H2H data updated: 2026-07-17 14:15 UTC

John Newcombe vs Rod Laver H2H: 4-15

Rod Laver holds a 15–4 lead over John Newcombe in their ATP head-to-head. Across 19 main-draw meetings, Rod Laver leads 5–1 on carpet and 4–1 on grass. Most recently, Rod Laver won the 1973 Sydney Indoor final 3-6 7-5 6-3 3-6 6-4.

Want to explore more matchups? Advanced rivalry search lets you browse current and historical rivalries, unbeaten records, or every matchup for a player.

John Newcombe
AUS Age 82 Right-Handed 183 cm / 6'0"
H2H
4 – 15
19 main draw meetings
Rod Laver
AUS Age 87 Left-Handed 175 cm / 5'9"

H2H Match Log

DateTournamentCategoryRoundSurfaceWinnerScoreLoserMatch
Nov 17, 1973* Sydney Indoor ATP 250 F Hard Rod Laver #10 3-6 7-5 6-3 3-6 6-4 John Newcombe #2 Match data
Nov 2, 1973* Tehran ATP 250 SF Clay John Newcombe #2 7-6 6-3 Rod Laver #10 Match data
Sep 15, 1973* World Invitational Classic ATP 250 SF Carpet Rod Laver #9 6-3 7-5 John Newcombe #2 Match data
May 15, 1972* Dallas Wct ATP 250 QF Carpet Rod Laver 6-4 6-4 6-4 John Newcombe Match data
Mar 26, 1972* Hilton Head ATP 250 QF Clay John Newcombe 1-6 7-6 6-3 Rod Laver Match data
Sep 2, 1971* Hilton Head ATP 250 F Clay Rod Laver 6-2 6-4 John Newcombe Match data
Mar 27, 1971* London ATP 250 QF Hard Rod Laver 6-0 6-1 John Newcombe Match data
Mar 19, 1971 Champions Classic ATP 250 RR Carpet Rod Laver 6-4 6-2 4-6 5-6 6-4 John Newcombe Match data
Feb 15, 1971* Philadelphia Wct ATP 250 F Carpet John Newcombe 7-6(5) 7-6(1) 6-4 Rod Laver Match data
Sep 25, 1970* Los Angeles ATP 250 F Hard Rod Laver 4-6 6-4 7-6 John Newcombe Match data
Aug 8, 1970* Louisville ATP 250 F Hard Rod Laver 6-3 6-3 John Newcombe Match data
Jun 21, 1970* London / Queen's Club ATP 250 F Grass Rod Laver 6-4 6-3 John Newcombe Match data
Jul 15, 1969* Boston ATP 250 F Carpet Rod Laver 7-5 6-2 4-6 6-1 John Newcombe Match data
Jul 7, 1969* Wimbledon Grand Slam F Grass Rod Laver 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-4 John Newcombe Match data
Jun 21, 1969* London / Queen's Club ATP 250 SF Grass John Newcombe 6-4 6-4 Rod Laver Match data
Mar 8, 1969* Los Angeles 1 ATP 250 SF Carpet Rod Laver 6-2 6-4 John Newcombe Match data
Jan 18, 1969* Sydney ATP 250 SF Grass Rod Laver 6-1 6-3 7-5 John Newcombe Match data
Jul 13, 1968* Paris 2 ATP 250 F Clay Rod Laver 6-2 6-2 6-3 John Newcombe Match data
Jun 18, 1968* Boston 1 ATP 250 F Grass Rod Laver 6-4 6-4 9-7 John Newcombe Match data

* Estimated match date where the exact historical date is unavailable.

Career Comparison

Player Current Peak Pts Elo W L Win % GS 1000 Finals 500 250 Titles
John Newcombe #826 #1 0 2,201 556 224 71.3% 5 2 0 0 34 41
Rod Laver #662 #3 0 2,300 576 147 79.7% 5 2 0 0 65 72

Career Progression by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. GS and Titles are cumulative career totals through that season.

Age John Newcombe Rod Laver
YrW-LWin %RankEloGSTitles YrW-LWin %RankEloGSTitles
24 1968 70–37 65.4% — 1,819 0 8 — — — — — — —
25 1969 64–26 71.1% — 1,887 0 10 — — — — — — —
26 1970 65–23 73.9% — 2,031 1 14 — — — — — — —
27 1971 61–18 77.2% — 2,082 2 20 — — — — — — —
28 1972 69–22 75.8% — 2,129 2 27 — — — — — — —
29 1973 59–19 75.6% #2 2,052 4 31 1968 73–19 79.3% — 1,881 1 13
30 1974 87–16 84.5% #2 2,115 4 40 1969 97–14 87.4% — 2,161 5 29
31 1975 21–9 70.0% #20 2,004 5 41 1970 89–15 85.6% — 2,213 5 42
32 1976 21–17 55.3% #21 1,827 5 41 1971 85–20 81.0% — 2,155 5 49
33 1977 5–6 45.5% #119 1,833 5 41 1972 50–16 75.8% — 2,016 5 54
34 1978 30–25 54.5% #24 1,815 5 41 1973 67–16 80.7% #8 2,088 5 61
35 1979 4–3 57.1% #226 1,831 5 41 1974 45–10 81.8% #4 2,115 5 67
36 1980 0–2 0.0% — 1,799 5 41 1975 52–13 80.0% #10 2,087 5 72
37 1981 0–1 0.0% #594 1,792 5 41 1976 9–11 45.0% #73 1,995 5 72
38 — — — — — — — 1977 5–9 35.7% #124 1,927 5 72
39 — — — — — — — 1978 4–3 57.1% #216 1,917 5 72
40 — — — — — — — 1979 0–1 0.0% #662 1,901 5 72