspect of tennis training and tournament organization in the last 54 years.

Que le pasaba a la gente en esos años??? Rod laver ahí tenía 31 años y parecía de 50.. el otro jugador lo mismo..

16000 $ for winner today winner over 2 mill looser few hundred thousand crazy

Love this! The event was so less polished back then. Laver was flicking divots out of the way on the baseline at the start! The odd multicourt layout, the nylon webbing lawn chairs in the first few rows of the stands, the ball boy just kind of standing there waiting to fetch a ball, the wrinkled green tarps around the edge of the stands... and so many more. How about Lavers spiked shoes, the way they had to keep one foot on the ground when serving, and no tiebreaks? Laver was 31 and Roche was 24??? They both look like they're in their late 40's! So different than today. I have great appreciation for the way things were done back then!

Almost 55 years on, and no other male singles player has achieved a calendar-year "Grand Slam" since. I wonder if anyone in attendance here realized how special this man and his achievements this year (and seven years prior) were and are still.

Dos caballeros en la final y un señor campeón todoterreno.

Laver would have destroyed the players of this era if he had access to modern equipment and sports nutrition.

Don't think Laver could have been a great player in the modern era unfortunately. He was just too small at 5'8" and wouldn't have the power necessary to compete at highest level. He was the size for his era with the limited technology available that actually helped him.

Tony Roche❤❤❤

The grass is all chewed up because of spiked shoes

Tennis was about to boom

Grass courts in the united states

To play that caliber of tennis with wood racquets is amazing

Wow… Laver truly was something else

Back when tennis players were not stuffing themselves with drugs like a turkey on Thanksgiving

It's unbelievable how well these players play, given the old technology. "A+" for finesse

I've never seen quality like this in a full video of a Laver match! Thank you--more please!

Roche i s 24 yrs old here and Laver 31 - they both look mid 50's! Great to see these old matches, fascinating to see the game played back then.

Love watching old timers but nowdays they wouldn’t have chance against even “mid level players

Man they hit so hard!

looking at the court I understand why they developed the serve and volley meta back in the days.

Oh my. i just figured out that 16,000 back in 1969, In todays times in worth a little over 130,000 😅😅

So leisurely back then haha

These guys must have been better than these days elite, serving/playing like that with wooden rackets.

interesting that they keep the other ball in hand while serving...

Laver was 31 and Roche 24 ? Wow.

Grass

Tony Roche is 24 here and looks like 41.

Ah yes, the times where the tennis player’s schemes were always serve and volley, now knowing what a rally is…

I hope we all realize a true grand slam in those days meant all four majors within a calendar year. Now-a-daze the media have lessoned the accomplishment by calling each major a grand slam. Typical.

I saw Laver play a few times. He had a complete game. There is no telling how many Slams he would have won had he not been locked out for much of his prime. This looks like Forest Hills in New York, back when every Slam except the French was played on grass. That Dunlop Max-Ply Laver uses is a piece of history. Thanks to the US Open for posting this video. Brings back great memories.

Roche was 24 here and has the face of what today would look like a 40 year old.

What is it, a tennis court or a potato field?

look at the state of that pitch! like the English football league of the time.....and gee, no one is screaming or cursing or acting out...they actually seem like adults...