September 1, 1968



SPORTS OF THE TIMES

For Rod Laver's Tennis Opponents, Forearmed Is Forewarned

By DAVE ANDERSON

His left wrist measures 7 inches, compared with 6 for his right. His left forearm measures 12 inches, compared with 10 1/2 for his right. Rod Laver is a wiry 5-foot 8-inch, 150-pounder, but his big wrist is an inch larger than that of Floyd Patterson, his big forearm equals that of Rocky Marciano.

"I used one of those squeeze things when I was young," Laver says. "I guess I still should."

Not necessarily. He's rated the most skillful player in the United States open tennis championships, and one of most skillful in the history of the sport. At the age of 30, he is being compared with Bill Tilden, Ellsworth Vines, Don Budge, Jack Kramer and Richard (Pancho) Gonzalez.

Top-Seeded Stature

His left arm is responsible for his top-seeded stature entering his opening match today with Tomas Kochm a shaggy-haired left-hander from Brazil at Forest Hills Stadium.

"With that arm," says Bill Talbert, the former United States Davis Cup captain, "Laver can flick the ball. He can wait until the last second, and flick it. Vines couldn't do that. Budge couldn't, Kramer couldn't, Gonzalez couldn't. Lew Hoad could do it, but not as well as Laver can."

Ken Rosewall, who has been succeeded by Laver as the most respected touring pro, competed against Gonzalez when the swarthy Californian ruled the nomadic tour.

"In comparing them both at their peak," Rosewall says, "Gonzalez was a better player on his surface, meaning an indoor surface, over a series of matches, but on different surfaces, Laver is equal of Gonzalez at his best."

Repertoire Is Infinite

Laver's repertoire of strokes is virtually infinite, compared to the limited ability of other quality players.

"Potentially," says Rosewall, "he has twice as many shots as I do. I'm an orthodox player. But with Laver, he has tremendous natural ability, and he's more unorthodox. His iron-clad wrist enables him to hit a top-spin backhand like nobody else. Gonzalez can hit it, but not successfully in competition."

Another shot in Laver's arsenal that baffles Rosewall is the red-haired left-hander's running forehand.

"He has a gift of coordination and timing," says Rosewall, "the ability to make contact on the run"

Arthur Ashe, the United States amateur champion and Davis CUp stalwart, lost in the semi-finals of the inaugural Wimbledon open to Laver, the eventual champion. That was the only time Ashe has played Laver, but the Army lieutenant was impressed.

"He's fast," says Ashe, "and very coordinated and he has a great feel for the racquet. When his body is in an awkward position, he can still get the racquet where it should be. Some people get out of position and they can't do a thing, but not Laver."

Strokes Not Analyzed

To that, Laver concedes that he has been gifted, but he has never analyzed all his strokes.

"I don't know how many I have," he said after practicing on one of the field courts at the West Side Tennis Club. "Different positions call for different shots. I've been blessed with natural ability, but it takes a lot of work to keep my reflexes sharp."

During his practice, he had volleyed and awaited ground strokes with two other across the net.

"The drill speeds up your whole system," he said. "And trying to get every ball is important. You have to try to get those balls in a match, so you should do the same thing in practice. It doesn't do you any good to loaf in practice and hit what you can't reach."

Since sweeping the four major amateur titles in 1962 to join Budge as the only grand-slam performers, Laver acknowledged that he has improved.

"Probably 15 a game, and that's a lot," he said. "Mainly, my knowledge, and a little more power on my serve, a better percentage on my second serve, and a deeper volley. Against the pros, you have to have a better percentage on your second serve, I've had to improve it."

It has improved enough for many tennis observers to rank the little Australian with the top champions.

"I wouldn't know about that," Laver said, looking away. "I just play, I love to play, I play as hard as I can."