Rod Laver's Grand Slam Finals Matches

[serve/and/volley]

One way to measure the quality of an opponent in a Grand Slam final is the count the total # of Grand Slam titles the opponent as won - Opponent Grand Slam (OPS). This is in a way somewhat superficial, but it is a quick way of numerically looking at a player's opponent. Here are Rod Laver's stats:

Rod Laver

11 Grand Slam wins
1) 3 GS, Neale Fraser, 1960 Australian Championships
2) 1 GS, Chuck McKinley, 1961 Wimbledon
3) 12 GS, Roy Emerson, 1962 Australian Championships
4) 12 GS, Roy Emerson, 1962 French Championships
5) 0 GS, Marty Mulligan, 1962 Wimbledon
6) 12 GS, Roy Emerson, 1962 US Championships
Open Era:
7) 1 GS, Tony Roche, 1968 Wimbledon
8] 1 GS, Andres Gimeno, 1969 Australian Open
9) 8 GS, Ken Rosewall, 1960 French Open
10) 7 GS, John Newcombe, 1969 Wimbledon
11) 1 GS, Tony Roche, 1969 US Open

Total Win OGS: 58
Avg Win OGS: 5.27

The distribution of Laver's Win OGS is:
0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 3, 7, 8, 12, 12, 12
Hence the Median Win OGS is: 3

6 Grand Slam runner-ups
1) 2 GS, Alex Olmedo, 1959 Wimbledon
2) 3 GS, Neale Fraser, 1960 Wimbledon
3) 3 GS, Neale Fraser, 1960 US Championships
4) 12 GS, Roy Emerson, 1961 Australian Championships
5) 12 GS, Roy Emerson, 1961 US Champsionships
Open Era:
6) 8 GS, Ken Rosewall, 1968 French Open

Total Runner-up OGS: 32
Avg Runnier-up OGS: 5.33

The distribution of Runner-up OGS is:
2, 3, 3, 8, 12, 12
Hence the Median Runner-up OGS is: 5.5 (the mean of 3 and 8)

Overall OGS: 90
Avg Overall OGS: 5.29

Laver's top rivals in Grand Slam Finals are Roy Emerson and Ken Rosewall.

Laver v. Emerson (GS finals): 3-2
Laver v. Rosewall (GS finals): 1-1

 

[Dan Lobb]

One way to measure the quality of an opponent in a Grand Slam final is the count the total # of Grand Slam titles the opponent as won - Opponent Grand Slam (OPS). This is in a way somewhat superficial, but it is a quick way of numerically looking at a player's opponent. Here are Rod Laver's stats:

Rod Laver

11 Grand Slam wins
1) 3 GS, Neale Fraser, 1960 Australian Championships
2) 1 GS, Chuck McKinley, 1961 Wimbledon
3) 12 GS, Roy Emerson, 1962 Australian Championships
4) 12 GS, Roy Emerson, 1962 French Championships
5) 0 GS, Marty Mulligan, 1962 Wimbledon
6) 12 GS, Roy Emerson, 1962 US Championships
Open Era:
7) 1 GS, Tony Roche, 1968 Wimbledon
8] 1 GS, Andres Gimeno, 1969 Australian Open
9) 8 GS, Ken Rosewall, 1960 French Open
10) 7 GS, John Newcombe, 1969 Wimbledon
11) 1 GS, Tony Roche, 1969 US Open

Total Win OGS: 58
Avg Win OGS: 5.27

The distribution of Laver's Win OGS is:
0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 3, 7, 8, 12, 12, 12
Hence the Median Win OGS is: 3

6 Grand Slam runner-ups
1) 2 GS, Alex Olmedo, 1959 Wimbledon
2) 3 GS, Neale Fraser, 1960 Wimbledon
3) 3 GS, Neale Fraser, 1960 US Championships
4) 12 GS, Roy Emerson, 1961 Australian Championships
5) 12 GS, Roy Emerson, 1961 US Champsionships
Open Era:
6) 8 GS, Ken Rosewall, 1968 French Open

Total Runner-up OGS: 32
Avg Runnier-up OGS: 5.33

The distribution of Runner-up OGS is:
2, 3, 3, 8, 12, 12
Hence the Median Runner-up OGS is: 5.5 (the mean of 3 and 8)

Overall OGS: 90
Avg Overall OGS: 5.29

Laver's top rivals in Grand Slam Finals are Roy Emerson and Ken Rosewall.

Laver v. Emerson (GS finals): 3-2
Laver v. Rosewall (GS finals): 1-1

It would be interesting to compare these results with Don Budge's opponents in 1937-1938.

No doubt the Big Three of today would have good opponent numbers, given the small club of Slam winners today.