The first lesson Rod ("Rocket") Laver had to learn when he quit amateur tennis and turned pro in 1963 was respect for his elders. The cocky, carrot-topped Aussie lefthander, then 24, was far from awed by the likes of Pancho Gonzales and Ken Rosewall. After all, he was the first player since Don Budge in 1938 to achieve a grand slam of tennis' four top tournaments—the Australian, French, Wimbledon and U.S. championships. Experts marveled at his vicious ground strokes and slashing serve, his unique ability to cock his wrist at the last instant to put topspin or underspin on the ball.
"Better than Budge," said famed Coach Mercer Beasley—and who was Rod to argue when he was guaranteed $110,000 to play with the pros? "If you really want the satisfaction of knowing how good you can be," Laver explained, "you've got to pit yourself against guys like Rosewall and Gonzales. My ambition is to become No. 1—and stay there as long as possible."
To his surprise, Laver found himself Number Zero: he lost 19 of his first 21 pro matches. No. 1 from 1961 to 1964 was Ken Rosewall. Laver had to modify his game—serve deeper and harder, cut down his backswing on volleys. "In the pros," says Rod, "you can't play a bad game. Amateurs are concerned only with winning the match. With the pros, it's how many points you win by. They determine how you're seeded for the next tournament."
Growing pains did not keep Laver from winning his share on the tour: $50,000 in 1963, $40,000 last year. Now the Rocket is really off the pad. Last week at Manhattan's 71st Regiment Armory, he needed just 41 minutes to polish off Gonzales 6-3, 6-1, to win his fourth victory in six tournaments, boost his 1965 winnings to $15,500—tops on the tour. Admitted Rosewall grimly: "I lie awake nights, staring at the ceiling."