The Pacific Life Open honored Australian legend Rod Laver with the Alan King Tennis Passion Award on Saturday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for his achievements that stand as a beacon to all who play sports.

Born in the outback Australian city of Rockhampton in 1938, Laver won the first of his Grand Slam titles in 1960 at the Australian Championships. He went on to win a total of three Australian singles, two French, four Wimbledons, and two U.S. championships.

He achieved his finest year as a player in 1969, when he won 17 of 32 tournaments – a record equaled only by Guillermo Vilas in 1977. During his 23-year pro career, he won 47 singles titles.

Laver, who was inducted into to the International Tennis Hall of fame in 1981, ranked No. 1 in the world on four occasions. He was part of the Top 10 for 13 years, the last being in 1975 when he was 37 years of age.

He was nicknamed “Rocket” by legendary Australian Davis Cup captain Harry Hopman, not because he hailed from Rockhampton but because he was anything but a rocket. However, “he was willing to work harder than the rest.”

The Tennis Passion Award was founded in 2004 in honor of Alan King’s dedication to the sport of tennis. King was responsible for bringing the popularity of tennis to a new level, still unsurpassed in grandeur, by marrying the exclusive cache of Hollywood glitz and glamour, the notoriety made only through TV and Alan King’s charismatic personality.